Rowan paced across the room. His long legs ate up the distance. He walked to the window and stared out at the gardens, but he did not see the flowers. He saw a prison.
If he backed out of the marriage now, the penalty would bankrupt him. He would lose his ancestral lands. Ines and Carcel would have to support him. The tenants who relied on him would starve.
But if he went through with the marriage, he was tied to a family he did not trust. He was tied to a man who wants to milk him dry. He was tied to a woman he did not love.
He turned back to the desk. He felt a surge of wild, hot anger. He wanted to tear the contract into tiny pieces. He wanted to ride to London, find Hawksley, and throw him into the Thames.
But he could not.
There was nothing stopping him from marrying Celine now. In fact, everything was forcing him to do it. With the way the contract was drawn, he could not take it to court. He could not fight it legally.
Why? Because it looked completely consensual.
