Page 58 of The Devil and the Heiress
“Lady Helena.” He inclined his head, but instead of taking a seat, he walked to the fireplace.
Violet noticed the set of his jaw and the rigid way he held his shoulders and sank down onto the settee.
“I shall leave you to discuss things,” said Helena.
“No, stay, please.” Her calming presence had been a comfort to Violet. After Helena sat next to her, Violet asked, “What happened at the meeting?”
Storm clouds darkened his gaze, and he glanced away as if he didn’t want to say. “There is no need for you to concern yourself with these petty negotiations, Violet. Let Papa and me handle them for you. You’ll see the final contract before it’s signed.”
“No. It concerns me, and I must know. I am not a child anymore, though I have perhaps behaved impulsively. I will go into things with my eyes open from now on.”
The muscle in his jaw shifted. “Leigh has refused to marry you unless Papa increases the money he offered to settle on you.”
You’re enough for me, Violet. As long as you’re in my arms, I have all I need in the world.
Lies. The tiny flame of hope that had been clinging to life in the depths of her heart was snuffed out. The pain tore through her more vicious than any she had ever felt before. It would have crumpled her had she not already resolved to prove—to herself and everyone else—that she was a perfectly responsible adult who made perfectly reasonable decisions. As it was, she had to swallow several times beforeshe could speak. An ache pressed against the back of her eyes, but she refused to allow tears to fall. “What was Papa’s initial offer?”
Silence was her answer.
“Max, please.”
Scraping a hand along his close-cropped beard, he said, “Fifty thousand dollars.”
August and Rothschild had been given one million plus an annuity. She knew that the small figure was meant to show Papa’s displeasure with Christian, and yet she could not help but feel it quantified her own worth to him.
“Papa came up to one hundred thousand,” Max continued. “But Leigh maintained that he would not agree to a penny less than five hundred. That is where we left things.”
Rising, she walked to the window, her arms tucked against her stomach as if she could hold herself together so the pain wouldn’t rip her apart. “How much did Papa plan to settle on me in the agreement with Lord Ware?”
Again, her question was met with silence. Finally, he said, “Same as August. Remember, there were mineral rights in the exchange.”
Of course. Mineral rights. Male conceit. None of this really had anything to do with her. She was simply the body being transferred along with the cash. Her stomach churned with nausea. “What will happen if Leigh proves true to his word?” A rarity, that. “If he refuses to marry me?”
“Papa already has an attorney looking into charges that can be filed. Kidnapping, endangerment, breach of promise, to name only a few.”
She squeezed her eyes shut as she imagined the circus and endless fodder that would cause. She would never be able to show her face in public again. How had she been such a fool? To run away from Lord Ware only to fall into the same trap, but in an infinitely more painful way, was too humiliating to bear.
“Don’t worry, Violet.” Coming up behind her, Max ranhis hands over her shoulders in a soothing massage. “It will not come to that. I promise I won’t let it.”
“How will you stop it?” She turned and looked up at him to ascertain his confidence. He seemed resolute and unworried.
“Papa is angry now, as he has every right to be, but he is above all a shrewd man of industry. Dragging this out will only damage all of us, and Crenshaw Iron will suffer.”
Crenshaw Iron would suffer. Her own suffering counted for much less when contracts might be held up in Parliament if the men took offense to Papa attacking one of their own. She had never wanted another life as much as she did in that moment. A life where she could be who she wanted to be. The Mitchells’ cottage came to mind, but she forced it out as she did every moment of every day when thoughts of that happy time threatened to surface. “Will Papa be convinced of that?”
“Yes. I have full confidence that he will relent. Five hundred thousand is a reasonable offer, and he’ll come to see that. Once we have reached an agreement, we’ll obtain the special license and you can be married immediately. I believe a ceremony by a civil registrar will be most expedient.”
“I agree.” Helena spoke for the first time. “We need to minimize the scandal so it can begin to fade away. You can marry at the General Register Office, with a church ceremony to follow in a few weeks, if you prefer.”
“No.” Violet shook her head. “The civil ceremony will suffice.” She couldn’t imagine acting out an elaborate wedding in a church where everyone pretended they were happy and this marriage was a blessing.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go. Papa has another meeting scheduled with the attorney soon, and I would be there to stop him doing something rash.” Pulling her into his arms, he said, “Please try not to worry. This will be sorted out very soon.” When he pulled back he bent a bit to look herin the eyes. “Unless you want to leave. You don’t have to go through with any of this. We can go home.”
“No, I won’t live my life as a recluse. But have you been able to transfer the deed to Aunt Hortense’s home?” They had decided it best to have the property moved to a trust controlled by Max. Violet owned the property, and if they were in New York, it would still be hers upon her marriage, but under British law it would transfer to her husband. Indeed, even she would be British afterward. There was no telling the legal ramifications if Christian chose to sell it.
“I am working on it, yes, but I cannot promise it can’t be undone.”
She nodded. That would have to be enough. “And you’ve made it clear that I do not expect to reside with him?” It wasn’t a concession that could be enforced, but she felt better knowing the expectation was established from the beginning. She would not pretend this marriage was a real one, not with the stain of his betrayal marring it.
