“Six hundred pounds remains due and owing.”

  Timothy again nearly choked on the amount. How had a book shop owner gotten so far in debt?

  He looked around and realized it was likely from the purchase of books for a shop he placed in a small village that would never have enough customers to recoup the costs.

  Was he making the same mistake? Would he also go into great debt if he opened a book shop and lending library in a village?

  Timothy shook his head. First, the funds he would part with for the contents of this shop would not put him in debt. Further, he had property, even if it didn’t have an income.

  Anxiety churned. Was the risk too much?

  He’d rather take a risk than be miserable in his position at Oxford. However, that did not mean he’d take Miss Carrick to Willanton. He’d risk his financial future, but he’d not risk the dangers of the two of them traveling together, and alone for three or four days in a closed conveyance. She was far too tempting, and he wasn’t certain he was strong enough to resist.

  “One thousand, two hundred pounds. That amount should leave you enough to pay off the debts and a very nice sum on which to live. You could use some of it to rent a carriage or coach and horses to take you to Willanton.”

  She gaped at him. “Where am I to find this horse and carriage?” she demanded. “We are not in London where there is a hackney around every corner and traveling from Blackrig to Willanton is much farther than Mayfair to Covent Garden.”

  She was correct, but he simply could not take her.

  “One thousand, two hundred is my final offer. For the contents of this shop.” He stood. “I will not be taking you to Willanton.”

  “Why?” she asked coming to her feet.

  “I’ll not risk your reputation.” Certainly, she had to understand that she’d be ruined. “Give my offer consideration and let me know your decision when it is reached.” Turning, he marched from the book shop and crossed the street to the coffee house.

  Bloody hell! What the blazes was she thinking?

  They could not travel together, and alone?

  Did she not understand that she’d be ruined, even if he never touched her?

  But what he truly feared was that he would touch her. That he’d give into temptation and explore her most thoroughly and leave her truly quite ruined. That is assuming she’d allow such seduction. If she didn’t, which would be wise, then he’d suffer through the most uncomfortable travel in his life because it was simply impossible to be alone with Miss Carrick for very long without lascivious thoughts, which were far more prevalent since he found those bloody books and reminded how long it has been since he’d been with a woman.

  If it was simply release that he needed, Timothy would find someone in Edinburgh. A woman who was skilled at bringing pleasure. Except, he knew that not just any woman would do. He wanted Miss Carrick, which was the very reason he could not and would not take her to Willanton.

  He went to pinch his nose as he blew out a frustrated breath only to realize that he still wore his spectacles, which he usually only wore when reading. He had anticipated doing so when the agreement was prepared. That was how much she’d flummoxed him.

  Chapter 10

  “Please, you must take me with you.” Katrina ran after Lord Timothy.

  He stopped in the middle of the street and spun on his heel to look at her. His green eyes grew hard behind the wire-rimmed spectacles and his jaw clenched before he spoke. “It is highly improper. Your reputation would be ruined, and I have no wish to begin in a new town with the residents questioning my morality.” He pivoted and continued marching across the street.

  “The residents of Middleton will never know,” Katrina called after him. “Just leave me in Willanton and carry on.” Katrina had to convince him to help her.

  “It is out of my way. I won’t even go through Willanton,” he informed over his shoulder, not even bothering to turn and look her in the eye.

  She would not be dismissed so easily. “Only a few miles, barely an inconvenience.” And if all went as planned, he’d be happy for the delay, she silently added to herself. At least from what she understood, few men objected to seduction when there was no threat of a permanent commitment. Lord Timothy would enjoy the dalliance, at least she hoped, and Katrina would finally experience the things she had read about before she fully settled into spinsterhood.

  Lord Timothy entered the coffee house and Katrina followed him through the door. The aroma of strong coffee along with fresh baked bread and cakes permeated the air. Katrina’s stomach grumbled. She hadn’t eaten today, and a hot cup of tea would take away the chill. But first, she needed to make Lord Timothy understand.

