Page 130 of If the Slipper Fits
Her dismissal of his reason for marrying was mere camouflage. The truth was as evident as the lack of emotion on her face. She did not want him. It was all well and good to wed him when he offered safe harbor, when he was the lesser of two evils and came with the force of the Claybourne title behind him.
But now, with Bolton no longer a threat thanks to Lady Wentworth's machinations and her newly established financial means—she was the granddaughter of a dowager duchess after all—her reasons for marrying Caden had evaporated like mist. Unless she proved pregnant. Even then, she seemed less than thrilled at the prospect of marriage to him.
She did not want him as her husband. He couldn’t blame her.
He straightened, linking his hands behind his back and looked anywhere but at her. “I see.”
“You...do?"
He forced a bland smile. “I apologize for my previous inability to grasp the obvious.”
“Which is?” she drew out, sounding suddenly wary.
You do not want me as your husband.Though the words burned through him, he could not bring himself to say them aloud.
“Your situation has changed," He said instead. "You no longer need rescuing. No reason to saddle yourself with a less than sterling husband when the wolves no longer breathe down your door, eh?”
“Less than—No. Caden, you’ve twisted my words.”
He nodded, still wearing his forced grin. “The point is, I take your meaning. I shall, of course, accede to your wishes to end our arrangement. However”—He met her eyes, trying to impress the import of his words—“I must insist, should our indiscretions bear fruit, you contact me immediately. I will not abandon my child. No matter what.”
He’d cross that bridge if it came to that. Whereas he’d previously imagined such an eventuality with an odd combination of awe and desire, he now didn’t know how he felt. Imagining Anna carrying his babe while not belonging to him, body and soul, bloody hurt, like he imagined being kicked in the teeth by a horse might feel.
And whereas before he’d been disinclined to exact her promise to marry him based solely upon a happenstance pregnancy, he’d been more than willing to do so should the need occur. Now the thought of forcing her into marriage under any circumstances was more than he could stomach.
When at last she spoke, her words came out a mere whisper he had to strain to hear. “I will.”
He arched his brows, his expression deliberately nonchalant. “What now? I assume you have a plan? I didn’t think to ask. Have you informed my family of your decision?”
She had the audacity to look affronted. “Informed your family?Mydecision?” she all but hissed. “I have not. If we are in agreement, we should tell them together...unless you’d rather have a private discussion with them?”
Inagreement. Caden could only shake his head no.
She lifted her chin. “Very well. As to the rest, I expect Lady Wentworth and I will start for NorthUmberland this evening. Tomorrow morning at the latest."
He wanted to hurl something. One of the man-sized potted plants preferably. “In that case, we should make haste informing everyone. I wouldn’t want to delay your departure. As you say, we’ll tell them together. You can say your goodbyes at the same time. Two birds with one stone and all that."
All color drained from her face. Likely fearing the reaction of the earl and Zeke. As if he’d let anyone rebuke her.
He wanted to shake her. To kiss her. Hell, he wanted to drop to his knees and beg her not to leave him. What kind of a fool did that make him?
He had never experienced this conflagration of need and ire and tenderness and lust. Except...maybe he'd had some of these feelings before, for her, all those years ago. Hell, maybe Zeke had the right of it and he had fallen for the chit way back when. And as she had then, she would walk out of his life without a second look.
At least his pride remained intact. He would never, ever, beg for the affections of a woman who obviously wanted nothing to do with him. No one, least of all her, need never know how deeply her rejection cut him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Awooden faced Caden issued a summons, gathering everyone in the formal parlor.
All parties filed in, positioning themselves within earshot and viewing distance of the sofa where he and Anna sat.
Lady Kitty took the armchair opposite them, while the heir apparent stood sentinel behind her. Lady Wentworth, shooting a sidelong glance at Caden’s brother, chose an adjacent settee. Lady Lillian perched on an armchair beside Lady Kitty’s, and the earl presided over all from his vantage before the mantle.
Anna glanced around the room, taking in anew the plush carpets, the gilt adornments, the velvet and satin covered cushions, and gleaming, polished surfaces. This beautiful parlor had seen all her dreams crumble at her feet. If she never again stepped foot in this luxuriously appointed chamber, it would be too soon.
Dread settled into her very bones. Her plan had seemed so simple. Tell Caden he no longer had to marry her, and wait for him to confess his true reason for asking had less to do with obligation and everythingto do with his desire to spend his life with her. She wasn’t greedy. She could wait for him to fall in love with her.
Instead, in less time than it took to make his breakfast selection from the sideboard, he opted to let her go. She was leaving. Today. Just like that.
