Page 93 of A Troublesome Circumstance

“No.”

The single syllable hit him square in the chest.

He stared back at her. “Pardon?”

She didn’t look away. Didn’t waver. “My answer is no. Emphatically no.”

For a moment, Jude forgot how to breathe. “But… why?” he managed. “Surely you see that it is the sensible thing to do.”

“Yes, it is the sensible thing,” she agreed. “But I don’t want to do the sensible thing. I want love, Jude. The kind of love our parents had.”

His throat tightened at the mention of his parents. That kind of love felt… impossible. Far too large to promise.

Jude pressed his lips together. “Perhaps if you take some time to think about it⁠—”

She shook her head sharply, cutting him off. “My answer will still be no. I know you think you are doing the honorable thing, but I won’t trap you in a marriage you don’t want either.”

“That isn’t fair…” he started.

Josephine leveled him with a look that stripped away every excuse. “Do you want this marriage?”

“I… uh…” He faltered, searching for words that didn’t exist. “I don’t not want it.”

She huffed. “That isn’t an answer.” She intertwined her fingers with his, her touch warm and familiar. “You are my hero. But it is time for me to save myself now.”

He tightened his grip, panic nudging into his ribs. “I can keep you safe from Mr. Broderick.”

“At what cost?” Her voice was heartbreakingly calm. “You marry me and grow to resent me in a few years.”

“I could never resent you.”

Tears shone in her eyes, but she blinked rapidly, as if refusing to let them fall. Something in his chest twisted painfully. She was trying to be brave. Whether for his sake or hers, he couldn’t tell.

“You are a good man,” she whispered. “But I can’t marry you.”

“Because you don’t love me?” he asked, unable to stop himself.

“Because I could.”

The admission stunned him. His brows shot up. “I don’t understand.”

She drew a shaky breath. “I care for you, and I fear that one day I will fall desperately, hopelessly in love with you. But what if you don’t feel the same? That would be endless torment. To pine after one’s own husband every single day, knowing you will never be enough for him.”

“How do you know I couldn’t fall in love with you?”

She looked at him with raw vulnerability. “Could you?”

He hesitated. And that hesitation—curse it—was answer enough.

A sad, resigned smile curved her lips. “And that is my answer.”

When a tear escaped down her cheek, Jude lifted his hand and brushed it away, his thumb lingering against her soft skin.

“I would be a good husband to you,” he murmured. “You would have everything your heart desired.”

“Just not love.”

“Josie… I…”