Page 62 of An Unwilling Earl
“She’s claiming that you are feeble-minded and not fit to take care of yourself.”
Charlotte hesitated but did not seem surprised. “I was afraid she would do something like that.”
He told her all of the conversation just like he had told Chadley. Both he and Chadley were concerned for Charlotte’s safety, and the marquess agreed that something needed to be done about it. Something drastic.
“She is going to try to convince people that I am a raving lunatic, and they will force me to return to her, and she will make sure that I am forever silenced,” she whispered.
“That is why I asked Lord Chadley to help us. You have no one to defend you. She kept you away from everyone for so long that there is no character witness we can use.”
Her fingers were folded into fists at her sides. “This proves more than anything that I need to leave England. I’ll be much safer in America.”
“We don’t think that is a good idea,” Chadley said.
“Excuse me, my lord, but you have no right to your opinion about me or what I do.”
“I want to help, Charlotte. I want to make up for everything my family did to you.”
“I don’t need your type of help.”
“Charlotte, please,” Jacob said.
She passed a shaking hand over her eyes. “The only help I need is to get a new identity, reference papers, and passage to America.”
“I can’t believe you would leave him to keep killing,” Jacob said, disappointed in her for once. She was a fighter, but this seemed to be one fight she wanted to walk away from.
“That’s not fair,” she whispered. “I’m trying to save myself.”
“You’re putting more women at risk. If the killer truly is Edmund, then he must be stopped.”
“And if I come forward, my aunt will have me labeled as incompetent and a fool, and no one will believe me.”
“We have a solution to that,” Chadley said.
Suddenly Jacob’s hands were sweating and his heart was pounding. Never in any of his wild imaginings had he thought he would marry again, let alone under these circumstances. But he was also determined. This was exactly what he wanted to do. This was exactly what he needed to do to save Charlotte, and saving Charlotte was more important than anything else right now.
“Marry me,” he said. His voice was calm. He’d stopped shaking, and it all seemed so right.
She blinked, her gaze bouncing between the two of them before her brows drew together. “This is nonsense. Even more insane than my aunt claims I am. How could that possibly help?”
“She can’t get to you if you have a husband,” Chadley said. “By marrying Lord Ashland you will take every argument that Lady Morris has and bury it.”
“You’ll be safe,” Jacob said. “And that is the most important thing of all.”
She looked at them both in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”
Jacob turned to Chadley. “Can you give us a moment alone?”
…
“Do you truly want to marry me?” Charlotte asked Jacob once they were alone. “Or is this just part of a silly plan?”
Her mind was desperately trying to process everything she had learned in such a short amount of time—the viciousness of her aunt, followed quickly by Jacob’s outrageous proposal and Chadley’s involvement in all of this.
“I do,” Jacob said. “I really do. I know this has come out of nowhere and it seems like I’m asking only because there doesn’t appear to be an alternative option, but that’s only part of the reason.”
“Wh—” She licked her dry lips. Her heart was pounding, but only part of it was due to the fear that her aunt could have her committed. “What are the other reasons?”
“I like you, Charlotte. I admire your tenacity. I admire your bravery. Not many women would have run to the rookery and survived. You have spirit and a strength that I envy. I don’t know if I could have been that strong.”
