"I am well aware of that. I am responsible for all that has transpired."
Olympia sighed. "Do not blame yourself, sir. What happened was probably unavoidable, given your nature and temperament. A man of strong passions is always at risk of causing talk. However, I believe that if we depart for Upper Tudway at once, the gossip will soon cease."
"The damage is done," Jared said. "We have introduced ourselves as Lord and Lady Chillhurst. One can hardly expect that sort of gossip to simply evaporate."
"It will if the next time you happen to be in London, you put out the word that it was all a jest," Olympia said quickly.
Jared stared at her. "You want me to pass this whole thing off as a jest?"
"It could be done," Olympia said earnestly. "You can explain that I was just a friend."
"A friend?"
Olympia frowned. "Well, perhaps you could say that I was your mistress, or paramour, or something. I know very well that gentlemen frequently keep their convenients tucked away in houses here in town. It's done all the time."
"Bloody hell." Jared's jaw went rigid. "What about your reputation, Olympia?"
"No one knows me here in London and it is highly unlikely that anyone in Upper Tudway will ever hear about this nonsense." Olympia stopped her pacing and began to tap one toe. "Furthermore, I do not particularly care if anyone does hear about it. I have told you before that I am not concerned with my reputation."
"What about me?" Jared asked quietly. "I have a reputation to consider also."
Olympia eyed him uncertainly. "I believe you will be able to brush through this without too much damage to your reputation."
"Is that a fact?"
"It is not as though you will actually be seeking work as a tutor in the future," she pointed out. "And no one will take any notice of the lady you seduced. After all, I do not have any position in Society. You apparently rarely even appear in London, yourself. All you need do is simply keep out of sight for a few months."
"I have another solution, Olympia."
"Yes? What is it?"
"I suggest we make the thing a fact. We can be married quietly by special license. No one need know precisely when the marriage took place."
"Married." Olympia's mouth went dry. "To you?"
"Why not? It seems a very logical answer to our predicament."
"Impossible." Olympia recovered herself and hurried around the corner of her desk. She collapsed into her chair and took a deep, steadying breath. "Absolutely impossible, Mr. Chillhurst. I mean, my lord."
Jared straightened and turned to face her. He planted both hands on top of the desk and leaned forward. The expression on his face appeared to have been carved in stone.
"Why not?" Jared asked through set teeth.
Olympia gave a start. Then she narrowed her eyes, refusing to give way beneath the blatant intimidation. "For one thing, you are a viscount."
"So?"
Olympia was flustered by that response. "I am hardly a suitable wife for a viscount."
"I'll be the judge of that."
She blinked. "You are asking me to marry you only because of the awkward situation in which we find ourselves."
"I would have gotten around to asking you eventually, Olympia."
"That is very kind of you to say so, my lord, but you will forgive me when I tell you that I do not entirely believe you."
"Are you calling me a liar, Miss Wingfield?"
She braced herself. "Not precisely. You are merely behaving like the noble gentleman that you are."
"Bloody hell."
"It is only to be expected," she assured him. "However, I am not going to allow you to trap yourself in an unwanted marriage when there is absolutely no need for such a sacrifice."
"I assure you, Miss Wingfield, I want the damn marriage. Having you in my bed will more than compensate me for any sacrifice on my part."
Olympia felt herself turn scarlet. "Sir, that is your passionate nature speaking. Passion is all very well and good in its place, but it hardly constitutes a sound reason for marriage."
"I disagree, Miss Wingfield." Jared lifted his hands without any warning and caught her face between his palms. He bent his head and kissed her fiercely.
Olympia was so startled that she could not even muster a token resistance. Her mouth opened beneath his and she trembled as she always did when Jared kissed her. The familiar warmth gathered in her lower body. She moaned softly.
Jared released her and stepped back with a look of fierce satisfaction. "Between my passionate nature and your own, Miss Wingfield, I am certain that we shall deal very well together."
He started toward the door.
Olympia swallowed and found her voice. "Hold one minute, sir. Where do you think you are going?"
"I am going to obtain a special license and to make arrangements for an extremely discreet marriage. You had best prepare yourself for your wedding night, Miss Wingfield."
"Now, see here, Mr. Chillhurst, I mean, Lord Chillhurst. You are, strictly speaking, still in my employ. You cannot issue orders of that sort without my permission."
Jared unlocked the door and opened it. He glanced back briefly. "In case you have failed to notice, Miss Wingfield, I have been running your household since the day I arrived. What is more, I have a talent for it."
"I am well aware of that, sir, however—"
"There is no reason for you to concern yourself with the pesky little details of day-to-day life at this juncture, Miss Wingfield. Such matters are not your forte. Just leave everything to me."
Jared went out the door and closed it with enough force to make it shudder on its hinges.
Olympia started to rise and then fell back into her chair with a groan. Although she had never had occasion to witness Jared's streak of hot-blooded arrogance until now, she knew she should not be surprised to discover it. It went right along with his excessively passionate nature.
Nevertheless, she could not allow him to get carried away with his outrageous scheme to marry her. The man was, after all, driven by passion and honor, not true love.
He would only live to regret his impulsive decision, she told herself sadly. He would come to resent her and she would end up with a broken heart.
She had to save him from his own passions, Olympia thought. She loved him too much to allow him to go through with the marriage.
Besides, when one got right down to it, this entire mess was her fault. She was the only one who could put it right.
The knock on the door of Jared's bedchamber came shortly before the evening meal. He had just sat down at the small writing table to compose a letter to his father.
"Enter."
He glanced up as the door opened to reveal Robert, Ethan, and Hugh. Minotaur brought up the rear of the small column that filed into the room.
Jared took one look at the determined expressions on the three young faces and put aside his quill. He turned slightly in the chair, and rested one arm on the back of it.
Robert squared his shoulders. "Good evening, sir."
"Good evening. Was there something you wished to say?"
"Yes, sir." Robert took a deep breath. "We came here to find out if what Mrs. Bird says is true."
Jared stifled an oath. "What was it, precisely, that she said?"
Ethan's eyes lit with excitement. "She says you're a viscount, sir. Not a tutor at all."
Jared looked at him. "She is half right and half wrong. I am a viscount, but I believe I have also done a creditable job in my position as a tutor in this household."
Ethan glanced at his brothers in confusion. "Well, yes, sir. You are a very good tutor, sir."
Jared inclined his head. "Thank you."
Hugh frowned anxiously. "The thing is, sir, will you continue to be our tutor now that you've turned into a viscount?"
"I fully intend to continue to supervise your studies," Jared said.