Chapter 11
Hermy had been given her own bedchamber with an adjacent bathroom that even had gas light and running hot water. Greg’s staff had been kind but Hermy overhead the whispers in the background. As embarrassed as she felt, Greg had welcomed her with such kindness that she bathed, curled her hair, and put on one of the dresses that had been delivered for her. Even if the staff saw her as the fallen girl, Greg saw her the way she felt around him. When she was with him, she was not merely hibernating under her brother’s icy rule but blossoming with the strength of a climbing rose that could reach even the highest points of a tower. In chess it wasn’t for naught that a rook looked liked a tower and was worth five points.
Greg had been out most of the day, but he’d arranged for her favorite foods to be served in her chambers.
As she descended in the evening, Hermy saw the light was on in Greg’s study, and she slowly approached. She heard a voice other than his.
“So it’s done?” Greg asked.
“Yes, here’s the application with the seal.”
“And the rest?” Greg asked again.
“Uncle Gustav will speak to the Prince?—”
“The prince? As in George?” Hermy stormed in when she recognized the other man: Arnold Ehrlich.
“Oh Hermy, good evening,” Greg said.
Arnold Ehrlich stood slack-jawed and eyed her right back.
“Hello Arnold.”
He cleared his throat, stepped toward her, bowed, and lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles. “Hermy, what a pleasure to see you again,” Arnold shot Greg a look but then smiled warmly at her. “I heard of your brother’s accident, and I’m so sorry. My deepest condolences.”
“Thank you.” She curtsied. “He was trampled by a beastly horse. I suppose everyone gets what they deserve.”
Arnold chuckled. “She’s the right queen for the Black Knight’s army.” He nodded and raised his brow in Greg’s direction. “It’s good to see her back as her old spirited self.”
Oh, how lovely Arnold was. She’d forgotten his impeccable manners and looks, but she’d missed sharing witty banter with him and Fave. How wonderful that Greg still had them in his life. Arnold and Fave had kept their secret, even though they’d found her in Greg’s room several times. If there was something the Pearlers mastered, it was discretion and integrity. Despite what society made of it, when the Pearlers saw love, they protected it.
“I overheard your conversation. What’s done? And Prinny? Seriously?” She walked to Greg, but he avoided her gaze.
“Arnold, thank you, but I need to speak with?—”
“I completely understand.” Arnold bowed to Hermy. “It was a pleasure to see you again and I hope for many more returns.”
“That’ll be all, A-r-n-o-l-d,” Greg growled playfully, but he didn’t seem angry. Instead, a sly grin spread across his face, his eyes twinkling with a blend of boyish conspiracy and sheer determination that made Hermy’s breath hitch again. Or was it her heart that always forgot to beat in Greg’s presence?
Arnold left with a smirk and shut the door behind him.
Odd but effective. They were finally alone again.
“He’s changed.” Hermy recognized traces of the Arnold she’d known five years ago in the elegant adult.
Greg sighed and reached for her hand. “He grew up. He’s a father and a husband.”
“Good for him.”
Greg faced her with a solemn look and reached for her hand. “I’d like to be one, too. For you. Ahem … not your father, I mean.” Greg dropped her hand and rubbed the back of his neck. “This is harder than I thought.”
“You’d never be my father, Greg.”
“I wouldn’t want to be.” He returned to her side and held out his hand, palm up. “But it would mean so much if you’d agreed to take me as your husband.”
“I already did.” Hermy hesitated to take his hand.
“Not because I’m the kinder choice over David. Because of me.”
“I know.”
“Hermy, just hear me out. I’ve been a coward for five years. I should have come after you, faced your brother, and owned my transgression.”
“Agreed.”
He sighed. “It’s just that I was too young and inexperienced.”
“And now you’re more experienced?”
He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. “I grew up, too.”
“As did I.”
“What experience did you gain exactly?” If Hermy didn’t know better, she’d think that Greg sounded jealous.
“Life experience. How to run an estate.” She blew her cheeks wondering where to even begin.