  When Lord Timothy took his seat at a small table among the dozen throughout the room and noticed her, his face hardened again. Mrs. McGree was responsible for decorating and Lord Timothy did look a little out of place at the small table, covered with a lacy cloth and the dimity curtain framing his blonde hair against the backdrop of a window.

  Why hadn’t she noticed before when they’d taken lunch here so frequently since his arrival.

  He took the spectacles away, no longer an obstacle shielding the green depths of his eyes. For a moment Katrina forgot to breathe. Such beautiful eyes. It was a shame he hid them behind glass so often, or perhaps it was safer for the female population that he did. A golden lock fell across his brow and Katrina itched to brush it back into place.

  Lord Timothy pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and polished the lenses, ignoring her presence as she approached his table. Though it wasn’t wise to carry on this particular conversation in public, she had no other choice. He certainly wouldn’t discuss it with her in private. Katrina had already tried.

  Without being invited, Katrina slid into the seat directly opposite just as Lord Timothy adjusted the rim of his glasses across the bridge of his nose. She leaned forward and continued in a hushed tone. “I need to get to Willanton in a sennight or I could lose the position and you are the only person who can help me.”

  Drat, that man for not going along with her plans and for being so difficult.

  “Miss Carrick, I cannot possibly allow you to accompany me in my carriage all the way to Willanton. That is at least a three-day trip.”

  Three days in which she could finally be alone with Lord Timothy and possibly explore the secrets of intimacy. “No one will know.”

  He arched a brow at her. “The good people of Blackrig will know.”

  “Very well. I’ll simply take a mail coach.” It wasn’t much of a threat, but it was the only thing she could think of at the moment.

  “You most certainly will not.” Mrs. McGree marched over to their table, one fist locked on her hip and the other hand holding a plate of biscuits. “We already know that you won’t arrive in time. We checked the schedules and with the changes you’d need to make, you would miss your interview.”

  “Why don’t you ask your grandfather or cousin for assistance?” Lord Timothy’s eyebrows rose in interest.

  “My grandfather is deceased, as is my uncle, and Broderick has only his horse.” She picked a biscuit up from the plate Mrs. McGree placed in the middle of the table.

  “I meant, your mother’s father.” Lord Timothy raised the cup of coffee to his lips and blew on the contents before he took a sip. “Or even Knight.”

  Katrina had ignored his earlier questions about the Knight family, so Lord Timothy didn’t know the family history. Just the thought of asking her grandfather or uncle for anything caused her body to tense. “If I were starving, I wouldn’t go to that man for a crumb.” Though she had never met her grandfather, she still grew indignant on her mother’s behalf. “He rejected my mother when she chose my father, a mere baron’s second son over the landed, future viscount he had chosen. My mother followed her heart, and my grandfather never forgave her for not doing her duty to the family.”

  Her tone must have been harder than she realized because Lord Timothy placed his cup back in the saucer and sat back. “Very well, but have you considered he may have had a change of heart.”

  “It doesn’t matter. He wasn’t there when my mother and father needed help and I refuse to acknowledge him now. And I certainly would not ask his assistance in travel. Besides, there is not enough time to do so.”

  Katrina broke apart the biscuit on her plate in frustration without taking a bite. She was no longer hungry. “If you do not allow me to accompany you, I will be unable to arrive in Willanton in time for my interview and who knows when I’ll have another opportunity to return to a position as a governess. If I cannot obtain another position, I will soon be living on the street because the new tenants will take up residence in my house and in my bookshop in two weeks.”

  “Oh, dear.” Mrs. McGree wrung her hands together. “I don’t know of any solution to your predicament.”

  “I’m afraid that I cannot help you.” Lord Timothy unfolded the newssheet he’d carried in and opened it, hiding his face completely. He may be finished with the conversation, but she was not.

