Free Improperly Wed by Anna DePalo Page B

chastising a child.
    Uncle Hugh bent his head. “It’s all ruined.”
    â€œNot quite.”
    She knew what ruin felt like—her wedding day had been a disaster—so her heart went out to her uncle. At the same time, she stopped herself from pointing out that while she had been castigated for marrying a Granville, Uncle Hugh had sold the family estates to one, albeit inadvertently. Who had committed the greater transgression?
    Her uncle glanced up. “What do you mean?”
    â€œI mean Colin is reluctant to grant me a divorce, though he ultimately may not have a choice.” Nothing was ever quite as lost as one believed, she was discovering.
    Uncle Hugh brightened. “We may have some leverage.”
    â€œI knew you’d think so,” she commented drily.
    â€œYes, yes.” Her uncle looked more animated by the second. “You must stay married to him.”
    Belinda bit her lip. Stay married to Colin? She’d avoided dwelling on the possibility since leaving Vegas.
    Uncle Hugh sat up straighter. “Tell him that you’ll stay married on condition of his signing over the properties to you.”
    â€œWhat?” she asked, sliding into a seat because she didn’t like the direction this conversation was taking. “What possible motivation would he have for doing so? He’d likely think I’d divorce him as soon as I had the deeds to the properties, and he’d be right!”
    â€œThen negotiate,” her uncle replied, setting his hands on his desk. “Have him turn over the properties one by one.”
    Belinda’s stomach felt as if it were a roller coaster. “A postnuptial agreement?”
    â€œExactly.” Her uncle nodded. “It’s done all the time.”
    Belinda worried her lip. Why was it up to her to save the family fortunes?
    Colin was right—this was her chance to be the rebel and the dutiful child all at once. But she never would have dreamed that Uncle Hugh would latch on to the idea with such enthusiasm. This is the most her family had ever asked of her. It was all preposterous and outrageous. Yet she found herself considering it.
    â€œWhy would Colin want to stay married to me?” she rejoined.
    Her uncle looked at her keenly. “Now there’s a question for the marquess. You’re an attractive girl. And perhaps he wants to save face with society. After all, you did almost marry another man while you remained his wife. If you and the marquess live as man and wife for a period of time, it’ll stamp out the taint.”
    Belinda felt her shoulders slump. She didn’t believe Colin cared a fig about society—after all, he was the one who had generated a scandal by interrupting her wedding. But soothing the blow to his pride? Yes, that she could believe. She had rejected Colin after their Vegas wedding. She’d fled, fearful of what she’d done, and had beat a hasty retreat down the reckless path she’d traveled in one night.
    If she had instigated Colin’s drive for revenge, wasn’t she responsible for rectifying the fallout?
    The thought swept through Belinda’s mind. Her worldwas no longer a neat painting but one streaked with bold and unexpected new colors.
    She was no longer faced with the relatively simple matter of dissolving her marriage to Colin. The Wentworth heritage was in Granville hands. And the responsible streak in her wouldn’t let her walk away without making an effort to save it, especially if she’d had a hand in bringing about the current situation.
    Still, even if she was responsible, could she play a high-stakes game with a seasoned gambler?
    Her cell phone buzzed, interrupting her thoughts, and she fished it out of her handbag to glance down at a text message.
    Meet @ Halstead—DH
    Belinda’s mind churned. The message could be interpreted as a summons, a request or a question. Halstead Hall was the family seat in Berkshire of the