Page 45 of One Scandal Too Many
“I’ll help you mount her,” he told Charlotte.
“Thank you,” she said.
He came over to her side and helped her onto Kallippos’s back. Then he mounted his own horse. “We should discuss our future.” There, he said the words. That hadn’t been as difficult as he supposed it would be, but now for the rest. “And when we will get married.”
“Married?” She lifted a brow. “I do not recall agreeing to that.”
“Darling,” he said. “We have to marry, or have you not considered the consequences of me taking your innocence?”
“I have,” she said an even tone. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As if she was fortifying herself for something. “My father won’t allow me to marry you, Declan.”
“Why the hell not?” What could her father have against him? He would be a good match for her. He was a bloody marquess. Most fathers would be ecstatic at the idea of their daughter being the wife of a marquess. That wasn’t arrogance on his part. That was a fact. One that he lived with when marriage-minded mothers were involved. “More importantly... I don’t hear you rejecting my offer.”
“You haven’t exactly offered,” Charlotte began. “You’re demanding marriage because we were intimate. Have you thought about what I want at all?”
He thought she wanted him. Wasn’t that what the past few weeks had been about? They had sneaked meetings and kisses because they desired each other. They had not made any promises, but Declan hadn’t thought that was necessary. The very fact he wanted to be near her should have shown her that he wanted her. Had he miscalculated? Surely, he hadn’t done any such thing? Declan did not make mistakes, and this wasn’t one now.
Declan gritted his teeth. “Charlotte, darling,” he began. “Will you be my wife?”
“No,” she said. There was sadness in her tone that made his heart ache. Why was she denying them this? She felt something for him. He would bet everything on that fact. Never would he have thought she would not consent to be his wife. This... was wrong. He closed his eyes and took several breaths to calm his growing anxiety. There had to be a way to correct whatever mistake he’d made. Because he had clearly made one somewhere.
“Why?” he asked calmly. Acting rashly would not aid his cause.
“Because my father . . .”
“Will not be an issue,” he said. “You can rest assured of that fact. Trust me.”
“I wish I could.” She sighed. “But you do not know him. I promise you that he will have something to say about a possible marriage between us. He has other ideas about my future husband.”
Declan didn’t like it, but she was correct on one point. He did not know her father. She might be correct in her estimation of him. What if he wouldn’t consent to their marriage? What would he do if the duke denied him her hand in marriage? What lengths would he go to if he couldn’t claim her ever again? What if he could never truly have her?
He shuddered at the thought. Charlotte was the only woman he had ever wanted this much. He could not imagine a life without her. “And what if you’re carrying my child?” He met her gaze. “Would he still say no?”
“A child would not matter if he has other plans for me. He would just make sure to marry me off to the man of his choosing that much sooner.” She frowned. “I wish that it could be different.”
“Do you?” He hated this. There had to be another solution. Charlotte was his, damn it. He would not let go of her so easily. “Would you have said yes if not for your father?”
“What would that change?” She met his gaze. “My father would still be an obstacle.”
He studied her. She hadn’t said no because she didn’t want to be with him. But he had to be sure before he did something irreparable. “Just tell me.”
“Let me ask you this,” she began. “Why do you even want to marry me? I never got the impression we were heading there.”
“You didn’t?” He furrowed his brows. “What did you think the clandestine meetings and stolen kisses were for? I do not seduce innocents.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know what you do or don’t do.” Charlotte met his gaze. “I only know how you make me feel. We haven’t exactly had long deep conversations about our hopes and dreams.”
Declan had definitely made some serious mistakes. She doubted his intentions. He would have to rectify that. “You’re correct.” He stared at the reins of Kallippos dangling from her hands. They had been sitting on their horses, not moving, during this entire conversation. They should have already started back to Easton Abbey. Perhaps that had been for the best. “If I had been different. If I had been more open about my intentions. Would we even be here now?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Perhaps.” Charlotte smiled at him. There was something in her gaze. Not regret, but maybe sadness. “I suspect not. I cannot seem to stay away from you.”
“So, you might have said yes,” he said.
“I wish I could,” Charlotte told him. There was honesty there in her expression. He wanted to pull her off Kallippos and hold her against him. The need to comfort her was overwhelming. Then an idea formed. An idea that had been there all along, but he hadn’t fully realized it until this moment.
He stopped his horse, and she did as well. Charlotte glanced in his direction. “Why have we stopped?”
“Because this is something we need to discuss before we return to the abbey. Come over here,” he demanded. “I think we need to dismount and work through all of this.” He wanted her, and he had to ensure that she agreed to be his wife. It was too important to him.
