Jacquie D'Alessandro by Who Will Take This Man

shoulders. “You’re not going to faint again, are you?”
    “Certainly not.” She stepped back, and his hands lowered to his sides. The warm imprint from his palms seeped through her gown, shooting tingles down her arms. “You may place me firmly in the category of ‘females who do not succumb to vapors.’”
    He cocked a brow. “I happen to know that is not precisely true.”
    “The episode at St. Paul’s was an aberration, I assure you.”
    While he did not appear entirely convinced, he said, “Glad to hear it.”
    “You came to my defense in a very gentlemanly way. Thank you.”
    “I’m certain you don’t mean to sound so surprised.”
    Indeed, she was surprised—stunned, actually—although she had not meant to sound as if she were. But she’d have to reflect upon that later. Right now there were other, bigger issues to contemplate.
    Unable to stand still, Meredith paced in front of him. “Unfortunately, with the duke’s news, we must now recategorize our situation from ‘bad’ to ‘utterly disastrous.’ Your bride is well and truly lost, ruining our plan for you to marry on the twenty-second, and my reputation as a matchmaker is in tatters. And with your father’s ill health,time is short. There must be a way to somehow turn this situation around. But how?”
    “I’m open to suggestions. Even if we are successful in finding the missing piece of stone, my marrying is out of the question without a bride.” A humorless sound escaped him. “Between this curse hanging over my head, the unflattering story in the newspaper, and the gossip Lord Hedington alluded to circulating about my ability to…perform, it seems that the answer to the question posed in today’s issue of The Times is yes—the cursed viscount is the most unmarriageable man in England.”
    Unmarriageable . The word echoed through Meredith’s mind. Damnation, there must be a way—
    She swung around to face him. “Unmarriageable,” she repeated, her drawn-out pronunciation of the word in direct contrast to her runaway thoughts. “Yes, one might very well christen you the Most Unmarriageable Man in England.”
    He inclined his head in a mock bow. “A title of dubious honor. And one I’m surprised you sound so…enthusiastic about. Perhaps you’d care to share your thoughts?”
    “Actually I was thinking you exhibited a moment of brilliance, my lord.”
    He walked toward her, his gaze never wavering from hers, not stopping until only two feet separated them. Awareness skittered down her spine, and she forced herself to stand her ground when everything inside her urged her to retreat.
    “A moment of brilliance? In sharp contrast to all my other moments, I suppose. A lovely compliment, although your stunned tone when uttering it took off a bit of the shine. And brilliant though I may be—albeit only for a moment—I’m afraid I’m in the dark as to what I said to inspire you so.”
    “I think we can agree that Lady Sarah marrying LordWeycroft places us both in an awkward situation.” At his nod, she continued, “Well then, if you are the Most Unmarriageable Man in England, and it seems quite clear you are, the matchmaker who could marry you off would score an incredible coup. If I were successful in such an undertaking, you would gain a wife, and my reputation would be reinstated.”
    “My moment of brilliance clearly remains upon me, as I’m following your thought process, and what you’ve described is a good plan. However, I cannot marry unless I am able to break the curse.”
    “Which a brilliant man such as yourself will certainly be able to do.”
    “ If we are able to locate the missing piece of the Stone of Tears. Assuming we are successful, whom did you have in mind that I would marry?”
    Meredith’s brow puckered, and she once again commenced pacing. “Hmmm. Yes, that is problematic. Yet surely in all of London there must be one unsuperstitious woman willing to be courted by a cursed, gossip-ridden