Chapter 3 #3
“I…” Still, she looked utterly broken, hardly able to focus on Rhys. “I should go see her. I…” She half turned as if to leave, paused, seemed to break even further as her world collapsed.
“Lucy is why I am here,” he spoke quickly. “I mean to adopt her, in fact. While the other children are beyond my help, I will do anything that I can to ensure that nothing awful happens to her.”
“You will?” She looked at him with confusion, searching for the truth of his words, while refusing to believe the truth when she saw it. “I do not understand. What are you saying?”
“I was perfectly clear,” he said. “I mean to adopt Lucy as my own. Now, whatever it is you might think of me, I am certain that even you must admit how good that will be for her. I can offer her a world that few have access to, everything she could ever want. A home.”
“I…” She shook her head again to clear it. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Despite my desire to do well by Lucy, Miss Wilks has promised her to another. A couple from America, who she believes will be better suited. Miss Wilks seems to think that a family environment is better for her, and for that reason, she means to deny me in my request.”
“All right…”
“If this couple is able to adopt her, I doubt that you will be able to see her again,” he continued.
As he said those words, he saw their effect, the dread it brought Miss Beaumont.
“And while that will be hard for you, I know it will be just as hard for Lucy. She adores you, and I cannot condone the two of you being separated.”
“So, you mean to block the adoption?” Her expression hardened in defense. “You would ruin her life just because you cannot have her?”
“Not at all,” he said. “That is why I am here. Lucy needs more than a father. She needs a mother. She needs you, Miss Beaumont. Therefore, if I am to adopt her as my own, the only way to do that is to marry, and while it might come as a surprise, I can think of no one better for such a role than you.”
That did it.
If Miss Beaumont had been surprised before, she looked positively bewildered by this declaration. He stood tall and proud, determined that she see that he was telling the truth. She needed to see that he wanted this.
But she leaned back, shook her head, and almost laughed… “You are… Surely, this is a jest?”
“Certainly not a jest,” he said. “I require a wife if the adoption is to be made. Lucy requires a mother so that she might be comfortable. And you…” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“You require someone to rescue you from destitution. I looked into your finances, Miss Beaumont; I know what you owe. If you marry me, I will pay off your debts. I will ensure your security. I will do everything I can so that you do not have to spend one more day worrying about what the future might hold. You will be free.”
There… it is done.
Rhys exhaled with relief, feeling rather good about his terms. And what was more, he was certain that Miss Beaumont would see the logic in them. Whatever she thought of him, surely she would realize that his offer was the best that she could hope for.
“No,” she said.
Rhys balked. “Excuse me?”
“I said, no.”
“Miss Beaumont …” He laughed awkwardly. “Be reasonable. My offer is perfectly fair. One that should make you champ at the bit.”
“Fair or not, my answer is no.” She scowled. “You are all the same. You think that you can buy your way into fortune, that money solves everything. You do not care about Lucy. You do not care about me! All you care about…” her eyes flashed with anger, “is yourself.”
His expression hardened, and he had to bite down his rage. “I can assure you that Lucy is everything I care about, and if you cared for her half as much as you claim, you would say yes. Or are you too selfish?”
“Why?” she demanded. “Why Lucy?”
He grimaced. “That is… personal.”
“And a marriage proposal is not?” she cried.
He groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Were you not just a few days ago telling me that a child needs more than security and comfort? That they need love and someone who truly cares for them? If that is not me, it is certainly you. Do this not for me, not for you, but for Lucy. Or do not…” He shrugged.
“In which case, perhaps you are not who I thought.”
His words hit a chord, and he saw their effect. Miss Beaumont winced as if she was struck, and doubt crept behind her eyes.
There she is… finally, she is being reasonable.
“I need to think about it,” she said slowly, her mind turning behind her large eyes. “Surely, you will allow me that.”
“One day,” Rhys said. He had expected such an answer, so he was prepared for it. “At which point, I hope you reach a decision that is beneficial for Lucy. If not, she will be taken away, and whatever you might think, know that with both of us, she has a real chance at a proper future.”
With that said, Rhys turned and left Miss Beaumont on her doorstep.
The conversation had gone about as well as he could have hoped. Not wonderfully, but it was certainly not a tragedy. Also, he knew that if Miss Beaumont was who he thought she was, she would eventually say yes. She was many things, but she cared deeply for Lucy. Hopefully, that would be enough