Page 94 of The Dragoneers of Longbourn and Pemberley
When the Master of the House finally arrived, it was clear he had rushed to her without tidying his appearance. He was in plainer clothes than she had ever seen him wear; these were not the polished flying leathers he wore to the derbies, but a rougher and more comfortable variety. This casual Pemberleywas at odds with how she thought of him: poised and concerned with appearances. It was like he was naked before her, without the fine fabrics and pretenses. His hair was terribly mussed, showing evidence of his recent flight. Valeraine wanted to run her hands through it and tidy it.
He had been working with his dragons, and now he was here, looking at her with an expression she could not decipher.
Well. He had made it plain that he did not like to think of her, so having her here was surely not a pleasant experience. It didn’t need to be. She wasn’t here for niceties.
Pemberley began to sit on the bench next to her.
Valeraine stood, holding the sack out.
Pemberley stood, for propriety’s sake. He did not move to take the parcel.
“I believe this is yours,” Valeraine said.
Pemberley leaned forward to take it. Once it was in his hands, recognition sparked in his eyes. He could feel the heft and curve of the contents, and he had handled so many dragon eggs in his life it was instantly familiar. He looked inside the bag to check, anyway. “Miss Longbourn, I have made it clear that this is your bounty,” he said stiffly.
Valeraine did not reach out to take the offered bag. “Longbourn has no place for an egg. As you yourself have said, we are but a lowly house with no future.” Her heart twinged to say the words, letting go of a dream. This was what her family needed.
“I cannot accept this, surely you see that.” Pemberley was bereft, still holding out the heavy sack, frozen in the space between them.
“And you think to move your problem onto Longbourn? We do not accept it.”
“But you earned this,” he gave the bag a little bounce. “It is yours by right. The egg and the money —”
“We have claimed the money. I will not be returning that.”
“Oh. Yes, then.” He seemed to not know what to do with this, that she was conceding to his wishes, and yet putting him in the position of arguing against her anyway. “But you cannot give the egg back to me.”
“I cannot, can’t I? How is this action any different than yours? At least I’ve done it in person, instead of by letter.”
“I assumed you wouldn’t want to see me, and I did not want to burden you with my presence.”
“Very well. I will not burden you with mine any longer.” Valeraine took a step toward Lelantos.
Pemberley stepped to block her way. “You are an impossible woman! At least,” he began, then lost his momentum. “At least,” he said again, “Allow me to pay you for this egg.”
“The Crown would have us in irons for that deal.”
“What would you have me do?” Pemberley straightened, towering over her. He stepped close to Valeraine, and said in flustered frustration, “Shall we share the egg, then? Shall I join with Longbourn, or you come to Pemberley?”
For a moment, her heart leaped at the idea.Them. Raising this egg together. Building something together. It couldn’t be done. Unless... “What do you mean?”
“Miss Longbourn, you have previously made your opinions on my suit very clear. If your opinions are unchanged, simply say the word and I will depart from the subject forever.”
He spoke of his proposal of marriage from the winter. The one that she had so roundly dismissed, when he had been so insulting and dismissive of her. Valeraine struggled to connect this Pemberley (apologetic, trying so hard to appease her) to that Pemberley (who had been certain she would accept him).
Seeing she did not immediately contradict him, Pemberley gathered a little more courage. “But if your opinions have changed... I dare to hope. Because though my attitudes towardmany things have shifted since that fateful day, my admiration of you has not. I wanted so desperately to see you, but mailed the egg instead because I thought I would not be welcome at Longbourn. I took your victory, and I’m so sorry for that.”
How did Valeraine feel about this man? He was terribly rich, and insufferable. His nest was large and well-maintained. He took care of hatchlings with the greatest of gentleness, and wrote impassioned articles about decorum and safety forThe Dragoneer’s Journal. He was loyal to Mr. Nethenabbi to a fault, and had once put a stop to his courting of Alyce. But, now, he had reversed that position, and the wedding was still on.
Pemberley had once said he loved her. Against his reason and better judgement.
That was all things he had done, though, the facts of the case. How did she feel about this man?
Valeraine wanted to see what he became. He was already changing, chipping away at his prejudice toward her family, like when he had invited them to stay at his manor.
She might be in love with this man.
She was in love with Bennington Pemberley. He was proud, and uncommunicative. His proposal to her had been offensive beyond belief, and yet despite it all she wished she had said yes.
