Free The Blackmailed Bride by Mandy Goff

compassionate gentleman?”
    “I don’t know what she’s thinking.”
    It was fairly obvious to Nick that she wasn’t thinking…not at all. But she had to be under the delusion that Finley was something other than a snake. He could almost understand her defying her brother if she thought her suitor was honorable and supportive. Of course Olivia, who was naive in the motivations and thinking of men, would have tender feelings for a man who feigned sympathy in the time of her despair.
    But Nick knew the man better. Knew what kind of hidden viper he was.
    “What are you going to do?”
    Marcus splayed his hands in front of him. “What can I do?”
    “Forbid the match.” Nick made the statement as though the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.
    Marcus almost smiled. Almost. “I know you don’t think Finley would care what I decree. And well, you’ve met my sister.”
    Nick thought about the feisty young woman who’d intrigued him so effortlessly. And he had to concede that she wouldn’t be deterred because her brother said no. The couple could run to Gretna Green at the earliest opportunity, and it would be too late for Marcus to do anything.
    “You need to keep her away from him,” Nick said, thinking to limit the likelihood of an elopement.
    “Do you have any brilliant ideas as to how?” Marcus snapped. But he immediately apologized. “Forgive me, Nick. My anger isn’t toward you. I’m only frustrated. There’s no place I can take her that he won’t try to follow. I thought re moving her to London would send a message. But what does he do? Follow us. If we remain at Westin Park, he will trail after us again.”
    “So what will you do?” Nick asked, unsure of which option he would choose were it his decision to make.
    “There is more to do, more to occupy her in London.” Marcussighed. “Perhaps she will meet with some other gentleman who is more suitable.”
    Nick found himself bothered by that thought as well. He shook off the errant aggravation.
    “Finley will shadow her every move,” Nick warned. His time as an agent of the Crown had taught him to think ahead, to anticipate the enemy.
    Finley was definitely the enemy.
    Marcus leaned back in his seat. “I know I’ll have to be glued to her side to be certain Finley doesn’t worm his way in.”
    Nick saw the flaws immediately. “That won’t work. You are just one person. You can’t be with her at all times. Acquaintances will seek to talk to you, she’ll have dance partners…” He let the statement trail off. An idea was forming in his mind. Nick wasn’t an impulsive man. He was levelheaded, meticulous and cautious.
    But right now, with the anger clawing at him, he was being none of those.
    “Let me help,” Nick said after a few seconds of thought. “I can be with her when you aren’t. Between the two of us, we should intimidate Finley enough that he won’t dare approach her.”
    Marcus pondered the plan. He steepled his fingers and tapped them against his chin. “Don’t you think Olivia might be a bit suspicious of that?”
    Nick shrugged. “We would attend the same events, and she’s my friend’s sister. She might believe I’m aiding you in your protectiveness, but if it keeps Finley away…” He shrugged his shoulders again.
    “What if she believes you’re courting her?”
    Nick didn’t have a good answer for that. And this was where his rashness might become a problem. He couldn’t deny to himself that she appealed to him, but Lady Olivia wasn’t the woman for him. From what Marcus had told him, she was ina delicate spiritual place, and Nick was firm in his belief that Christians should not be linked with nonbelievers.
    If things were different…
    “Your silence doesn’t bode well,” Marcus said.
    The marquess cleared his throat. “I will be careful to ensure she sees me as a friend—nothing more. Truthfully, this might not be the wisest plan, but it’s the only one we have.”
    Marcus said