Chapter 6 #2
He stepped towards her. Is she worried I would ask for more? That was easily remedied. “I can have a contract drawn up if you would like. It would be no trouble..”
Harriet shook her head. “What happens to me when Phoebe no longer needs me? When she starts a family of her own?”
“That is entirely up to you. I have plenty of land, you may choose any that you wish. Or if you wish to remain at Irondale, you may do that,” he replied.
“You know, most men would try rather harder to convince me to accept them.” The furrow on her brow deepened as she chewed on her bottom lip. “You are barely trying to persuade me to marry you.”
Do you want me to? He kept his thought to himself. “I am not most men.”
“Apparently.” There was something in her tone he could not quite place, not quite disbelief, but something else. It was as though she were weighing something in her mind.
“I suspect that if your mind is already made up, nothing I can say or do will change it. I will not cajole, I will not convince; I do not think I need to. After all, it was you who came to my estate. You did not say no then.” Theodore studied the lines of Lady Harriet’s face.
“That does not mean I will say ‘yes’ now.” She stepped towards him.
“I know.” The corner of his lip quirked into a half smile, and he did not step away from her. “But I think you will.”
“You mean you hope.” She was so close he could see her every eyelash.
“I do.” The air around them was thick, he felt a steady thrum in his chest as his eyes found hers, twin pools of forest green. “So I ask you for a final time, Lady Harriet, will you be my duchess?”
There was a beat of silence and then another. “Yes.”
Something exploded in his chest as a rush of warmth filled him, freeing a breath he had been holding. “Thank you.”
She stepped away from him. “I cannot deny that I feel a connection – t-to Phoebe, I mean. And I know what our match would mean to my family. I will be your duchess, and I will do what I can for Phoebe – but I am only one woman, I may not succeed.”
“All I ask is that you try.” Theodore met her gaze, as the warmth within his chest faded..
“I will.” Lady Harriet tucked a lock of hair behind her ear..
“Then we are agreed.” Theodore flexed his fingers. “Unless you have any other questions.”
“Our wedding…” Harriet trailed off as her cheeks flushed so deeply that Theodore felt the heat of them.
He felt his own skin burn as he realized what she meant and tugged on the collar of his shirt. “I am offering you a marriage of convenience, Lady Harriet. The only needs you need tend to are Phoebe’s and your own.” This is not a love match.
She nodded slowly. “I understand. You seem rather um… well… you seem to want to get this over with rather quickly – I take it you are applying for a special license?”
He saw her shoulders creep towards her ears with every word, her voice higher than he had heard it before. He shook his head.
“No.” Theodore saw her shoulders relax. “We will not have an extended courtship, but we will do things properly. I will have the banns read at our local parishes and once that is done, we shall be wed.”
“Where?”
“St. Swithen’s. It is the church nearest my estate, small which will help us control the numbers.” He had no wish for hordes of people to witness this. “The wedding breakfast will be by invitation only, though I would ask that you keep your list to no more than twenty or so people.”
“You need not worry, Your Grace, I suspect the list will be much shorter than that.” Was that a note of sadness in her voice? Theodore could not be sure, because in the next moment she asked, “Do you think Phoebe would like to be a part of the wedding? Perhaps to scatter flowers?”
Her question sent a rush of warmth through him that stole his words momentarily. He considered her for a moment, she seemed genuine. “It is a kind offer, Lady Harriet, but I am not sure she would accept.”
“Of course. If she wishes to, the offer is there.” Lady Harriet gave him another, small smile.
“If that is all, I will be on my way. You will send the bills for your clothes and such to my accountant, I will leave the address with your father.” Theodore cleared his throat and moved towards the door. “You know where to find me should you need anything.”
I should thank her. She is solving a problem for me. He did appreciate it, but he could not find the words to tell her what she was doing for him.
“Actually, there is one thing.” He turned to find her reaching towards him, her cheeks red but her eyes full of determination.
He frowned. “Yes?”
“I think we should call each other by our Christian names. I think it would help Phoebe to see us be more familiar with each other.” Lady Harriet explained.
“She will look to those around her when trying to find a match of her own – I know I did, and I am grateful to have had my parents to learn from.”
Theodore tapped his fingers against his thigh. On the one hand, he wanted his niece to seek out warmth and kindness, and what Lady Harriet was saying made sense. But another part of him shifted uneasily, as though he were a deer being stalked by a wolf. “Surely we could do so only around Phoebe?”
“We could, though I suspect if we are in the habit of using each other’s titles alone that we will find it difficult to remember to do so only around her.”
“Very well. It shall be as you suggest…” He inclined his head towards her. “We shall call each other by our Christian names.”
He turned to leave.
“Thank you, Theodore.” The sound of his name in her voice sent a thrill through his spine and he left without looking back.
What have I just agreed to?