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He burned with curiosity. What had passed between he
r and Russell? “Is everything quite well?”
The pulse at the base of her throat began to beat unevenly. “I—yes. It is. Better than well. I’ve just had some very good news. About my sister.”
“Which one?”
“Both, actually. Cat has accepted Hammond’s proposal, and Arabella has asked me to come and visit her. She’s doing much better. I’ve already written I shall come at the end of the month.”
He knew it was more than that. “Please convey my congratulations to Lady Catherine tonight and relay my sincere wishes for Lady Arabella’s swift recovery when you see her.”
“Yes, of course.”
One heartbeat. Two. Three. He couldn’t help himself. “I hope you won’t mind my saying it, but you don’t appear as delighted by all of this good news as one might expect.”
The pink in her cheeks deepened. “On the contrary, I am very happy.”
He stared at her. “I know you better than that, Harriett.”
Panic sparked in her eyes an instant before she looked away. “Lord Russell…” She stopped and took a quick breath. “Lord Russell has just asked me to marry him.”
For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. “And your answer?”
“I accepted.”
The way she said it told him everything. “Congratulations,” he managed at last.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice faint. “We decided to wait until after I return from visiting Arabella to make the announcement. We don’t want to overshadow Cat’s joy tonight.”
Roland knew it for a lie. Why hadn’t Russell simply waited to ask her tomorrow? Or a week from now? No. Something was amiss here. Neither she nor Russell had looked very happy just now. Harriett was the very picture of misery, actually.
He turned to look out over the ballroom. This was neither the time nor the place to press her for answers. He still had a few more weeks left to puzzle out the truth before she left to visit her sister.
And then what? The question blazed in his thoughts, blinding him to all else. What would he do with the information? What alternative could he present her? If she hadn’t wanted his help the first time he’d offered, it was unlikely she would accept it later. And even if she did, there wasn’t a single man among his unmarried friends he would trust with her happiness.
“You need not worry,” she said, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen. “We still have plenty of time to find and train my replacement for the Hospital”
Damn the bloody Hospital! “Don’t marry Russell, Harriett,” he said without looking at her. “You’d be better off marrying me.” His gut knotted. What the devil had possessed him to say that?
When at last she spoke, her tone was frosty. “You may find this amusing, Your Grace, but I do not. Marriage is a very serious matter.”
Gathering his courage, he faced her. “I am perfectly serious. You should marry me instead. I know we got off to a bad start, but we’ve managed to overcome that, haven’t we? We’ve proven we can get along. In fact, I think we work well together. I’ve come to quite like you, actually, and I hope you’ve come to like me. I realize I’m not William”—what a stupid damned thing to say!—“but I’ve good qualities of my own.”
Roland knew he was babbling, but his mouth refused to stop. “If not for those reasons, then there are other benefits to consider. You’d be able to stay on at the Hospital for as long as you like. Your father certainly wouldn’t object to our union, and you’d be in a position to help bring out your sister once she is sufficiently recovered.” He gentled his tone. “Don’t marry Russell, Harriett. He is not your only option.”
Bloody hell. Other than clubbing her over the head and dragging her off to a cave, it was quite possibly the worst proposal in the history of mankind, as was evident in the stunned manner in which she now stared at him.
“I-I hardly know what to say,” she stammered. “You’re offering yourself—in marriage—to prevent my marrying a man you disapprove of?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
There was a whole world of questions loaded into that one little word. Questions he’d not even asked himself, let alone had answers for.
“Why would you do such a thing?” she again prompted.
“You deserve better than Russell. You deserve to be happy.”
