Page 55 of The Wise Daughter
Like a well-aimed arrow, her words were sharp and true. He didn’t care. “Your safety is more important to me than finding the thieves. I’d rather they steal everything in the castle than steal you fromme. I won’t let them touch you, Nora. I won’t let you continue to put yourself in danger.”
“That isn’t your choice, Aaron.”
“It is when you are under my protection.”
Her eyes grew steely. “You may be master of your castle, but I must do what my conscience dictates. The choices I have been offered as of late have been few and precious. This is a choice I am clinging to. I am going to help you.”
This was a point of stubbornness from her which he never entirely understood. “Why, Nora? Why is this so important to you? There’s no need to prove your cleverness. I already know how brilliant you are.”
Her lips pressed together in a host of feelings he wasn’t sure he understood.
“I only want to contribute something. You proposed to me because it was convenient. You weren’t motivated by love. Neither was I. I didn’t think it mattered, but Aaron, don’t you understand? I accepted you because of all thethingsyou offered me. I’m a practical woman. I saw no reason to refuse you, but if I can’t offer you something in return, I don’t know if my conscience will allow me to go through with it.”
“But you do contribute. Remember, there is the matter of my inheritance.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew had made a mistake. “But of course, that is nothing,” he grappled to salvage his words. “You are so lovely and kind, and–”
“Aaron, I haven’t forgotten about your inheritance. There’s a fine line between being practical and being bought.”
“What are you saying?” Her words stung like nettles.
“How can I live with myself if I marry you because I need money?”
Aaron stepped back. Had she never intended to go through with the marriage? A deep, stabbing pain pierced his chest and radiated throughout his whole being. Money always factored into marriage, he told himself. Couples became engaged all the time over much less thanwhat he had offered her, but that was precisely the problem. He wanted Nora’s heart just as much as she wanted his love.
When she started to push the door closed he seized her hand again. “Honora Lacy. You are too wise and too clever not to see that my heart is invested in this. Do you not feel the love growing between us? I’ve seen it in looks we’ve shared. I’ve felt it in the touch of your hand. I know it’s there. You won’t convince me otherwise.”
Her lower lip quivered, the seconds stretching between them. “Perhaps it is, Aaron, but there is still so much I don’t know about you. I’m sorry. When I marry, I want to know that it wasn’t because I was desperate or scared. I want to feel a love that is so deeply anchored, it would not matter if you were a duke or a blacksmith. I want to be sure of it.”
These words cut sharper than any she had yet spoken. “So once again, you need proof.” Knots tightened in his chest.
“Aaron, what if you regret marrying me?”
Overcome, he seized her hands. “I won’t. I know I won’t because I will choose you everyday. I don’t know how to prove to you that our marriage will work. You have to trust me, Nora. At some point, whether by the end of our month or when we finally catch the thieves, you will have to decide whether you choose me in return.”
He could see her emotions warring across her face. As much as he wanted her to choose him, he didn’t want to pressure her or force a decision upon her.
“I still need time.” She heaved a great sigh. “Right now, we should focus on finding the thieves and whoever set my room on fire. I’m sorry to change our agreement, but I can’t marry you until we solve this.”
His insides were crumbling like his childhood sandcastles. “And if it takes longer than our month?”
She stepped into her new bedchamber and pushed the door until only a small space was open between them. “Then either we will have a longer engagement, or...” She pinched her eyes shut. “I will leave.”
“Nora, please don’t speak like this.” He wanted to argue, to tell her every secret and give her a thousand reasons why they shouldn’t wait to marry, but he saw her determination.
Speaking became impossible. Talk of love and marriage was no longer within his capabilities.
He swallowed back the thickness in his throat. “Do not forget to lock your door tonight. Don’t open it for anyone except your maid, if you are sure you can trust her.”
Nora nodded.
“I’ll come to escort you to breakfast once you are ready.”
This time, there was no nod. Nothing. She looked at him, then closed the door with a soft click.
His mind emptied as he let his forehead rest on the door. His heart ached so dreadfully. He wished he could empty it too.Am I being selfish?Was he thinking of his own feelings more than Nora’s? His father would have been disappointed. His mother most definitely would have been too.
This will take more than catching criminals,his intuition told him, regardless of what Nora thought. He would have to be patient, very patient, apparently.
He pressed his hands against the door and closed his eyes. He could hear her pacing on the other side. What more could he do for her? What more could he give her?
