Page 71 of Dare to Risk it All

“Oh, well, that’s all right, then,” Greer said dismissively. “I thought you were going to say something shocking.”

All three brothers stared at her, dumbfounded.

“What?” she demanded.

Raphe held out his hands to her. “Darling,” he said gently. “Fifteen thousand is a staggering sum. I know your dowry is a generous one—”

“No, it isn’t,” she said, interrupting him and making his guts turn to lead.

“It isn’t?” he repeated faintly, wondering if he might pass out.

It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t have done anything differently. He didn’t care if she didn’t have a penny to her name, but… where would they live? What would they —

“Raphe!” she exclaimed, snapping him out of his plummet into gloom. “Stop looking so appalled. My dowry isn’t generous, it’s outrageous. Which you would know if you had let Papa explain things to you.”

“Outrageous?” Raphe repeated, uncertain he comprehended.

“How outrageous?” Sylvester asked, staring at her with interest.

“Well,” Greer said thoughtfully. “We could repair this place several times over and not make a dent in it. Papa got advice from Gabriel Knight about how best to invest Grandmother’s bequest for us, and so we put a lot into his railway venture. Before we came to Rowsley, Papa got an update. It’s done shockingly well and looks to continue doing so.”

They all stared at her in mute astonishment.

“I’m disgustingly wealthy,” she clarified helpfully. “All three of the Cadogan sisters are. I thought you knew that.”

Raphe shook his head, dumbfounded. “I thought… I thought perhaps ten thousand. I never—it didn’t occur to me—”

Greer snorted, giving him a look of patient amusement. “You didn’t think to ask?”

“I didn’t want you to think it was about the money,” he said, staring at her.

Her face softened, and she reached up and caressed his cheek. “It was never about the money. I know that.”

Raphe looked around, relieved to discover his brothers had made a discreet exit. He turned back to her, not yet able to comprehend his good fortune. He had this woman, and she was an heiress. Surely, it was too good to be true?

“I would have married you no matter what.”

“I know that too,” she said, moving closer to him. Raphe slid his arms around her, pulling her in tight.

They stood like that for a long moment as the information finally sank in.

“You’re an heiress,” he said, bemused.

“I am.”

“We’ve got lots of money.”

“We do,” she replied, grinning at him.

“We can make Marcross Manor a wonderful home.” He hesitated, frowning. “Unless you’d prefer something else. We don’t have to—”

She pressed a finger to his lips. “I love Marcross. I loved it the moment I saw it. Despite all the rotten bad bits that need a lot of love and repair, and because of all the good bits that make it so very handsome. It’s just what I always wanted.”

“Are you describing me or the house?” he asked, amused.

“Both,” she replied with a smirk, and kissed him.

Epilogue