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Louisa hugged her. “There’s the front door, so I’m certain Simon has left. We should enjoy the rest of your birthday.”
“EXCUSE ME, I SHALL take my leave,” Simon said once Emma had run out of the room as if the mere sight of him made her ill.
“It appears dinner is over,” Harry commented. “We might as well have that talk now.”
They departed to Harry’s study. Once ensconced in the room, Harry turned and stared at him. “Have you lost your bloody mind? Emma!”
Simon sank into a chair. “Yes, I’ve lost my mind. There is no other excuse.”
Harry sat down opposite him. “Well, there is one other excuse.”
“And what might that be?”
Harry chuckled and then moved to pour them both a brandy. “You love her,” he replied as he handed the drink to Simon.
“It truly doesn’t matter if I do.”
“Why is that?” Harry returned to his seat and then sipped his brandy.
“I am not the type of man a lady of quality marries.”
Harry shrugged. “I agree. But Emma is hardly a lady of quality, as you well know. Her mother likes to keep up the pretense, but Emma is only the great-niece of a baron. Hardly good Society. And then there is that whole mess with her father, which only a few people are even aware exists.”
“Well, her mother made it quite clear that I am not good enough.”
“Her mother is a damned fool, caring only for her own welfare.”
“Perhaps, but Emma never disagreed with her disparagement of me and my background.”
Harry swore under his breath. “When did this happen?”
“Last week,” Simon explained what happened without going into detail, but it was enough that Harry understood.
“You have to marry her, Simon.”
“She won’t have me,” Simon replied bitterly. “And Mrs. Drake despises me.”
Harry shook his head with a deep scowl. “That woman is a troublemaker. She loves to do what she can to convince her daughters to marry peers, except when one was me, of course. I wasn’t good enough because a union with me meant more gossip.”
“At least I am in excellent company,” Simon commented. “How did you convince her?”
“I didn’t. Louisa told h
er in no uncertain terms that she was marrying me.” Harry chuckled. “And the fact that she might have been with child at the time made a case for urgency.”
A long sigh escaped Simon. “I won’t know about that for a few weeks yet. And I’m not certain even that will make a difference.”
“Have you told her you love her?”
Simon closed his eyes against the ache stabbing him in the heart. Telling her meant risking rejection. He wasn’t sure he could handle that again. “No. At this point, I don’t think she cares. I was just an item to scratch off her list.”
There was no point discussing this any further. “This is not what I called on you for tonight.”
Harry tilted his head. “Oh?”
“When you mentioned I sell Hell, did you have a buyer in mind?”
Harry shrugged with a smile. “Perhaps. Did Ainsley speak with you?”
