Page 43 of The Heir's Fortune
“I am hesitant to pursue it, however.”
“Whyever not? I know that Gideon can sometimes be a little prudish, but?—”
Madeline bit her lip, hoping Cassandra wouldn’t see the blush that was stealing up her cheeks.
“It is not that,” she said. “At first, to be honest with you, it was due to knowing about how he sent you away.”
“Oh, Madeline, we have spoken about that?—”
“I know,” Madeline said, “and I do have a better understanding of what happened now and that he thought he was doing the right thing but listened to the wrong people. Now I am uncertain since Gideon might have to pursue another woman. One with a more significant dowry.”
“That is rubbish,” Cassandra said, waving a hand in the air as though pushing away the idea. “He is doing a fine job rebuilding the dukedom as it is. Yes, the progress is slow, but eventually, he will get there, with or without a dowry to assist him.”
“Perhaps, but he does not think it will happen fast enough,” Madeline said with a sigh. “He is worried about all of the people without employment, all of the people in the village and tenants on the land. His hopes have been resting in this treasure, but if it comes to naught, then this is his secondary plan. I wish I could help him, but it would be slow progress and I would never want him to live in guilt or to resent me.”
“Well, then,” Cassandra said, standing with her hands on her hips, “we will just have to make sure the first plan works out so that he doesn’t have to do something stupid.”
She began to stride out of the room, likely to tell Gideon exactly what she thought.
“Cassandra?” Madeline hissed as loudly as she could.
“Yes?” Cassandra said, stopping in the entrance.
“I really am famished. Will you take the baby?”
“Oh, yes!” Cassandra said as though she had forgotten him. “Of course.”
She plucked Jack from Madeline’s arms and hurried out of the room, not swayed from her purpose.
When Cassandra had her mind set on something, there was no stopping her.
And for once, Madeline was glad of it.
CHAPTER 16
“You’re back,” Gideon said, turning to look over his shoulder when he heard the footsteps on the terrace behind him, finding his sister waiting for him once more. “Does Jack need watching again?”
“No,” she said, even though they both knew that wasn’t why she was there. “It is about something Madeline told me.”
“Cassandra, while I appreciate your interest in seeing me happy, I am perfectly capable of seeing to my own life.”
“Sometimes you need a little help.”
“Not this again,” he said with a sigh, turning away from the view before him – a view that simply reminded of how much work needed to be done to return his property to its former glory. “I wish you and Devon would stop seeing me as a man who cannot fend for himself.”
“That is not all, Gideon,” she said, rounding to stand in front of him so that he could no longer see the grounds. “It is that I know you, and you will always do what you feel is best for others and not think about yourself so we have to do that for you. What is this nonsense about marrying for a dowry?”
“It’s not nonsense,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest in defense of himself. “It might, practically, be the only option.”
“You know, Gideon, Madeline was a great help to her father in making decisions on his estate.”
Gideon knew that Cassandra was just trying to help, but she was only making things worse.
“I’m sure she would be a great asset, Cassandra, but that would not be why I would choose to have her in my life. This is my responsibility. Besides that, rebuilding the estate will take some time. Time which I am not sure that we have.”
“They have waited this long,” she countered.
“It has been too long already.”
