Page 33 of The Gentleman Was Right
“I didn’t frighten them,” he snapped.
“Of course you did,” she replied. “They must have thought you’d force them to leave or something equally awful. What did you do?”
He did not appreciate Belinda’s lack of faith in him. He had never given her any reason to think he might have been anything but kind.
“Or they were lying to you,” Sebastian added. “An unwanted marriage? They were probably terrified they’d be charged with trespassing.”
“They werenotlying.”
“This is just like one of my novels,” Louisa breathed. “Violet’s betrothed must be dreadful if she ran away from him. Do you think he’ll lock her in the dungeon when he finds her?” Her eyes widened. “He will, won’t he? We must find her first. We mustsaveher.”
Dungeon? Seriously? Louisa’s imagination was out of control.
“I tried to save her. I offered to help. I told them they could stay in the cottage as long as they wished.” He swallowed, trying hard not to return Belinda’s glare and to ignore Sebastian’s skepticism. “I even told the eldest that I’d marry her.”
Jane’s hands flew to her cheeks. Louisa and Belinda gasped, and Sebastian froze, while Emmeline tipped her head to the side as if she was trying to understand what his offer meant.
“She declined?” Emmeline asked, after a beat of silence.
“Most decisively. She seems averse to marriage as a whole and was disinterested in entertaining me as a suitor.” He might have mistaken it at the time, but he now knew the kiss they’d shared had not been indicative of her interest in him as a spouse.
Sebastian shot to his feet. “Marriage? Are you daft? You don’t even know her. And you don’t seem bothered at all that she was living in the cottage without my knowledge.”
Why did everyone keep saying he was daft? “She…it isn’t…no, I’m not daft.” His brother ought to know better. He was exceedingly practical.
Most of the time, at least.
Sebastian frowned. “You offered to marry a woman who ran away from her betrothed, pretended to be our cousin, and lived in one of our homes without our permission. If that isn’t bad enough, you know nothing about her. She could have been lying for all you know.”
“She wasn’t lying. And I do not knownothingabout her. We spent a day and a half together, and we conversed at length.” He didn’t mention that he’d done most of the talking, because although he didn’t know as many details about her as he’d like, he knew enough. He looked directly at Sebastian and dared his brother to continue doubting his sanity.
Their relationship had improved mightily since Sebastian’s marriage, but that did not mean Edward wanted to be judged for his decisions. Determined to manage his life himself, he would proceed as he saw fit, whether his brother liked it or not.
“Daft,” Sebastian mumbled as he rubbed his forehead. “Is it impossible for the members of this family to make appropriate, reasonable decisions? Or is impulsiveness hereditary?”
It seemed clear that he did not expect an answer, but Belinda must have thought he did, because she said, “It’s not hereditary. You rarely make impulsive decisions.” She tapped on her chin. “Although, come to think of it, marrying Emmeline was fairly rash, so I suppose even you are capable of being reckless.”
Sebastian almost smiled. “My wife is sensible and reasonable. Marrying her was an incredibly sound decision, and you know it.”
He exchanged a heated glance with Emmeline that was anything but sensible. Emmeline flushed as she always did when he looked at her like she was everything he never knew he wanted. It was rather nauseating to witness, but Edward imagined it was rather nice to experience. If Violet had agreed to his proposal, would he have given up his chance to find the same? Or would they have found happiness together?
“We have no way of knowing whether Violet is sensible or not. She could be the most levelheaded woman in all of London,” Edward declared.
“Or the least.” Sebastian raised his brow as he reached out and took Emmeline’s hand. Their clasped grip rested against the slight swelling of her abdomen. “Did you return so you could locate Violet?”
It was a logical question, and even though Edward didn’t particularly want to admit that he’d already begun looking for her, he had already revealed too much to stop now. “Sort of. I intend to assure myself that she is not locked in a dungeon somewhere, but I shall not approach her unless her safety is at stake. She made it abundantly clear she did not welcome my interference.”
“I would like to meet her,” Louisa said. “You should introduce us once you find her.”
He sighed. “I just told you I’m not going to approach her unless her safety is at stake.”
“Hmm.” Belinda tapped her chin. “Why does she not wish to marry her betrothed?”
“I’m not sure. She was not forthcoming about her reasons.”
“But youwantto marry her anyway?” Jane asked. It was just like her to ask a simple question with a complicated answer. She had always been less boisterous than his other sisters. More thoughtful too.
He wasn’t certain he wanted to admit that when he’d first offered, he’d simply wanted to help. Once he’d walked with her through the rain, danced with her, and kissed her, his reasons for offering marriage had expanded. Because he’d discovered that he liked her, and in turn, had considered whether they had the potential to build a marriage not unlike Sebastian and Emmeline’s. Forged in practicalities but eventually resulting in love.
