Page 35 of The Detective and the Baroness

“The baron awaits you in the sitting room, my lady.”

Travis here? That would save setting up an appointment. She handed her cape and muff to the butler.

“Shall I bring tea, my lady?”

“Not at the moment. I will let you know.” Corrine quickened her pace toward the sitting room, removing her silk gloves as she did. Upon entering the room, she found Travis staring out the window with his back to her.

“Travis?” she questioned.

He turned to face her, and his expression was maddeningly neutral, as always. “Good afternoon, Corrine.”

Corrine closed the door and laid her gloves on the table. “Please sit. I was going to arrange a meeting with you, so I’m glad you are here.”

Travis sat in the chair opposite her. “How business-like you sound, but I cannot fault you for it. What is between us began as a monetary agreement.”

Corrine winced inwardly, her temper flaring to life. “If you recall,” she said frostily, “you offered a marriage settlement. I did not demand one. Yes, I needed the money, and I took it. I am not ashamed. And if you will also recall, I was more than willing to make this a marriage in all ways.” Perhaps her tone was biting, laced with a bitter sting, but she spoke the truth.

Travis crossed his legs. “Ah. That. I’m not sure how to explain it. It is not you.”

“So you said before. Do try to clarify.”

“I do not—experience—certain emotions concerning physical relations with someone. I never did. Call it attraction or desire, I suppose. I have never encountered it. Not even erotic material stimulates me in any way. I mentioned it to my new doctor recently, as I have found it difficult to discuss throughout the years.”

Corrine was stunned. Now, that explanation she did not expect. “What did your doctor say?”

“That I have a disorder and that I should undergo intensive therapy. More than one doctor has told me this, and I find that course of treatment to be extreme. I have concluded that I am just—different. There is no switch or mechanism to turn. I am what I am. Over the years, I have come to accept it.”

“Then why seek me out for marriage?” Corrine asked incredulously.

“Of all the women I have encountered in nearly two decades, you were the only one who managed to cause a slight spark. I thought—I hoped—but alas, I cannot.”

“Get hard, you mean?” Corrine said bluntly. “You have never stimulated yourself to completion?”

“I forgot for a moment you were a nurse and familiar with the workings of the human body. To answer your question, a few times over the past twenty years but not lately. Have you given yourself pleasure?”

“This conversation is unbelievable,” Corrine murmured. “If you wish me to be frank, then yes.”

“I have given it much thought over the past several weeks and have reached a conclusion. I want us to try to have a real marriage.”

Corrine’s head spun from this incredible conversation. “A real marriage in societal terms is sharing a bed and trying to conceive children. You just admitted you find sex abhorrent, so much so that you ran from this house when I suggested we try for a child. What makes you think now will be any different? Your proclamation makes no sense.”

“I will try to clarify. Gilbert insisted I find a wife and have a child. The poor man was rather despondent over the prospect of dying without the possibility of an Addington heir taking over the barony. I felt sorry for him. So, I thought about my encounters with women over the years, and you sprang to mind. When I gave your name to Gilbert, he was vastly relieved.”

“You pulled my name from a proverbial hat?” Corrine cried.

“Well, yes. He was pleased that you are Viscount Rothley’s daughter. But not quite as much when he learned of your profession—he felt it beneath someone of your station. I did not mind; it showed purposefulness, and I told him so. Gilbert investigated your family and was also not terribly pleased with the financial state of the viscountcy.”

My God.

She remained silent, for Corrine had no idea what to say to such a declaration. After several moments, she cleared her throat. “So that is why you offered the generous settlement right out of the gate. You played on my vulnerability and precarious financial situation. You knew I would not refuse.”

“It’s not as horrid as you say. Gilbert died happy, knowing I’d asked you to marry me. I only wished he’d lived long enough to meet you. It worked out for you, since you pulled your family away from the brink of insolvency. You see, I have come to agree with Gilbert about carrying on the name and the title. It’s of paramount importance.”

Corrine’s eyebrows shot skyward. “And how do you intend to do that, considering what you have revealed to me?”

“I have pondered over that very quandary and found a solution. We can find a man that attracts you physically, and he can impregnate you.” Travis smiled broadly, as if satisfied he had found the correct answer to a perplexing situation.

“I am not some brood mare!” Corrine retorted. “How dare you make such a lurid suggestion?”