Chapter 10

Callum was not sure what to think or how to feel. He considered Lady Emily who gave every impression of not wanting to deal with the swift progression of their relationship this afternoon. By all accounts, they were engaged now. Once her parents found out, it would be real.

Did she hate him for choosing to ask for her hand?

He’d only done so when he’d realized how important it was to Lady Seaton. The words he’d spoken had come with ease. He’d not even had to think, he’d just said them. They’d been honest and heartfelt. It hadn’t been hard. In truth, he’d imagined the proposal was real while he spoke. Not once had he thought of it as an act.

Not until after.

And then he’d kissed her.

He’d had to, he’d tell her if she demanded an explanation later. To be honest, he’d welcomed the excuse the situation had offered. His gaze dipped to her mouth and his stomach instantly tightened with the memory of the softness he’d found there. It had been brief. Too brief. But such was a kiss when it happened in front of family. Allowing himself to be swept away by passion would not have been very proper.

So he hoped he’d be given a chance to improve his effort later.

Would she be amenable to such an idea? Or would she push him away?

He longed to find out, but how? Getting her alone was impossible with her maid always at her side.

Callum sighed as he settled against the squabs. He wanted to talk to her about all that happened, to be reassured that it hadn’t affected their friendship. Not an option. The subject was far too personal to let Georgina overhear.

Still, it had to be addressed. Not doing so would only make it more awkward.

He considered his choices which were few considering their current location in a closed carriage. It wasn’t as though he could ask Lady Emily to take a turn of the room with him so they could speak with a bit more privacy.

“I’m hungry,” he blurted, with precisely the sort of clumsiness he’d always managed to put on display in Lady Emily’s presence. He ignored it. “Let’s stop at the next inn.”

“London isn’t far,” Lady Emily said, still not looking at him. “Can you not wait to eat until you get home?”

“No.”

She sighed as though he were proving to be a huge inconvenience. “All right.”

Callum tapped on the roof to inform the driver, and they pulled to a halt shortly after. Lady Emily hadn’t been wrong. London was already visible on the horizon. It wouldn’t take more than twenty minutes at most for them to reach it, another fifteen before they arrived at his home.

Ignoring that fact, Callum opened the carriage door and climbed down. He helped Lady Emily and her maid alight, then led the way inside the inn where he quickly acquired a table in the far corner.

He pulled out a chair for Lady Emily so she could sit, then turned to Georgina. “I believe I forgot my pocket watch in the carriage. Can you please go and fetch it?”

“Of course, Your Grace.”

Callum waited for her to walk away before claiming the seat directly beside Lady Emily. Dismissing her stiff posture, he leaned in and whispered. “We need to talk about what has happened. Ignoring it won’t make it go away.”

“I wish it would,” she murmured. “A courtship, that was all this was meant to be. A faux arrangement we could both walk away from with ease by simply deciding that we don’t suit.”

“Don’t we?” His poor heart ached from the sting of her words.

She shook her head. “We’ve only recently started to tolerate one another. To get engaged feels like leaping off a cliff with a blindfold on. It wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“I know, but it felt like the right thing to do in the moment.” He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry if it was the wrong move to make.”

“You’ve nothing to apologize for.” Lady Emily sniffed. “I got you into this mess when I asked you for an unreasonable favor. It is I who ought to be sorry.”

“You were only trying to make your grandmother happy. I understand that. In fact, the length you’re willing to go for her only proves what a wonderful person you are.”

“I don’t feel wonderful at the moment.”

He considered that with an increasing sense of sadness. “Would it truly be such a bad thing if you and I were to marry?”

“Stratton, you—”

“Please, call me Callum.” When she looked like she might protest he told her, “We are by all accounts engaged. Will you permit me the honor of using your given name too, without the honorific?”

She hesitated briefly before eventually nodding. “I’ve been thinking of how to solve this conundrum. If we tell Mama and Papa the truth, they can help make it go away.”

