“I have become somewhat acquainted with Charlotte. And yes, I do like her. As a friend and a contemporary—ofmine. Not as a marriageable prospect for myson.” Ruth frowned at him.
He shrugged again. “That is a beginning. Hopefully you shall come around to the rest.”
He stood to leave.
Ruth stood and faced him, square shouldered. “William, I forbid you from seeing her. You must court marriageable ladies your own age.”
“Really, Mama?” His laugh had a bitter, angry edge to it. Inside, he was outraged at her audacity, and insulted that she thought this was appropriate for a man of one-and-twenty. After his patient and courteous answers to her questions, he couldn’t believe she was going to try to play parent.
“I am serious.” She folded her arms.
“As am I. Hear this. I am a grown man.” He stabbed the table with a finger. “You do not get to tell me what to do any longer. Nor can you forbid me from seeing who I want, when I want. I love you, and I will gladly help you and the rest of the family in maintaining our way of life. I am grateful for everything you have done for me. Please do not fight me on this. You will not win. Enjoy the scones. Good day, madame.”
He bowed and strode out before he broke something.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Charlotte whipped her head around when he stomped through her library door. Although he’d been announced by Austin, his gait was surprising.
He came around to buss her head with a halfhearted kiss before stomping the length of the room and back.
She rose and came around to meet him. “What is wrong, William?”
“My family. They are all wrong. Wrong to me, wrong about me. Simply wrong.”
Her mouth twisted in wry humor. Not a helpful answer. She tried again. “Right, then. Or, ah, wrong, as the case may be. Tell me how?”
“I know my mother has good reason for her sense of duty. I’ve done everything I can to relieve some of her burden and will continue to do so. But she does not have the right to tell me what I can do with my free time.”
Oh no.This was about her. Charlotte felt sick again.
He halted and faced her, giving a bitter laugh. “You’ll like this part. She wondered what you would see in me. The sophisticated widow with the callow youth. You always worry the other way around. She’d appreciate that you call me ‘puppy.’” The pacing resumed.
“I presume some part of why she is upset is because I am in all likelihood barren.” She kept her tone matter-of-fact. This was why she should have never have allowed this thing between them to start. Then, restart. Now she would hurt both of them.
He rushed over to her, kneeling in front of where she sat, hands reaching for hers on her lap. “Mistress, you know I don’t care about that. I simply want to be with you.”
“But she is right, William. You are wasting time with me, when you should be looking for someone younger who can give you children. Heirs.”
“No. I am a grown man, and I shall choose how and with whom I spend my time, dammit. I do not give a fig what society has to say on the matter. You claim not to, either. And my mother likes you.”
“Your mother likes me as a friend of hers. Not as a potential daughter-in-law!”
He ignored her echo of his mother’s words. “Mistress. I wish only to serve you and make you happy. Were you truly happy these past months? Did you find other men who suited you better than I do? Because I don’t see them here. Instead, I am here, and I am begging, as I only do for you.”
It was her turn to stand. “And then what? I will not marry you.”
“You promised me until next Season. I am holding you to that promise. Children, even heirs, are an abstract thing to me.Youare not. I am in love with you.”
She gasped, tugging on her hands where he held them and frowning.
He held tight and continued, “I need you in my life. I do not feel as though I need children. In fact, now that I think of it, I’m not sure my bloodline is worth passing on anyway. But either way, please. I am not asking you to wed me this minute”—because he knew she’d refuse just yet, even before this quarrel, and especially as her eyes had gone wide at the word “wed.” “Please just spend time with me. Think of it this way. As a young—what was your term?—rakelet, no one cares a whit what I do, you shan’t harm my reputation. Indeed, someone as accomplished and beautiful as you, with a title higher than my own, would be considered a coup.”
“Will—” She didn’t even finish his name before he was on her, not asking permission or waiting for direction.
His mouth covered hers. He kept it soft, pleading in his own way. His lips moved against hers, requesting consent without words. Licking at her lips offered service. Sucking her lower lip gently between his teeth tugged on her heartstrings as well as her flesh.
She sank into him, her hands coming to his hair.
