Chapter Four
Diana
Diana wasn’t certainshe could believe what had just occurred. She blinked a few times, convinced that she was going to awaken from some insane dream. But she was still there, soaked beneath Lord Powis’ coat with Lady Theodosia and Lady Rebecca far too filled with glee at the turn of events.
Diana understood immediately what the earl had done. Their betrothal was inevitable after how they’d been found. She’d been far too careless in believing they were actually alone and there weren’t others caught in the storm. Being discovered alone in his arms embraced in a passionate kiss left them only two choices…marriage or ruination.
Marriage was the preferable option. But the weight of it brought tears to her eyes. Marriage was forever, and she hardly knew the man. He appeared kind and there was certainly attraction unlike what she even knew was possible.
That is what drove her to be so reckless and lose all of her practical sensibilities. But hadn’t she set out into the garden to follow after a man? A man who wasn’t the one she would now marry. One might argue her good sense had long vanished the moment she stepped foot into the dark.
She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin as she faced Theodosia. “I don’t suppose you might let us share the news ourselves?”
“You know me better than that, Lady Diana,” Theodosia replied. “I knew you were up to something the moment I saw you enter the garden.”
“You followed me?”
“Indeed. Rebecca and I were taking the air when we noticed you slip away alone.” Theodosia’s smile was sharp as a blade. “And you certainly didn’t disappoint.”
Diana fisted her fingers tighter into Lord Powis’s coat. She should have paid much better attention to her surroundings. Or better yet, she should have remained in the ballroom just as her friends had tried to convince her to do.
Theodosia reached her hand out and there were no rain droplets. The rain had stopped.
“Come, Rebecca,” Theodosia said, linking arms with her companion. “We simply must share the news. This will be the talk of the season.”
Diana watched as the two women hurried away without another word. By tomorrow, every drawing room in London would be buzzing with speculation about her hasty engagement.
“Diana,” Graham said quietly, and she noticed he couldn’t quite meet her eyes. “I’m sorry. I never intended—”
“You saved us both from complete ruin,” she interrupted. “I should thank you.”
“Don’t.” The word was sharp. “Don’t thank me for compromising you.”
The pain in his voice made her chest ache. He was blaming himself entirely, she realized. Taking on the full weight of their shared mistake.
She fought to find the words. Something that might offer comfort, but she wasn’t certain what would comfort him. She didn’t even know how to comfort herself.
“We should return,” he said, offering his arm without looking ather. “I must speak with your brother.”
As they walked back toward the ballroom, neither spoke a single word. Her brother and father would be beside themselves. They’d plan a rushed wedding, if they didn’t kill the earl first, and then she wasn’t certain what her life would be. She didn’t even know her betrothed’s given name.
But underneath her fear, something else stirred. The memory of his arms around her, the way he’d looked at her before everything went horribly wrong. Perhaps there was something to build on, even if the foundation was shaky. Assuming he wanted that, too.
The ballroom erupted in whispers the moment they appeared. Diana felt every eye upon them, saw the way conversations stopped mid-sentence as they passed. The disheveled state of their appearances certainly didn’t do them any favors.
She lifted her chin and smiled, refusing to give them the satisfaction of thinking they affected her. Even if she didn’t wholly feel that way on the inside.
“Diana!” Hannah appeared at her elbow, face pale with concern. “Is what those vipers said true?”
“Lord Powis has asked for my hand,” Diana said simply. There was no point in denying it when half the ballroom had already heard the news from Lady Theodosia.
Hannah’s eyes widened. Behind her, Juliana, Tabitha, and Marina pushed through the crowd, their faces displaying various degrees of surprise and concern.
“But when—how—?” Tabitha stammered.
“That is a discussion for later,” Diana whispered. “Now is not the time.”
Her friends exchanged meaningful glances, clearly understanding that something significant had occurred. They formed a protective circle around her, their loyalty evident even as they took in her disheveled appearance and Powis’s tense posture.