“Indeed.” The vicar took a sip of his sherry and cleared his throat. “In addition to your letter, I have received communication from my aunt’s solicitor regarding the settlements. The settlements are far more generous than I anticipated.”
“It turns out that the amounts were tied to the degree of Sarah’s husband’s title, and I’m a duke. Short of a royal prince there isn’t a higher degree, therefore the maximum amounts have been settled on your family, Lady Holbrook, and Sarah, or they will be once the marriage is deemed legally binding. At that time, I will, as Sarah’s husband, also receive access to the remaining principal and income from the estate.”
“Hence the rapidity with which this process is being put into effect.”
Robert winced internally but simply nodded.What could he say?
“Tell me, Your Grace, do you care for my daughter at all, or is it merely her fortune that you covet?” The vicar eyed him with a grim look.Easy to see where Sarah got her directness from!
“I will not pretend that her fortune wasn’t a consideration. My circumstances made it imperative that I secure a bride with a significant income. However, I had a choice, and I chose Sarah for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with her fortune.”
“Which are?” The other man leaned forward, spearing Robert with a look that reminded him strongly of Sarah.
“Unusual in someone of my station, I had always the intention to marry for love. When my circumstances forced me to consider a marriage based on more worldly grounds, I was resigned to the prospect that love might not be an option.” He paused and took a sip of the sherry, looking down at the dark liquid, whose color reminded him of Sarah’s eyes. He looked up again and met the vicar’s gaze firmly. “I have, however, on becoming better acquainted with Sarah, formed the opinion that it is not impossible that we might find felicity in each other’s company. I do most sincerely esteem and respect her; she is an extraordinary young woman, and I will be proud to call her my duchess.”
The older man regarded him in silence for a moment, appearing to deliberate on what he had said. The vicar inclined his head.
“Thank you for your honesty, Your Grace.”
“Please call me Robert. I do not wish to stand upon ceremony with you. I can assure you that Sarah will meet with only kindness in my house. My family already like her and areprepared to welcome her with open arms. Her comfort and happiness will be my highest priority.”
The sound of a bell ringing made the vicar rise. “Supper is ready. Again, I thank you for your honesty, Robert. You have gone some way to allaying a father’s concerns, but I will speak to Sarah and ensure myself of her acquiescence to this plan for her future.”
Robert bowed and opened the door for his prospective father-in-law, his heart sinking a little. While he and Sarah had achieved a better accord over the past two weeks than they had initially, following that disastrous event at Lady Castlereagh’s ball, he was by no means certain that she was completely reconciled to the situation.
Things had become strained between them again following Ava’s ball. He had pulled back from any further intimacy with her due to his fear of losing control of himself again, and she had seemed to withdraw also, perhaps in response. Her withdrawal gave him that by now familiar ache in his chest that seemed to afflict him almost perpetually where she was concerned. He had found the gap created was difficult to bridge. He hoped that perhaps here, or once they were home at The Castle, he could begin to repair the damage.
There was also the matter of her feelings for Lannister. As much as he tried to tell himself that she couldn’t possibly entertain any, he couldn’t rid himself of the fear of it, which also left him with a sick feeling in his stomach and it made him uncertain in approaching her on the subject. If he were really honest with himself, he didn’t want to find out if it was true. Every time he thought of it, he suffered an internal flinch.
What he did know was that they had a powerful physical connection, which he was constrained from pursuing for fear of overstepping the bounds of propriety and frightening her. That she was exceptionally innocent, he had no doubt, which rousedprotective instincts in him and also made him uncomfortable about his own level of passion toward her. He couldn’t touch her without entertaining lewd thoughts, her very scent aroused him, the aching longing to take her in his arms and devour her with kisses was a constant desire.
And to make matters worse, he still had no real idea of how she felt about him, Lannister aside.If she told her father that she wasn’t a willing party to this marriage, would he encourage her to break off the engagement, despite the social risks to the family and the financial costs?Watson was not materially driven any more than Sarah was. Robert could see he was idealistic enough to sacrifice his family’s material wealth for Sarah’s happiness.
Chapter Seventeen
For Sarah, tobe home again was bittersweet and made her heart ache. She was happy and sad at the same time. She had missed them so, and to know that she could no longer call this house her home sent a pang through her that robbed her of breath.
Her initial fury with both the duke and Daphne had been tempered by discussions with each one. It had been born in upon her that her assumption that the duke was complicit with Daphne in entrapping her was likely not the case. According to his family, he wasn’t even capable of that kind of duplicity. That Daphne was, and for such mercenary purposes, still galled her.
Daphne’s revelations about the existence of the duke’s mistress and her realization that his intention all along was to offer her a marriage of convenience—now that she understood what that meant—had put a different complexion on things again. If Daphne was to be believed, the duke’s physical attraction to her was nothing more than a normal male response to an available female for whom he felt a certain degree of physical attraction. It did not denote burgeoning feelings for her.
In short, he didn’t love her and likely never would. He would treat her with courtesy and respect, kindness even. But he would not love her. She did not resemble the mythical, ideal woman of his dreams. He had quite bluntly told her so. She was not restful, sweet-tempered, and gentle.
“Are you happy, Sesi?” asked Ruth, breaking in on her dark thoughts. Her sisters had conducted Daphne to another room to refresh herself from the journey and rejoined her in her own room.
Deb perched on the bed and regarded her with a frown. “You don’t look happy.”
Sarah wrung out the cloth she was using to wipe her face and pushed down her instinct to confide in her sisters. They stood to benefit from this marriage significantly, and what was done was done, after all. She couldn’t change it now; her fate was sealed. So she said as brightly as she could manage, “I am happy. It is wonderful to be home, I am just a little fatigued from the journey.”
“Well, he’s very handsome,” allowed Ruth.
Sarah smiled perfunctorily.Yes, he is.
“Does he treat you kindly?” asked Deb, watching her like a hawk.
“Yes, he does,” she had to admit.
“Do you love him?” asked Mary from her place by the door. Mary was sixteen and romantic.
