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He was standing before the window behind his desk. When he heard her voice, he turned around, worry lining every part of his face. “Jenny, my dear, how are you?”
“I am fine, father.” She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. “The dowager duchess just left. We talked.”
His shoulders tensed and she heard him suck in a breath. “What did she say to you?”
“What did she not say to me?” She smiled a little and sat down in one of the chairs in the room. “I have agreed to marry Nicholas.”
Adolf shut his eyes, looking pained. “Did she threaten you?”
The dowagerhadwarned her, but repeating those warnings to her father would not help any of them. Instead, she said, “She made me see the advantages of the marriage.”
He came to sit down beside her, taking her hand in his. “And you are willing to walk down this path, Jenny?”
“I am, Father. Nicholas is hardly a stranger.”
His expression softened. The lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth appeared to smoothen. He was relieved. This put her at ease and assured her that her decision was the right one. “I don’t want you to do this for my sake. I want you to be happy, Jenny.”
“I will be happy. Seeing you happy makes me happy. I was given a choice and I made it.”
He was quiet for a short stint, then. “Would you like to see the contract?”
She nodded and he went to fetch it from atop his desk. The contract was a simple one. If she married Nicholas, her father would have his debts paid in exchange. There was a mention of his influence in the House of Lords but she already knew about that.
“It looks fair,” she said after reading it.
“It ismorethanfair.”
She handed the contract back to him. “Are you going to sign it?”
“Yes, now that you have laid my fears to rest.” He returned to his desk and picked up his quill. “I shall sign it now and have it delivered to the dowager.”
Jenny could only nod in response because she was deep in thought. Nicholas had said their marriage would only be in name but the dowager expected her to produce an heir. She wondered what sort of marriage she would truly have with grandmother and grandson pulling her in either direction.
A knock came at the door and her father answered. “Come in!”
The butler opened the door and announced, “A caller for her Ladyship.”
Jenny suspected it was Nicholas. His grandmotherhadsaid that he would call. When she arrived at the drawing room, however, she found a different caller.
