"You are an earl, my lord."

"It's a title, Lady Merrick, and it has nothing to do with my character."

"You have been trained and bred for your-"

"I have been cursed," he said hotly. "My older brother, Edmund, was to bear the title, but he was killed in a duel five years ago."

"A duel?" she repeated, her eyes widening. "How dreadful! I am sorry."

"Yes, well… so am I, I assure you. Especially since he was defending my honor." He gave a harsh laugh. "As if I had any to quibble over."

"He must have loved you very much."

"Edmund loved the title," Sebastian scoffed.

Olivia met his intense gaze without flinching. "What happened?"

He longed to make some flip, roguish, or snide comment to deflect her prying. He wanted to sneer at her and cut her, scare her, and push her away. But his next words would do the deed just as well. "I foolishly compromised a young lady. When her older brother came to me and demanded that I marry the chit, I refused. She was no innocent, as I knew firsthand. And the way we were caught left no doubt in my mind that I'd been snared in a trap."

Her hand flew to her mouth, and his own mouth curved derisively. "Instead of demanding satisfaction from me, her brother approached Edmund, whose damned sense of honor prevented him from refusing. I learned of the duel only after it was over. My father woke me from my bed with the news." He didn't even attempt to hide the bitter edge that crept into his voice. "I was foxed and debauched when he shouted the congratulations at me, as if I'd planned Edmund's demise." He closed his eyes. "Edmund was groomed for his place. I, on the other hand…" His voice trailed off.

Why was he telling her these things? The words falling from his mouth had never left his lips before.

"You, on the other hand, are too wild and untamed for such a station," Olivia finished.