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Fifty thousand pounds…
The sum was unreasonably, large—quite insane.
“How is your dowry so large?” he whispered, so stunned he did not think to jest with her.
“My father was the youngest son of a viscount,” she explained, selecting another arrow. “Knowing he would have no fortune given to him, he worked hard for it and was an extremely successful merchant of foreign wares, particularly exotic ones with high prices. He…” She hesitated as she lifted the bow. “He passed away some months ago, and other than an annuity he has left my stepmother, he has left everything to me.”
Elliot paled when he saw the look of pain on Miss Townsend’s face. She was busying herself, trying not to look at him, but he could see the ache there.
“You’re still grieving him,” Elliot whispered.
“Astute of you to notice.” She hesitated from firing another arrow, looking over her shoulder at him. “My own stepmother seems ready to ignore such grieving, yet you can see it?”
“You wear your emotions on your face.” He gestured to her with the fletching side of one of the arrows. “Anyone who says they cannot see the pain is lying.” To his surprise, his words made her smile a little.
“Look, Miss Townsend, I cannot deny that marrying you with such a fortune would be my saving grace. I could protect my sister from poverty, pay my father’s debts and the death tax, plus have more than enough to start reinvesting. The opportunity for me… it is too good to be true, which is why I ask this.” He paused, waiting until she turned to face him. “Why offer to marry me?”
“I told you why last night, though you may have been too in your cups to remember.” Her gaze never wandered from him.
“My stepmother wishes to make me marry her nephew, and I have realised why that is. She wants my father’s fortune. Clearly, her annuity is not enough, and she thinks she is entitled to more. So, despite the fact she intends to marry me to a foul man that I could never care for, not at all, she intends to make me marry him anyway. She has quite ordered me to do so, as my guardian.”
She scoffed and shook her head. “As my father once said, I have never been very good at doing what my stepmother tells me to, and I have no intention to start now. I will not marry a man I dislike, bind myself to him forever, just to please her.”
“That, I cannot blame you for,” Elliot whispered. The mere idea of someone ordering another to marry disgusted him. He tried to think what it would be like if he himself tried to make Grace marry a man she did not care for. His gut tightened at once at the thought, rejecting it. “To control another’s life like that, it is sickening.”
“I am glad you agree.” Miss Townsend fired another arrow. “That is why I will marry a man of my own choosing. To escape my stepmother’s clutches fast.”
“Then, why pick me?” Elliot walked round her, facing her to catch her eye. “Quite frankly, Miss Townsend, you have charms enough to entice any man. Any man immune to those charms would say yes to the dowry.”
“Money does not matter to me.” She fired the arrow, then turned to look at him with a smile. “Spend it as you need it. I’d rather the money went to do some good for you and your family than keep my stepmother and her greedy nephew in the lap of luxury.”
“You care naught for the money? Nothing at all?” Elliot asked in disbelief. Every woman he’d ever met cared about money, even his mistress.
“It is my father’s money, Your Grace. It cannot bring him back, but I would exchange it all to have him.” She fixed him with a serious look. “The one thing I ask is that you do not touch the house in Cheltenham. That is where I grew up. It is my home more than any other. Spend everything else if you wish to, but do not touch that.”
“I would make a vow to you on that,” Elliot said with eagerness. “I would only touch the money I needed, Miss Townsend. With what is left over, I would invest it with the aim of building up your fortune again. I can promise you that.”
“A wise businessman, then?” she said with a smile. “What caused your debts?”
“Foolish parents who left debt behind them. It was not my own doing.” His words made her nod in understanding.
They stood there in silence for a minute, staring at one another. The only thing to disturb that quiet was the sound of arrows being fired into the other targets. Elliot could feel how close they were standing. It reminded him of the kiss the night before, not that they could indulge in such things here in public.
“You are looking at me in that way again.” She pointed at him with the arrow.
“I can’t be the only one thinking about that kiss.”
“Oh, that would be telling,” she teased. “So, you have my offer before you, Your Grace. What do you think of it?”
Elliot paused, considering the idea slowly. Having lost all the money he’d earned to the card sharp the night before, he didn’t have many options left. Here, his prayers were being answered, and all he had to do was marry a woman who was looking for an escape—somewhere to be safe. The mere idea of offering Miss Townsend that safety warmed his heart. It felt right that if he was to marry at all, it would be to help someone who was in need.
What was more, he didn’t imagine many marriages of convenience had this attraction between them. It would certainly make the marriage bed an enjoyable event, rather than something he had to perform as a duty.
“Very well, you have an agreement.” He extended his hand to her, as if it was a business deal. She shifted her bow to her other hand and shook it. As their hands touched, they both smiled. “Will every touch feel like this?” he whispered.
“I’m as surprised as you are.”
“Not bad for a marriage of convenience, is it?” he flirted with her once again. She laughed and lowered her hand from his.
