They were sitting in the study of Theodore’s estate the day after his encounter with Lady Harriet. He tried not to think of the way her green eyes had widened at his proposal.
As soon as she had revealed who she was, Theodore knew his plans had to change. She was an earl’s daughter, hardly minor nobility. Inconveniently charming, clearly passionate. Someone like her would no doubt have suitors, no matter how she denied such a thing. It would be only a matter of time before someone swooped in and stole her away.
His chest tightened as he imagined some strange man proposing, feeling something thick and ugly spread through him.I cannot let that happen.The strength of his reaction caught him by surprise.
It is Phoebe, that is all.It made him think of Lady Harriet, of the way she had stood in front of him, eyes wide, shifting from foot to foot as though she were a school child being told off. It made no sense.
I wish I could control this.He could control so much else, why could he not do the same with this?Another point of failure.If he had managed to control such a thing, perhaps he could have made her understand. Lady Harriet was inconveniently charming, and that meant he needed to change tack. Plans had to change.
He shook his head, forcing himself back to the present. Rumination would get him nowhere.
“I fail to see what is so amusing about this.” Theodore arched an eyebrow at Percival.
“You just told me you intend to get married.” Percival grinned. “You almost had me convinced; you looked so serious.”
“I am serious, Wright. I mean to marry Lady Harriet Montrose.” Theodore’s brow furrowed as he saw the grin slip from Percival’s face.
“You were speaking in earnest?” Percival leaned forwards. “You really mean to marry the woman?”
“Yes.” Theodore shrugged and sipped his whiskey.
“I always assumed that if you started courting someone seriously enough to marry, that you would tell me.” Percival folded his arms across his chest. Despite Percival’s nonchalance, Theodore caught sight of a wounded expression on his friend’s face. “How long has this been going on?”
“Must I tell you all the intimate details of my life?” Theodore shook his head, a corner of his lip quirking upwards. “Peace, man, I did not deceive you. There was no courtship. It was unnecessary to the arrangement.”
“You make the whole thing sound like a business venture, not a marriage.” Percival smiled, leaning back in his chair.
“It is. I am not looking for a love match.”
“What about your intended? Is this what she wants?”
The question caught him off guard.Was she looking for such a thing?He tried to picture her face when they had spoken of marriage, surely if she had been waiting for a love match, she would have refused him outright.
“Would such a match be so bad?” Percival surveyed him over the rim of his glass.
The hackles on the back of his neck rose, and he ran his fingers against his left breast pocket absently. “That is out of the question. This match is for Phoebe, not me.”
“Rather unusual to promise your niece to another woman.” Percival flashed him a grin.
Theodore gave him a deadpan look, repressing his sigh with difficulty. “Must you be so juvenile?”
“One of us needs to have fun, and it is clear it will not be you.” Percival’s expression sobered as he leaned forwards resting his elbows on his knees. “How long will the engagement last? A year?”
“No.” The word came out more emphatic than he intended and he cleared his throat. “I cannot allow her to slip from my fingers, not when I am this close.”
“Then you mean to apply for a special license?” Percival frowned, his lips pursed.
“We will do this traditionally, as is proper. The reading of the banns will allow time for me to unearth any unpleasant secrets, though I doubt there will be anything like that to unearth.”And there is very little I could discover that would change my mind.He could bury most scandal and he knew it – as long as Phoebe was cared for, that was what mattered.
The image of Harriet’s chin tilted towards him, the brief flash of anger in her eyes when he had asked her to prove her identity. There was a bit of fire behind those summer-green eyes, but clearly there was control too.
“You have not already done so? That is most unlike you.” Percival’s words brought him back to the present.
“I have not had time, we only met yesterday,” Theodore admitted just as Percival took a drink.
“What?” Percival choked, spluttering through his whiskey. “That makes no sense. You never rush into anything. Much less something like this. What would possess you to do such a thing?”
“I have been trying to find her for a year.” He dug his fingertips into the arm of his chair.
