Page 52 of The Sea Siren of Broadwater Bottom
She swallowed. “No, thank you.”
His smile was rueful. “That’s probably for the best. I had to move the table back so I would have room to go down on one knee.”
Oh, but this was awful. He was so, sowonderful. She wanted to marry this manso badly.
And in a few minutes, he was probably going to despise her.
She gathered her courage. “Edward, there’s something I need to tell you—”
“I know, darling. I know. There is so much that we need to say to each other.”
“It’s not that,” she said hastily. A look of uncertainty crossed his features, so she added, “I mean, it is, but”—he swallowed—“but first—”
“But first,” he said, speaking over her, “before you say another word, you must allow me to apologize for my behavior last night.” His eyes were sincere. “I should never have put you in such a compromising position.” He shook his head. “It is a poor excuse to say that I was overwhelmed with wanting you. But it’s true.”
“There’s no need to apologize,” Elissa said, squeezing his hand. “I wanted you just as much.”
His face lit up, and she wished she had not said it, not because it was untrue, but because the conversation was veering off course. “But Edward—”
“But then,” he said, seeming not to have heard her, “there is the matter of my proposal. Or should I say, my dictate.” His eyes were miserable. “I am so, so sorry, Elissa, for behaving like a pompous brute, declaring that we would wed, when really I should have been down on my knees, begging you—”
“Edward,” she said gently, “I wasn’t upset about that. Mr. Nettlethorpe-Ogilvy caught us both off guard. I know you only meant to reassure me with all possible haste.”
He shook his head. “It was unacceptable. You were upset last night, Elissa. Do not deny it, I could see it in your eyes. And no wonder. Not only did I speak for you, but I fear the unfeeling way in which I did led you to believe that I was only offering marriage because we had been discovered. Out of a sense of duty, rather than affection, when nothing could be farther from the truth.” He closed his eyes, grimacing. “Never have I been so disgusted with myself.”
Elissa peered at him. Indeed, he looked disgusted with himself; she could not think of a time when she had seen him so upset. It hadn’t been the most romantic declaration, but that was only because of Mr. Nettlethorpe-Ogilvy’s unfortunate timing. “Truly, you have nothing for which to apologize—”
“I do. My behavior was execrable in every regard. I want you to know that if you do me the honor of accepting my hand, you can expect better of me in the future.”
She blinked up at him. “Are you always this hard on yourself?”
He blanched, his shoulder giving a sharp twitch, then cleared his throat. “No more than is warranted. But we have far more important matters to discuss.” He took her hand in both of his, then sank to the carpet, going down on one knee. “My darling Elissa—”
“Wait, Edward!” She cringed at the hurt and confusion that swept over his face. “I—I’m so sorry to interrupt, but before you proceed, there’s something I need to tell you.”
He gave a tight smile, trying to hide his annoyance. “More important than us spending the rest of our lives together?”
Her voice shook as she said, “Before you ask that of me, there is something you deserve to know.”
His blue eyes clouded with wariness. “What is it?” he asked softly.
“The translator. OfOn the Sublime.” Elissa swallowed, gathering all of her courage. “It was me.”
CHAPTER21
Edward froze. He was kneeling on the carpet, his gaze fixed upon the striped cushions of the sofa, struggling to figure out how he felt about what Elissa had just told him.
Elissa was the translator. He… he could see it now. She had this talent for picking up the meter from the original Greek and giving her translations the same feeling. Not fully, of course. The languages were too different for that, but even that hint of the meter was more than he’d seen anyone else manage.
Excepting the anonymous translator ofOn the Sublime. He had been able to do it, too.
But, of course, not he.She.
He should have seen it, should have known at once. It seemed so obvious, in retrospect…
Elissa’s wobbly voice managed to penetrate his foggy brain. “I know you must be very upset.”
Was he? He… he honestly wasn’t sure. On the one hand, he’d felt slightly nauseous ever since he found out she would also be taking part in the contest. The last thing he wanted was to compete against Elissa.
