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“I may overstep, Your Grace, but your first wife, was she not accepted into society? Were you not accepted? Was this home happy then? What about your mother and father? Were they too not accepted?” He did not answer, so I continued, “I believe love to be more important than your society.”
“I do not wish her to enter another family of complications.”
“All families have complications, but I assure you, mine could never eclipse or even match yours,” I replied, causing him to frown.
“What of your work?”
“What of it?”
“Do you intend to keep seeing patients?”
“Yes.”
“You do not worry about bringing some sort of disease or deadly ailment to your family in the future?”
“I take many precautions to refrain from doing so. And should I ever believe myself in danger of that, I would separate and seek treatment for myself.”
“Is it really worth such a risk if you have land and wealth?”
“Yes, as it is who I am,” I said to him. “And so far, that has led me here.”
“I wish to say no,” he grumbled as he outstretched his hand to me. “However, my sister’s future now lies with you, Theodore.”
It was as if I had finally gotten a miracle, seen an angel. My chest hurt, my eyes burned, and all of me shook as I took his hand. How shameful it would be to weep. I hung my head and gripped his hand tightly. “Th-Thank you.” I even struggled to get the words out.
“I leave you to tell her.”
“No need!”
We both paused at the voice coming through the door behind me. Quickly, I let go of his hand and opened my eyes to see her standing on one leg, holding on to the door.
“Verity!” we both yelled out.
“Forgive me. I grew nervous.” She smiled widely. “He said yes! Truly, he said yes!”
I reached out to her, and she hugged me tightly. “I said you were to stay off your feet.”
“Where is Aphrodite? She was to wait with you while I spoke to him,” Evander asked, going to her other side to help me. I wished to lift her but feared it would push her brother beyond his limit for the day.
“She was, but then Eleanor rushed to her, and she went running out of the room as if the house were on fire without even looking at me,” she explained, still smiling as she now turned to Evander and hugged him. “Thank you, brother. Thank you for accepting him.”
“Your Grace!” Once more, the butler came in, but this time, in a rush.
“Wallace, what is going on?” Evander asked him. “Where is my wife?”
“Your Grace, the Marchioness of Monthermer has just arrived and wishes to see…Lady Verity,” the butler replied, and we all froze.
“Well, good luck to you, sister.” Evander stepped away from her.
“Evander!” She gasped out loud, and he shrugged.
“I have given my blessing, and you believe yourself ready to face society, so go face the brunt of it.”
Just when I thought we had made it to the end, a sinkhole appeared.
Verity
I tried not to feel like a little girl when I entered the drawing room. However, I did not feel like a grown woman either, as I had to limp inside, holding on to Theodore. She sat by the fire like a work of art, dressed in deep violet, a jeweled cap on her head, and diamonds around her brown neck. Opposite her sat Aphrodite, who also looked incredibly nervous despite this being her home now and not her mama’s.
“Godmother, welcome. I was not told we were expecting you,” Evander said as he followed me in. He looked at Aphrodite, probably wondering why she had not told us, but she stared back, shaking her head to indicate she had not expected her mother either. When the marchioness looked at her daughter, Aphrodite immediately lifted her teacup.
“I received a letter from your brother saying he had transferred your inheritance to our guardianship should anything happen to him,” the marchioness said, looking at me. “It left me most worried, and that worry grew as further talk reached the ton. Imagine my surprise when I arrived in town today and heard that not only had my goddaughter nearly been killed and left to die in a well but she was said to be attached to one Dr. Theodore Darrington.”
I glared at Evander, whose eyes widened as he realized he was to blame for this.
“Well, someone speak.” No one did. “Aphrodite, there is not enough tea in this world to stop you and me from this conversation.”
“Your ladyship, I will answer all you require, but may Lady Verity sit?” It was Theodore who dared address her.
“Of course, she may sit, for this is her home,” she said, and he helped me to a seat before them, but to make it more evident that he was tending to me as a doctor, he took a pillow from the chair and set it on the ground for me to rest my injured foot upon.