  “He is right, dear,” Mrs. McGree offered sympathetically. “What would the good people of Middleton think? He wants to open his own bookshop and if the townspeople thought ill of him, he may not have any customers.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. McGree,” Lord Timothy acknowledged from behind the paper.

  “There is no possible way anyone in Middleton would ever learn. He would leave me in Willanton.” Katrina directed the remainder of her comments to the newssheet Lord Timothy was hiding behind. “Your reputation would remain untarnished.” Katrina was rather pleased that she was able to dismiss this issue so easily and quickly.

  Lord Timothy lowered the paper. “What of your reputation?”

  “I don’t ever plan on living in, or visiting, Middleton, so I don’t see why that is an issue.”

  He sighed and folded the paper, setting it aside. “Miss Carrick, what would your potential future employer think if you arrived in Willanton, unchaperoned, in the company of a bachelor? Do you think he would want to hire someone who would risk her own reputation to teach his children?”

  Katrina hadn’t thought about that. All she wanted was a few days alone with Lord Timothy. “Maybe he wouldn’t care.” It was a weak argument. “Or maybe you could drop me earlier and I can take a public coach the rest of the journey. All you would have to do is take me most of the way there.”

  “I am sorry, Miss Carrick, I cannot help you.” Lord Timothy lifted the newssheet before him once again. Someone needed to tell him how rude his behavior was. The gentleman was the fourth son of a marquess, and she assumed he’d been raised to behave better than this.

  “There has to be a way,” Mrs. McGree insisted. “Maybe another family in the area would loan you the use of their carriage or someone else will take you. We haven’t asked everyone. Though, there are few carriages in Blackrig as they aren’t needed. But maybe someone would allow you to borrow a horse.”

  Katrina didn’t want someone else, or another carriage, or even a horse. She wanted Lord Timothy. Ever since he arrived in Blackrig to review the contents of the store and negotiate a price, she had been taken with him. Tall, with blond hair and the most beautiful green eyes, which no man should be allowed to possess, had been the first to attract her. His broad shoulders, strong hands, and long fingers held her interest as had his legs and muscular thighs. She assumed they were muscular, as was his buttocks because she watched him often enough when he walked, stood, bent, and sat. He reached forward and picked up the cup, small and delicate in his hand.

  Her face warmed at the images her mind produced from the books she had glanced through. She wanted to experience so much before she settled into spinsterhood, and she wanted to experience it with Lord Timothy. Oh, why did he have to be so bloody proper?

  Perhaps Lord Timothy wasn’t interested in dalliances. Was it possible for a man not to want seduction and prefer books and solitude above intimacy? Maybe he wouldn’t even wish to kiss her once alone in a carriage. Then what would she do?

  Katrina shook the worry from her mind. First, she had to get into that carriage, and then she would try to figure out how to seduce him. She was sure there were books among her father’s secret collection that could assist her if he became too difficult.

  Timothy concentrated on the words of the newssheet before him but read nothing. He had no idea what the article may say but simply used the paper to block his view of Miss Carrick. If he waited long enough, perhaps she would go away, though he knew that wasn’t bloody likely to happen.

  Though a companion for the three-day trip to Middleton would be welcome, Katrina Carrick was the last person Timothy wanted to be alone with.

  He corrected himself. He wanted to be alone with her. Very much wanted to be alone with her, but he was not certain he could survive it.

  Miss Carrick had no idea what she asked or what torture would be inflicted upon him. All she wanted was a ride to Willanton so she could become a governess. That in itself was a waste. With her full breasts and luscious lips, she was made for much more pleasant things, such as seducing. If she wasn’t a respectable miss, he would have offered her the ride in his carriage, among other things, before she could ask. But she was an innocent and had no idea what the sway of her hips did to him.

  Besides, Miss Carrick viewed him as a scholar. He was the gentleman who purchased her father’s books. Not a man who lusted after her, if she even knew the meaning of the word lust.

