Page 41 of The Gentleman Was Right
The urge to kiss her, to take her into his arms, was difficult to ignore. He glanced over her shoulder at Isabelle who was leaning against the window, staring directly at them, no longer pretending to give them privacy. He willed her to leave, but she didn’t so much as shift, so he turned his attention back to Violet. “It would be my pleasure to marry you.”
Violet stepped backward, and he immediately felt the loss of her palm against his chest.
“Thank you.” She nodded, once again under control, her fire hidden beneath layers of restraint. “Can we discuss my stipulations now?”
Her voice was calmer and more modulated, and a part of him wanted to argue with her so he could witness the fire once again, but he resisted the urge and nodded instead.
“No mistresses. In fact, no other women at all. I will not share.” She looked him straight in the eye and pressed her lips together as if daring him to disagree.
He wasn’t foolish enough to do so.
“Agreed.” He hadn’t so much as kissed a woman other than her in months, and he had no intention of straying from his vows. “I expect the same.”
“Of course,” she responded evenly, without a flicker of hesitation.
“What else?” he asked when she fell silent.
This time she hesitated, as if she didn’t know whether she wanted to reveal her next demand. “No lying. I detest falsehoods. I’d rather be displeased by the truth than comforted by a lie.”
He’d anticipated that she would expect honesty and chose to ignore the fact that, between the two of them, she was the one who seemed prone to lying. “I can agree to that also. It seems prudent to expect honesty in a marriage, but once again, I’ll expect the same in return.”
“If I ask it of you, you can assume I will also provide it.” She crossed her arms over her chest with the air of a woman who’d fought for herself and gotten exactly what she wanted.
“That’s all?” He had expected a list as long as his arm, not two relatively ordinary expectations.
“Honesty and fidelity are all that I require from my spouse.”
He didn’t know what to make of that, though it was curious that she didn’t mention love or affection or feelings of any sort. If love was not a requirement, was it a potential benefit? Or would she attempt to avoid it altogether?
What had Basil done that caused her to build such walls around her heart?
“Will you tell me why you won’t marry Basil now?”
Her jaw tightened. “No.”
“Whyever not?”
“Because it is irrelevant. Once we are married, Basil will have no place in my life. He will be nothing but a distant memory, and I will make every effort to forget him.”
“It might be helpful if?—”
“No.”
If he wanted her secrets, he’d have to be patient. Whatever had happened between her and Basil had obviously hurt her, and while he wanted to know, he was smart enough to stop pushing. He could only hope she’d tell him when she was ready.
“There is one other thing.” She hesitated again. “My father’s work. Basil has taken charge since my father died.” She chewed on her lip. “Someone will have to take over once he is gone.”
Edward nodded. “I am prepared to assume whatever responsibilities Basil currently performs.” He knew nothing about what Basil did, but the challenge of learning something new was undeniably welcome. He was an intelligent man, and he was convinced he could learn what he needed to know.
She looked away and trailed her finger along the spines of the books next to them. “The thing is, I don’t know precisely what Basil does. He is often working, but I never used to pay attention to what he was doing. Once I realized I could not marry him, I attempted to discover more, but he was not amendable to my questions, so I’m afraid I’ll be of little help.”
She sighed and dropped her hand onto the shelf.
He reached out and rested his on top of hers, squeezing lightly in an attempt to comfort her. “I will figure it out. I’m not particularly experienced with commerce, but Sebastian is well versed in all matters of business. If there is something I do not know, I will consult him. You don’t need to fret. Whatever Basil’s role is, I’m confident I can replicate it.” Just because he didn’t have much experience didn’t mean he was incapable. He would be whatever she needed him to be.
“I’m sorry I left so abruptly and without leaving word of our destination,” she murmured, completely changing the subject and catching him off guard. He had not expected any sort of apology from her. “It was not well done of me.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. You didn’t owe me anything, although I was shocked to find you gone,” he admitted. “I thought…well…you seemed to be softening toward me, and we were…”
