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woman disappear from view. “Unless I am to assume that her frosty reception is part of her charm.”
    “Isn’t it, though?” Tristan steered Victoria in the opposite direction of Lady Markham and her husband. “Why were you hiding from her? And when did you arrive in London? I wasn’t expecting you for another few days.”
    “We arrived this morning since Sebastian’s business in London took a higher priority than expected. As for Lady Markham …” Victoria paused, reaching for Tristan’s glass of champagne before taking a sip. “She insists upon introducing me to her nephew.”
    “Over my dead body.” His harsh statement escaped his lips before Tristan could stop himself.
    “My sentiments, exactly,” Victoria raised the flute in a silent toast. “Though, from what I understand, he is a respectable man who possesses an ample living.”
    But he was a man, and for some unknown reason, Tristan couldn’t stand the idea of Victoria with anyone other than himself. It was exasperating, really. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking of her or their last encounter since he had returned to London.
    “Tristan,” She touched his sleeve. Informal, to be sure. Though it wasn’t an intimate act, he delighted in her nearness, her gentle touch sending a current of excitement up his spine.
    “Will you assist me?” she asked.
    He nodded, not quite certain to what he had just agreed because, when Victoria looked at him through brilliant indigo eyes currently the shade of the deepest ocean, he’d agree to just about anything.
    “Precisely what have I agreed to?”
    Victoria tilted her head to the side. “In addition to Sebastian’s business in London, I have my own interests.”
    “Do tell,” he winked at her.
    “My charities, several of which I shall be meeting with tomorrow. You see, I have devoted much of my time to my charities and I have no intention of crying off the responsibilities I have undertaken. Not for anyone, including a future husband. My betrothed must accept that before I will agree to any union.”
    That narrowed down the choices of potential suitors, Tristan noted with a grin. Most men didn’t want their wives as headstrong or independent as Victoria.
    “You are smirking,” Tori arched a brow. “You think my statement is ridiculous—”
    “Not at all. I am admiring your tenacity.” Tristan patted her gloved hand. “May I offer my opinion?”
    “Please do.”
    “Don’t allow anyone to deter you or change your mind.”
    “Ah,” Victoria’s lyrical laughter echoed through the hall. “Because defiance is such an endearing quality in a bride.”
    She said it.
    And Tristan couldn’t agree more.  
    Victoria’s strength was one of the qualities he most admired in her. And her defiance would be off-putting to many an eligible bachelor.
    Tristan tucked a stray curl behind her ear, his fingertip gently grazing her silken flesh. “Your tenacity is a quality I adore in you. I wouldn’t want you to change.”
    “Then we are agreed,” Victoria’s smile lit the room. “You shall help me find the perfect husband.”
    “ What? ” Tristan’s mind reeled. When did he agree to such a thing?  
    “You just admitted to appreciating the very qualities most men would despise. Who better to choose the perfect husband for me than someone who understands me as you do?”
    “I – I—” somehow, Tristan’s world had shifted. He was never one at a loss for words yet this woman left him unsteady and confused.
    Would it be so bad to help Victoria find a suitable husband? One who would respect her and cherish her?
    It should be you.
    Tristan’s conscience was quite vocal on this particular subject. If only it had been a couple of years earlier. If only …
    “I knew you’d be my savior.”
    Savior?
    That sounded quite respectable.
    Victoria leaned forward and kissed his cheek, his flesh burning in response, seared by her soft lips. Tristan placed his free hand in his pocket in an attempt to stop