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No, he must inform her. She must have the right to choose if she wanted to become thede factomother to a four-year-old bastard son.
Grrr!
Perry called out from the other end, “If the idea of being wed is making you growl, it is not too late to find a way to break the contract.”
“Ha ha. I think it would be easy to reach a mutual agreement to have the contracts canceled. I simply tell her about Ethan, and Lord Moreland slaps me across the face as they all storm out with much shouting and weeping.”
Perry raised his eyebrows. “A reactive bunch, are they? Then it sounds best to get the cancelation moving ahead.”
Richard shook his head. “Perry, I want this. I want to marry Sophia. She is an interesting young woman, and I am certain you will grow to like her.”
His brother huffed in disgust and turned to stare out the French doors into the garden, his arms folded to show his ire at the nuptials.
Richard stared at his brother, not knowing what to say to reassure him they would still be brothers, that their relationship would not be altered. Then he recollected he needed to speak with Sophia and started pacing in agitation once more.
“The wedding party has arrived, my lord,” Radcliffe intoned from the doorway.
“Right. I will come greet them, then.” Richard followed the butler out, his stomach twisting in nervous excitement.
Lord and Lady Moreland stood in his front vestibule, looking very proper. The cousin, a Miss Lily Abbott if he recollected correctly, was a diminutive fairy staring up at the artistry of his Italian frescos with open-mouthed delight, while a thickset man with the same reddish-blond hair as his betrothed stood detached from the family, appearing quite belligerent. He briefly wondered if the gentleman protested the union before his eyes found Sophia, and he was robbed of thought. She was beautiful. Exquisite. Dressed in an indigo pelisse which brought out the red highlights in her blonde hair, the blue glints in her eyes, and the warm tones in her silky skin. He was speechless with wonder. This intelligent, vivacious young woman had consented to marry him, and he was awed.
Reminding himself to draw breath, he hurried forward to greet the party.
After brief pleasantries, he bade his butler to show them to the library and to collect the vicar from the drawing room. As the family passed him, he shot out a hand to gently grasp Sophia by the arm. “I would like to speak to you for a few moments, Miss Hayward.”
She hesitated and then stepped aside as her family continued down the hall.
“Miss Hayward, you are … well?” Richard asked, finding himself rather ill-prepared to talk with her. For some reason, her appearance was causing his tongue to tie up, and he felt intimidated. What on earth? She was not the most beautiful woman he had ever encountered, although she was very comely. It was the sparkling life in her eyes. He dearly wanted to earn her good opinion, more than he had ever desired it from anyone. It was … disconcerting.
Sophia looked up at him with her large blue eyes and gave a nod. “Yes, my lord.”
“Please, call me Richard. We are moments away from being wed.”Maybe. If she does not run screaming into the street.
She smiled, the corners of her eyes creasing slightly. “Richard.” A shiver of pure pleasure ran through him at the sound of his name on her lips.Richard, you have something to tell the young lady!
He sighed deeply in resignation at the intruding thought. Sophia’s face would twist into anger, she would yell for her family and depart his home, never to give him a second thought other than to gossip about ‘that awful Lord Saunton and his vile ways.’
He opened his mouth to speak, but choked on the words. He tried again. “I … I … do you have any doubts?”
Sophia tilted her head, her eyes filled with concern. “No. Do you?”
“NO!” Richard shook his head violently. Calming himself, he spoke with more composure. “No. I have looked forward to this all week.”
“As have I.”
He paused in consternation. “You have? But … what about my past?”
Sophia nibbled on her lip. “This has been a strange alliance we have forged, has it not?”
Richard nodded numbly. There was no denying that the progress of their relationship was odd.
She continued. “I find you interesting … and unique. Your crusade intrigues me. I did not think I would ever marry, but I have changed my mind and I am ready to embark on an adventure with you.”
She gazed at him with such earnest admiration that it caused his heart to squeeze painfully. It was so … sincere. It made him want to be worthy of her regard, to have her look at him with that expression for … well … forever.
Screwing up his courage, he asked the question burning through his mind. “And what if I make mistakes … or it turns out there are consequences to my past? What then?”
“We shall deal with it.”
