His brow lifted with amused admiration. “Marry me.”
Clara’s body seemed to stop functioning. Everything within her went still.
“Marry you? Just like that? No romantic proposal? No attempt to win me over with a few choice compliments?”
“You said yourself that you already know how I feel about you, and you don’t seem like the sort of woman who needs to dance around a point before coming straight to it. There is scandal on our heels, and it is certain to catch up with us again if we continue in the direction we are going. I desire you, Clara, and since I am now confined to seeing you only in respectable situations, I will have to make everything respectable, because I do intend to see you. Quite often, in fact. Every night in my bed, if you take my meaning.”
Clara stood and walked to the window. Her heart was racing, her thoughts swimming. She had not expected a marriage proposal from Seger, at least not this soon. She thought she’d have to employ some clever persuasion tactics to encourage him to reform, and she’d expected that to take some time.
Then again, she hadn’t expected James to learn all about their secret encounters either and visit the marquess. Nor had she expected the Duke of Guysborough to try and blackmail her into marrying him.
She faced Seger. “What is the real reason you want to marry me?”
“The real reason?” He stood also and moved to stand before her at the window. “Because as I said, we are heading for a scandal, and I desire you too much to give you up.”
“What do you mean, heading for a scandal? Do you mean the duke’s threat, or something else? Some ambiguous future scandal?”
“Both. I can’t promise that I’d be able to restrain myself if we were alone again.” He considered that statement, then added with a captivating smile, “Actually, I can promise you that I wouldnotbe able to. Next time, you would not walk away a virgin.”
Clara felt dazed by his suggestion. “My brother-in-law didn’t put you up to this, did he?” she asked. “He didn’t giveyoua bloody nose, I hope.”
“No, he did not. In fact, he has no idea I am here, let alone proposing to you. Even if he knew, I’m not entirely sure he would approve.”
Breathing deeply as she gathered the facts—and her composure—Clara searched for understanding. She needed to know what this was about and how the marquess truly felt about being married to her for the rest of his life.
“I don’t want a forced marriage,” she said. “I want my husband to be sure that he wants me.”
“There are no worries there. I am sure.”
She narrowed her eyes at him.
“I can see you want more from me,” he said. “You want me to pour my heart out to you.”
Clara saw the reluctance in his eyes and knew that he had already said more and done more than he ever intended to say or do with any woman.
A sudden thought of all the other women shook her confidence, and she reminded herself what kind of man he was. She told herself it was dangerous to hope for too much.
Seger moved to the mantel. “I am not a poet, Clara, nor am I inclined to lie to you. On top of the reasons I already gave you, I’ve always known that I must marry eventually. I require an heir, and I would enjoy having children with you. Making them, especially.”
Even when he was giving her the cold, hard truth, he was delivering more flattery than she’d ever known in her life. He looked at her like he wanted to devour her, and it made her feel weak in the knees. She felt as if he could pull a yes from her lips with a mere smile.
“So, it is duty,” she managed to say.
“Only partly.”
“And desire.”
“Definitely that. I can’t resist you.”
She took some pleasure from the compliment, for he was in his own way telling her that she was special. She had done something no other woman had been able to do. She had gotten a proposal out of him.
“What about the marriage settlement that is sure to be offered?” she asked. “Have you been seeking that all along? Did you somehow manipulate all of this to cause a scandal and force my hand?”
“Good heavens, no. I have enough money of my own. I don’t dabble in politics, so I dabble in other things. The American stock market for one. I am probably as rich as your father.”
Clara’s eyebrows lifted. “I had no idea.”
“Not many people do.”
