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It looked almost like passion, drawing him tight and taut.
But passion she could handle. Or she knew she would survive it, in one form or another, anyway.
Somehow, she knew it would not be as simple as that.
Timoney braced herself, for surely the look on his face meant that a cutting verbal blow was to follow. From a distance, she almost felt philosophical. How would he make it worse? He would have to, she assumed, to really make this hurt. He had devastated her last time. How would he—how could he—make that seem like child’s play?
She had been so unprepared before. She’d been so in love that it had never occurred to her that anything could come between them. It was almost cringeworthy now to look back at how naive she’d been. She’d fallen so deeply and surpassingly in love with him. She had cheerfully offered up every part of her, heart and body and soul, with no hesitation and no catch.
The fact that itcouldend—thathecould end it—had never crossed her mind.
Luckily, she was far more worldly and prepared now. He had seen to it personally.
So Timoney lifted her head proudly, tipped up her chin to take whatever he might toss her way, and told herself that come what may, she would be fine.
One way or another, she would befine.
Eventually, something in her whispered.
“We should get married,” Crete said, as if there was glass in his mouth.
As if the words shattered as he said them and were cutting into him as he spoke.
Timoney only gazed back at him while the December night slapped at her exposed face, certain she hadn’t heard that correctly. “What did you say?”
If anything, he looked more in pain. Anguished, even.
“We will marry,” he said, his voice like gravel. “That will put an end to all of this, I hope. If you must be trapped, Timoney, you might as well be trapped with me, don’t you think?”
She was glad that she had thought to bring the blanket, not only to save herself from the chill of this Christmas predawn morning, since it seemed her feet had gone numb beneath her and she might never be warm again. But because it gave her something to grip as she tried to process what he was saying to her. Tried to make it make some kind of sense.
And came up with nothing, though her hands began to ache from the force of her clenched fists.
“Crete...” she began, though she hardly knew what to say.
Especially because, as reluctant and grim as he sounded—as clearly unwilling as he was—there was a part of her that didn’t care about any of that.
Because she remembered that girl, only two months ago, who had loved him so wildly and so deeply that she had simply assumed it would end in marriage. Sooner or later. Because how else could it end? She had known, with a bone-deep conviction, that forever was the only possible destination for them.
And there was still some part of that girl inside her tonight, because she wanted to simply throw herself at him. To ignore all the warning signs and the red flags, his grimness and the things she’d learned these last months, and simply...say yes.
Because no small part of her wanted nothing more, ever, than to take this man however he came to her.
Just so long as he came to her.
But while it had been only two months since her last, awful night in this flat, it had been an instructive two months.
“This is what you want, is it not?” And he sounded even bleaker than before. “I will marry you. Then there will be no more concerns about appeasing your uncle. Whether he disowns you or does not will be a matter of little practical import if we are wed. Whatever olive branches you wish to extend to the rest of his family you can do without having to worry about his approval.”
It seemed to her as if London was spinning all around them, but she focused on him.
“Why would you do this?” Her voice sounded far rougher than she wanted it to. It gave too much away.
“It is only a few years until you come into your own fortune,” he muttered, seemingly to himself.
“It is five years, in fact.” She tried to swallow, but her throat was dry. “Five years is a very long time, Crete.”
He seemed to turn to stone before her. “Nonetheless, marrying me will solve all your problems.”