  Thank goodness Miss Carrick didn’t know about the books secreted away behind a false panel in the gentleman’s room or she would be very well acquainted with lust, desire, copulation, and fornication.

  Tomorrow he would begin packing the books for shipment and he would need to make certain that she was distracted when he pulled those books from hiding.

  “Handfasted,” a voice called out.

  Timothy recognized the voice of Mr. Wallace, the local tailor. He had been standing before the glass case displaying the delicacies baked earlier in the day when he entered.

  “Oh, that is an excellent idea, Mr. Wallace,” Mrs. McGree agreed with enthusiasm.

  Timothy remained hidden behind the paper waiting for Miss Carrick to vacate her seat and leave the coffee house. But she was still there because he could still smell her scent of lilac. Why didn’t she just give up and go away?

  “I didn’t think anyone practiced handfasting any longer,” Miss Carrick commented.

  Handfasting? No, they couldn’t be thinking what he feared they were. Timothy lowered the paper hoping they were speaking of some other couple.

  “It is hardly ever necessary any longer, but there are a few who become handfasted, as a trial, of course,” Mrs. McGree enthusiastically offered.

  “A trial marriage,” Miss Carrick said the words so slowly Timothy knew she was giving this a great deal of consideration. He would need to stop this line of thought before he found himself in a trial marriage to the one woman he wanted to bed.

  “You only have to be married a year and a day. If you are not together when that time comes around, it is as if the wedding never happened.”

  “It is an excellent idea, Mr. Wallace.” Mrs. McGree clapped her hands and turned to Timothy. “It is perfect. You can travel alone with Miss Carrick and nobody will think poorly of either of you because you will be married. Then, you can drop her in Willanton and be on your way. After a year, it will be as if the marriage never happened.”

  It sounded far too easy, and Timothy knew there was a catch. Nobody got handfasted any longer. Well, at least not in England. But he was in Scotland, where things could be very different. These people probably thought it perfectly normal to make a union in such an antiquated manner since they saw nothing wrong with saying vows over an anvil instead of in a church.

  “Please. I promise not to be any trouble and never to bother you again.”

  Miss Carrick looked at him expectantly, a hopeful smile and spark of anticipation in her eyes. Mrs. McGree kept nodding her head as if encouraging him to make the right decision, which required him to be married for a year and a day.

  Mr. Wallace shrugged and held up his hands. “What do you have to lose? Are you betrothed to someone else?”

  “No.” How come it felt like there was a noose tightening around his neck?

  “Did you plan on marrying anyone within the next year?”

  It was getting difficult to breathe. Why didn’t he simply refuse? “No, but that doesn’t mean I won’t meet someone.”

  “She will want to plan a fancy wedding, you being the son of a marquess, and that could take a good year. By then you will no longer be married.”

  “Please?” Miss Carrick bit her bottom lip. Her hopeful anticipation had been replaced with worry.

  “I am not certain it is even legal. Further, I’ve always wondered if it wasn’t a practice made up so that men could…anyway, I’m not certain it is even real.”

  “It’s real enough and used to happen often,” Mrs. McCree argued as if insulted. “It was necessary when there wasn’t a church about, and ministers came through only a few times a year. Couples didn’t want to wait so they got handfasted until they could be married by a man of God.”

  “That was then,” Timothy reminded her. “We do not have to suffer such inconveniences now.” Maybe people really had gotten handfasted at one time. Timothy had often wondered if it had been a fable or myth.

  “Please,” Miss Carrick begged. “I promise not to be a hindrance. It will only be for a year and a day, and I will not hold you to any promises. I just need to get to Willanton.”

  She clearly did not see how dangerous it was for them to be alone, whether they were handfasted or not. She saw him as a scholar. Safe.

  Miss Carrick’s eyes were nearly pleading with him.

  This was a very bad idea. She had no idea what she asked of him

  Bloody hell.

  He hated to see her disappointed…but if they were married, even for the short time they were together, he could do the things he wanted, if she would allow it, of course.