Free To Catch a Lady by Pamela Labud Page B

here”—he held up her calling card and showed it for all to see—“a document that clearly states you have freely agreed to the terms of marriage.”
    “You’re insufferable!”
    “Then you don’t plan on honoring your agreement.” He paused. “It would seem that you, Miss Hawkins, are a liar and a terrible tease.”
    Rage, pure and white-hot, flashed across her face.
    He’d done it, now. He’d thrown down the gauntlet.
    Fascinated, Ash watched as the realization of her fate sank in. He was sure that if looks alone could maim, he’d be a man missing several vital parts.
    When she spoke again, Caroline’s voice trembled ever so slightly. “Since I am a woman who always honors her word, Your Grace, I will marry you. I stand behind my offer, even though you are a despicable cur who has no compunction about taking advantage of a difficult situation.”
    “Taking advantage?”
    “Do you mean to prove otherwise?”
    Ha! Now she, too, had thrown down the glove. Caroline would be a worthy opponent, indeed. It was all Ash could do to keep from grinning.
    When he spoke next, it was in a quiet, cautious tone.
    “I can tell that this ordeal greatly bothers you. I will release you from your obligation, miss.”
    The fury of her anger started to dissipate. “Thank you, Your Grace.” She turned to leave.
    “Of course, you will have to admit that it was you who has defaulted on the contract.”
    Ash could swear he heard a crackling in the air.
    Miss Hawkins spun back around to face him, her gown whirling about furiously.
    “Me? But I never really consented to marry you in the first place. I only came here because my sister needed an escort.”
    “Yes, well, so far as I can tell, you’ve done a superb job of that. No doubt she will be leaving here in complete shame, disgraced at your antics. Her chances for a good match now are practically nonexistent. What will you do next? Tie a stone around her ankle and toss her into a well?”
    The refined and beautiful Miss Hawkins lunged at him. Only her younger sister thrusting herself between them kept her from launching a full-out assault on Ash.
    “Caro! What on earth are you doing?” cried the younger sister.
    “I’m only doing what’s right,” she shot back. “No woman should ever be shackled to this cur.”
    “A cur, am I? Well, if you ask me, being equally bound in marriage to an unwieldy harridan is not a bright and shining prospect, either.”
    That was the line, and he had well and truly crossed it. The next instant, Caroline pulled back her tiny, delicate hand to slap him. And it would have been a magnificent slap, for all the power of her form was behind it. However quick she was, though, he proved much quicker and caught her wrist in mid-strike.
    “Please,” his aunt Amelia said. “Both of you, I implore you to stop this nonsense immediately. The license is signed; the priest is in attendance. Both of you need to act according to your station and finish the ceremony.” She leaned in closer and whispered, “For Heaven’s sake, the entire staff is watching!”
    Miss Hawkins suddenly yanked her wrist out of his grasp and threw him a glare. “Again. I demand you release me from this ridiculous contract.”
    Ash considered her request for a moment. He could and probably should release her. But a single thought nagged at him: Caroline Hawkins was a strong, opinionated woman. She was used to managing her own life and, no doubt, the lives of those around her. And she wasn’t the least bit inclined to stand down from a fight.
    Although it was a damned annoying thing, he was beginning to like her. He was more than certain that, in spite of his interest in her, he would never love Caroline Hawkins. He would never follow her about like a saggy-eared puppy, or cling to her skirts like a lost child, or, worst of all, ever expect her to love him back.
    In his mind, it was a simple equation: No love meant no pain. If they hated each other from the start, then there