“Then consider the invitation issued,” he said, moving away before she could entice him further. “I intend to leave as soon as possible.”
“My mother should be amenable.”
“Be frank with me, Charlotte.” He pretended not to notice the way her eyes widened at the sound of her name on his lips. “Are you offering because you want to help me, or because you’re seeking to escape your household?”
“Why does it have to be one or the other?” she challenged, meeting his gaze with the defiance he’d come to associate with her. “As far as I’m concerned, this achieves two goals in one.”
“You will not have the opportunity to meet other gentlemen if we are in Yorkshire.”
That hit home; she flinched and looked away. “Perhaps I could bear the deprivation if I were also away from home,” she said after a moment. “And once we’ve found your sister, I’m certain there will still be gentlemen in London.”
“Then,” he said, a hard edge in his voice, “let us go to Yorkshire.”
* * *
Charlotte was not surprised to discover two things. First, that her mother was more than happy to accompany her and the Duke to Yorkshire.
“How wonderful,” Anastasia gushed. “What an opportunity to get to know him and to see the estate. I’ve heard it’s extremely large!”
The second was that Sebastian was not in favor of the trip. “Good heavens,” he expostulated when she informed him of the decision. “Can this be true?”
Charlotte sighed inwardly. “I hardly see why not, Cousin.”
“An unmarried lady visiting a gentleman’s estate—there can be nothing appropriate about this.”
“On the contrary, it is entirely above board.” Charlotte folded her arms. She had surprised herself when she had offered to accompany Aaron to his estate in search of Constance—a girl she hardly knew and was closer to Marcella than herself—but in the face of Sebastian’s opposition, she found herself even more determined to go. “My mother and his aunt are to attend us, and consider, Cousin, that we are engaged.”
“An engagement you played no part in,” he said, eyes narrowed.
“An engagement I consented to keep.”
“And why, I might add, would you consent to marry a man you despise? For the sake of saving the family, is that it?” He paced about the drawing room. “You are not obligated to sacrifice yourself for the good of the family, Charlotte. I won’t stand for it.”
“No one is sacrificing anything.” Charlotte approached him and placed her hand on his arm. “But I have had no other offers this Season, and you know I must marry.”
“You have not given yourself much time to receive any other offers.”
Please don’t consider offering for me now.
Charlotte attempted to keep her voice calm. “I do not expect to, Cousin. But I am content, and while I do not think the Duke will be…” she paused. “I do not think he will beattentive, but I shall be comfortable, and the family’s position will be elevated by the connection. I can see no reason to quibble.”
“But staying at his estate—surely you cannot be considering that.”
“I’ve already considered it and given my acceptance as has Mama.”
“And I, I take it, am the last to know. My opinion means nothing, does it?”
“When you are determined to stand in my way at every juncture, Sebastian, then yes, I’m afraid I am less inclined to involve you in my decisions,” she snapped and immediately regretted it. Sebastian’s face purpled.
“May I remind you that you are residing under my roof!”
“And I’m grateful,” she said, “but I am three-and-twenty, and my chance of making a better match than this has long passed with my youth.”
“Nonsense!”
“I am not a fresh-faced debutante,” Charlotte said, knowing the words to be true even as she said them. Four years in society with no husband meant she had little enough chance of makinganymatch, never mind one as dazzling as the Duke. Even if, she reminded herself, their marriage was never to be. “You may not consider my age to be a hindrance to my chances, but I assure you that it is. And to have you, my cousin, stand against the best match I could have hoped for—it hurts me, Sebastian, that you do not have my best interests at heart.”
His face softened. “I do have your best interests at heart, Cousin, and if you would grant me the freedom to make these decisions, you would see that.”