“Hm!” That seemed to appease Greg. “So, as adults, perhaps we could decide together to share our future?”
“We already decided.”
He growled. “You’re not making this easy for me.”
“I don’t know what ‘this’ is because we already got engaged. A few times actually. Do you remember when you made me a ring of grass and kissed me?”
“Yes, I remember. We were sixteen. It was dumb and anticlimactic, and I didn’t have a chance to tell you everything.”
Hermy stilled but her heart didn’t. It beat with such vigor that she hoped Greg wouldn’t hear it. “You don’t have to marry me as an act of charity.”
“I’m not.”
“It’s chivalrous, truly. You don’t need to live up to a promise you made as a boy. I appreciate the gesture, but I’m the fallen girl.”
“Then let me catch you.”
“Well, you made me fall.”
He stepped back.
Stupid move, Hermy. He welcomed you back and you hurt his feelings.
“What I’m trying to say is you can dissolve the marriage after you stepped into the title and marry a woman you love.”
Greg gave her a deadpan look.
“It’s a good bargain for you, if you’re still willing. You get to be the Earl and I get to be free.”
“You don’t want to be the countess?”
“I would be the countess in my own right if my brother hadn’t decreed that I cannot inherit the estate lest I marry.”
Greg rubbed his eyes and groaned. “We’ve been over that.”
“Well, I’m not going to let you gamble away your future because of me, so I have a proposition.”
“So have I.”
“I accepted yours, it’s your turn now.”
Greg released a slow, controlled breath like he used to as a boy. She had him. “We’ll play for it.”
“What?”
“Sex.”
He sputtered. “I beg your pardon?”
“This is my idea: We play for it as we go through with the wedding. You assume the title and take your new seat as Royal Earl in the House of Lords. Meanwhile, this game of ours will continue.”
“And what if I mate you?” he asked.
“You’ve never?—”
“I’ve improved. Some fear me as the Black Night.” His gaze darkened, and he approached her.
Hermy couldn’t decide if his cockiness made her uncomfortable or aroused her with the hunger in his eyes, so she stopped him with her hand out flat. He matched her every inch until her palm was on his heart.
And just like that, hers forgot to function again, for it didn’t beat and her breathing became labored. Did everything have to be this intense around him?
“W-what happens if I mate you?” she stuttered, overwhelmed by the way he looked at her.
“How about we figure that out along the way?”
“As long as the game goes on, you need not consummate the marriage,” she declared. Wasn’t she gracious? “You can do as you please.”
“I usually do.” His eyes trailed down her body with such intensity that she broke into goosebumps. She’d seen this look before, but all those years, half a decade, had ingrained in her that she wasn’t worthy of him, or else he would have come for her sooner. So what did it mean when Greg looked at her as if she were the most tantalizing sweet?
He licked his lips, eyes coming to rest on her hand on his chest. He reached for her hand, closing the distance between them. “Hermy, Arnold brought this to me. It’s a special model. Fave designed it but I’m afraid he went a little too far.” Greg produced a small wooden box and clicked it open. “Take a seat, please.”
He moved to the settee, and Hermy all but melted from his earnest, vulnerable gaze. Then he sank to one knee. “If I understand correctly, the white gold setting is a crown with a diamond and pavé frosting of the prongs.” He took the ring out of the box and held it up to her. “They carved the sides into little horse heads.”
“The Black Knights.”
“And the shank is set with little onyx squares and white moonstones.”
“Like a chess board.” Hermy couldn’t suppress the chuckle. “How very original.”
“Unconventional.”
“Creative.” They burst into laughter. “It’s unique!”
“It’s a bit much, I’m afraid. Do you hate it?”
“I love it!” But her unruly heart hurt so very badly when she suppressed the truth on the tip of her tongue. I love you!
She had to be certain that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. After five years of living like a captive, Hermy couldn’t stomach the idea that Greg might act out of responsibility rather than out of passion. If there was even the slightest possibility that he’d feel captured in a marriage with her, she’d perish on the spot. That just wasn’t how she wanted to win. Thus, she kept her emotions in check.