Free Nicole Jordan by Lord of Seduction Page B

would know the truth, wouldn’t we?”
    He had kept his tone light, meaning to tease her a little, but she only regarded him solemnly.
    “I’m certain you have reservations, Miss Sheridan, so perhaps you would like some time to consider my proposal,” Thorne offered. He glanced down at his legs, reminded that he still wore boots and breeches. “I must dress for dinner. You can give me your answer when I return.”
    When he stood and took his leave, Diana mutely watched him go. She sat there for a long moment, a little stunned by his proposal. Christopher Thorne had asked for her hand, not in marriage, but in a pretend betrothal.
    Leaving her glass of sherry untouched, Diana rose to her feet and restlessly crossed the elegant drawing room to the French doors, which opened onto the terraced gardens. The beautiful gardens offered a magnificent view of the Mediterranean, and the setting sun had turned the sea a shimmering golden red, but Diana scarcely noticed as she stepped outside.
    Of course she had reservations. Grave, numerous ones.
    She cast a dark glare behind her, in the direction she had last seen Thorne. It irked her that he’d treated his offer so casually. He had thought nothing of making such an explosive proposition and then walking away, leaving her to stew.
    A betrothal would scarcely affect him, after all. He was a nobleman born to privilege and power, accustomed to having his own way. He was the rakish darling of society who would forever be excused for his outrageous misdeeds.
    For her, however, a betrothal would be an event of enormous magnitude.
    From the countless tales she’d heard about Thorne, she had always presumed him to be a charming rogue who viewed women as a challenge and life as a lark. Clearly he had more substance than she’d given him credit for, but his brazenness in the cove today only confirmed how dangerous he was to her.
    He was sinfully beautiful, heart-stoppingly seductive, and without a doubt, she was highly vulnerable to beautiful, seductive men. She’d proved that profoundly at the tender age of eighteen with her former suitor.
    Wincing at the memory, Diana found herself pacing the gardens, hardly aware of her surroundings as she pondered her dilemma. After her aunt had died, she’d been put under the lax care of a female governess-chaperone, whose negligence had made it possible for her to make the greatest mistake of her life.
    She’d been heartbroken by her betrothed’s betrayal, both because his pretense of loving her was false and because her dreams of living the wonderful, creative world of the artist had been so callously ended.
    Certainly she had never planned to accept another proposal of marriage after that.
    As for love, she was determined never to give her heart so foolishly again. After being so badly hurt, she was wary of any man who tried to woo her because she couldn’t trust their motives. She refused to be any man’s prey ever again. Or to be deceived and shamed so thoroughly. Spinsterhood was far preferable to risking such vulnerability.
    With her modest fortune, she could doubtless find a husband, even despite her ruined reputation, but she had no desire to imprison herself in a loveless marriage simply to give herself respectability.
    She had strong maternal instincts, however, and regretted that she would likely never have children of her own.
    Perhaps that was why she was so protective of Amy, Diana reflected. Amy was her charge. Perhaps not legally, but in every way that counted. She loved her cousin sincerely and would do almost anything for her sake.
    She had a moral duty, too. Except for her, Amy had no close family left. The Lunsfords had taken
her
in when she had been orphaned. She would never abandon Amy at this crucial time in her life.
    She couldn’t deny, either, wanting to be a part of Amy’s comeout so she could try to provide guidance and counsel. Nor could she deny seeing the advantages Thorne had pointed out—to herself as well as