Unconventional Suitors 01 - Her Unconventional Suitor by Ginny Hartman

and forth wildly. “You better make good on your word, my lord, or I will tell the entire ton that you are merely disguising as a fool to amuse your friends.”
    “Fair enough, though I have not told you the worst of it yet. Not only do I have to wear such outlandish clothing, I am to convince Lady Gillian that she is in love with me and get her to agree to marry me by the season’s end.”
    Miss Graham began coughing, her blue eyes widening with surprise. “Pardon me, my lord, but do I believe this may be the most idiotic bet yet. You do not convince someone that they are in love, you court them and romance them and let the rest happen naturally. You cannot mean to wed Lady Gillian simply because you were dared to do so. How ridiculous that you would wed a lady simply because your friends find it amusing.”
    Benedict felt his ire beginning to rise. “There is more to it than that, but I do not wish to divulge the remaining conditions of the bet. Suffice it to say that I am committed to wedding Lady Gillian, whether you agree to it or not.”
    “But do you not see how unfair that is? Does Lady Gillian not deserve to be courted by someone who truly desires her and cares for her companionship?”
    Benedict thought about her question—oh he desired Lady Gillian all right, more than he ought, and if he was being honest with himself, he would admit that the line between securing a victory and securing her heart had already begun to blur.
    “Listen, I do not wish to hurt Lady Gillian or rob her of what she deserves.” When Miss Graham gave him a doubtful look, he ignored it and continued, “I do have feelings for her and desire to pursue her and not just because of the bet. Please, if you will agree to help me, I may be able to assist you where Warren is concerned. I may have considerable sway over him once I win this bet.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Suffice it to say that I am positive he would give considerable consideration to my advice on love once he sees that I have successfully won Lady Gillian’s heart.”
    Miss Graham closed her fan and began tapping it slowly, methodically against her hand. “So let me get this straight—if I help you make Lady Gillian jealous, you will help persuade Lord Dawkins to see me as something more than his friends obnoxious kid sister?”
    Benedict smiled. “Precisely.”
    ***
    Gillian was positively fuming by the time she returned to her family’s townhouse on Grosvenor Square. She stalked straight to her room to avoid having to speak to anyone about her evening. She had been so busy observing Lord Danford and Miss Graham talking with their heads close together, that she had failed to pay even a bit of attention to the remainder of the performance. She couldn’t even recall the name of the final play.
    Her lady’s maid, Sarah, seemed to sense her sour mood and wisely kept quiet as she helped her from her gown into a thin cotton night dress. Gillian went and sat at her dressing table while Sarah pulled the pins from her hair and began brushing it in long, soothing strokes. Gillian sighed as her eyes fluttered closed, trying to let go of the irritation she felt.
    Why did seeing Lord Danford with Miss Graham vex her so? They had both appeared highly amused with one another as they conversed animatedly throughout the entire last production, and as each minute ticked by, Gillian had become increasingly more agitated. Perhaps she was jealous of Miss Graham and the personal attention she was receiving from Lord Danford.
    The thought made her eyes flash open. She stared at herself in the looking glass, unwisely comparing her looks to those of Miss Graham’s. They both had brown hair, but while Miss Graham’s was a rich chestnut shade, Gillian’s was dark and sleek. She arched her eyebrows as she looked into her eyes that matched her hair. They were so uninteresting, she thought woefully as she thought of Miss Graham’s large blue ones. Her spirit sunk dejectedly as she compared