Page 13 of The Wise Daughter
“Thank you.” The raspiness from earlier returned. “Would you please continue, Mr. Lacy, by telling me a bit more? What sort of help are you hoping to receive?”
Nora could see the Adam’s apple in her father’s throat bob up and down. “I have a small kindness to beg of you. It would be easiest to ask for money, but what I really desire is another chance.”
“Another chance at what exactly?”
The duke appeared curious. Nora didn’t know whether to count this all as good fortune or a strange web of fate that would only ensnare her.
“If I might have a bit of land, just a small parcel, I would work as diligently as I could to make it profitable to us both. I’d pay you your portion, of course, but in time, I could recover what I’ve lost and regain my footing in society.” He patted his forehead with his handkerchief. “If you help us, Your Grace, I will be forever in your debt.”
“Hmm. I have a feeling you are no stranger to debt, Mr. Lacy.” The duke looked at Nora as if this were something they had discussed at least a dozen times before. “Mr. Lacy, I enjoy helping others when I can, but you cannot be ignorant of the fact that your request is both unusual and presumptuous. Haven’t you anything else to say for yourself or anything to tempt me into a bargain with you?”
Mr. Lacy glanced at Nora from the corner of his eye. “I wouldn’t dare ask for your help without offering something that might be of interest to you.”
“Oh?” The duke also looked at her.
Panic set in. “Father, no.” The words escaped in an earnest breath. She took her father’s hand and gave him a pleading look, but he wouldn’t meet her eye.
“Miss Lacy.” The duke addressed her for the first time. “I assure you, I will hear your perspective, but for now, I wish to hear your father’s proposal.”
Proposal.The wordfilled her with dread.
“My daughter,” her father began, looking steadfastly on the duke, “is a very well bred woman at the height of youth, beauty, and accomplishment.”
“Oh, Father,” she lamented under her breath, grateful he hadn’t mentioned anything about Saxon royalty thus far.
“She is clever and kind and possesses a wonderful disposition. I’m sure she will be able to produce children, Your Grace. An heir.” Theemphasis he placed on the word made Nora squirm in her soggy boots. “Your legacy would be secure with her.”
The duke rubbed his jaw, making Nora feel utterly ridiculous for admiring it at the riverbank. “That is quite the claim, Mr. Lacy.”
“It certainly is,” she hissed in her father’s ear.
Her father flashed her an annoyed glare. “I am aware , but can you blame a poor father for wanting the best for his beautiful daughter? I dare to speak openly on the subject because I am told Your Grace prefers his solitude but also needs a wife. I offer you a most convenient solution that speaks to both needs. Accept my offer, and you may protect your solitude and secure a bride, sprung from Saxon royalty, I might add, that would be the envy of any gentleman in England.”
There it was, that dreadful boast.
“Saxon royalty?” the duke scoffed. “The Saxons were defeated.”
“I remind him all the time,” Nora inserted, remembering how she had jested with him earlier. “He doesn’t seem to care.” Her face instantly burned.
Her comment earned a small smile. “Any father would praise his daughter if his goal was to marry her off to a wealthy duke.”
Nora repeated his words to herself and bit her lips. This was no jest. She was officially mortified. Her father may have been presumptuous, but she still wanted to tell the duke that she knew her worth, regardless of his wealth, and that her husband would be the envy of any gentleman in England. She most certainly would have told him were it not for the relief she felt when he showed no interest in her father’s scheme.
The loss will be entirely his.But oh, how she wanted to sink into a chair and eat something hot.
“I promise, Your Grace,” her father spoke softly, “you will not be disappointed with Honora. Take the time to know her, and you will see her worth.” Her father’s face held a tenderness she hadn’t seen there since she was a very young girl.
The fire crackled. The duke stood perfectly still, then gave a slight nod.
“Very well. I accept.”
Chapter 6
For the second time that night, Nora froze. Had she heard the duke correctly? Perhaps it was only the effect of her wet clothes, but she couldn’t move her hands or feet. She couldn’t move her tongue to speak or even shake her head.
“You accept?” her father repeated.
“I accept.” There was hardly any feeling at all behind the duke’s words. “Mr. Lacy, would you please step outside while I officially propose to Miss Lacy and hear what she has to say?”
