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CHAPTER4
“So, I’ve heard,” Eleanor said darkly, and she gave Henry a secretive smile.
He suppressed a groan. “You know of my reputation?”
Eleanor grunted, “Probably as well as you know of mine.”
“What does that mean?” Henry asked, turning so he could examine Eleanor more closely. Her sly smile lit up her blue eyes. Her pale skin, which seemed almost as if it were glowing in the moonlight, was lustrous.
“Haven’t you heard, Your Grace? I am the most eccentric of women. Bound for spinsterhood in which I will be forced to live out my life with my hundreds of cats by my side.” She stroked her finger down the length of the kitten’s nose, and it snuggled more closely into her bosom.
“And what have you heard of me?” Henry prompted, wanting to know exactly what Eleanor thought of him.
“Well,” she said, leaning in conspiratorially, “if rumors are to be believed, you are an infamous rake, traveling here and there, breaking hearts in every city, in every province.” Eleanor broke off and feigned swooning.
Henry chuckled at her performance. “And yet you are not afraid to be alone, here in the garden, with me?” He raised an eyebrow suggestively at Eleanor, but she only laughed at him.
“Afraid? Why should I be afraid? I have tackled this very fierce predator, and having won it over, it shall now serve as my protector,” Eleanor said, holding the kitten out toward Henry. As if the cat understood what Eleanor wanted, it gave a tiny meow. She giggled and brought the kitten back toward her chest.
“Cat or no cat. . .I can assure you that you are perfectly safe in my presence, Lady Eleanor,” Henry said, watching Eleanor’s reaction closely.
“Oh?” She asked, looking down at the kitten tenderly.
“I have been forced to abandon my roguish ways. My grandmother insists that I marry a proper lady and begin the work of extending our family line,” Henry said begrudgingly.
“Ah,” Eleanor replied with complete understanding. “That explains your presence at Hyde Park yesterday, your attendance at this ball tonight, and of course, your desire to sit all by yourself in the garden now. Your grandmother wants you to marry, but you have not the desire.”
Henry scratched his clean-shaven chin thoughtfully. “You have summed up my situation rather admirably, but it’s not that I do not wish to marry. It is only that I do not wish to wed any of the women I have met so far.”
“No? Do the ladies of thetonnot respond to your beck and call?” Eleanor asked pertly.
Henry shook his head. “That’s just the problem. The ladies of thetonare too obliging. I want to marry a woman who has needs and isn’t afraid to satisfy them on her own.” He looked at her seriously, knowing he was confessing himself to her in a very overt manner, but feeling that she might understand him.
“So, you were in earnest when you said you just needed a moment to yourself?” Eleanor questioned and Henry nodded gratefully.
“You do understand. Marriage is a commitment, and I am willing to make it, but I must know that my wife will not depend upon me to cater to her every whim, just as I do not wish her to cower to mine.”
“And yet you must marry,” Eleanor whispered thoughtfully. Henry was struck by the tone of her voice, as it had lowered considerably.
“Is there something wrong?” He asked, shifting on the bench, feeling the cool stone underneath his seat.
“Nothing is wrong, Your Grace. But something has just occurred to me.”
“Yes?” Henry encouraged her with a gentle smile.
“You and I find ourselves in similar predicaments. My brother demands that I wed, and your grandmother urges you to do the same. Neither of us is really inclined to do so, but we have no problems with the institution either, except… we both value our freedom.” Eleanor lifted her head then and Henry felt her light blue eyes lock onto his own. He felt entranced by her cool stare, and he gazed at her deeply. “I do believe we could help each other.”
Henry tipped his head to the side. “How do you suggest we do that?”
“We could get married to one another,” Eleanor replied, never breaking eye contact with him as she made this bold recommendation.
Henry scoffed. “That’s outrageous.” He watched Eleanor seriously and when she still did not move a muscle, he scooted away from her on the bench. “And it’s wholly improper. We just met.”
“Hasty marriages are arranged all the time,” Eleanor said, looking casually down at the kitten still in her arms.
“But we barely know each other,” Henry protested, feeling his heart start to hammer inside his chest.
“Does that matter?” Eleanor asked, raising her eyes toward his own once more. “The way I see it, a marriage between the two of us would please both of our families and it would alleviate the tension we have about entering into such unions.”