A serving woman arrived at that moment denying Callum the chance to comment. Georgina joined them in the next instant. She apologized for not finding the pocket watch Callum had known to be in his pocket, and his conversation with Emily effectively ended.

Callum frowned. There was so much more to be said. Unfortunately, it would now have to wait.

“We’ll go to Rosemont house directly,” Callum informed the driver when they returned to the carriage after their meal.

Emily sent him an odd look. “We’re supposed to be dropping you off first.”

“I’ll return home after we finish our talk.”

She frowned at him but didn’t comment. Instead, she positioned herself on the bench with a sullen expression that made him chuckle. She truly was lovely, even when she looked like the world was against her.

When they arrived at Rosemont House, Emily led the way inside while Callum followed behind. He’d just finished handing his hat and gloves to the butler when Emily’s mother entered the foyer.

She stared at the assembled group in surprise. “Larrow said you went back to Seaton House.”

Emily pulled at the ribbon holding her bonnet in place. “I did.”

“If only you’d said something sooner. Papa and I are heading there shortly. You might have joined us instead of going alone.” Mama glanced at Callum. “It seems you chose to call at just the right time, Your Grace. I wonder why you didn’t bring Peter along.”

“Might I have a word with you and Papa?” Emily asked her mother.

“Of course, but we’ll have to make it quick since he and I would like to return before dark. Besides, it’s not polite to leave your guest waiting.”

“The matter I wish to address relates to Stratton as well. He has not come to call upon me, Mama. He and I went to Seaton Hall together and have just now returned. Together.”

“Oh.” Lady Rosemont looked visibly perplexed by this piece of information. “I’ll, um…just fetch your father.”

Emily looked at Callum for the first time since they’d entered the house. “Forgive me, but confiding in them seems like the most sensible idea at this point. It will hopefully help us find a way out of this mess.”

Callum caught her arm before she could turn away. He waited until her eyes met his, then lowered his voice and asked, “Do you want a way out?”

“Don’t you?”

He honestly wasn’t sure. When he’d thought of settling down in the past, the idea had always made him break out in a sweat. He’d worried about every possible aspect, from whether or not he’d get along with his wife, to questioning his ability to be as good a father as his own had been.

But when he’d proposed to Emily, he’d experienced a sense of calm. Of course he’d told himself it was all pretend, but at the back of his mind he’d known it might end up being more. There had been the chance he’d not be able to walk away from the attachment. And still, he’d not experienced the slightest hint of panic.

If anything, holding her hand while on bended knee and telling her why he wanted to spend his life with her, had felt incredibly right. He wasn’t sure he did want to find a way out of this ‘mess’, as she called it. If anything, it troubled him slightly that she didn’t seem to share this opinion. Instead, she was very intent on putting an end to their brief romance.

She gazed at him, an expectant look in her eyes.

How easy it would be for him to lie to her now, to take the cowardly way out and simply pretend he wasn’t a little bit thrilled with the idea of having her for his wife. Just thinking of having her by his side for the rest of his life warmed his heart.

“I’m not sure,” he said.

Emily’s lips parted. She shook her head as if baffled. “Are you saying you want a real engagement with me?”

Was that what he was saying? The more he thought on it, the more certain he became. She’d make a wonderful wife, assisting in his guardianship of Peter, keeping him company in the evenings while they reclined by the fire, going on outings, and simply adding a spark to his life.

He nodded while every piece of heartache he’d felt since the death of his father collided and transformed beneath the incredible glow of her presence. She mattered to him and the thought of possibly losing her now just because he feared she didn’t share his affection, was enough for him to give a quick nod.

She drew back with a small gasp.

“Yes,” he said, cementing the idea just to be sure there was no doubt about his intentions.

“But it was only meant to be pretend.” Her eyes glistened. “I never meant to trap you.”

“You haven’t trapped me, Emily.” He reached for her hands and held them firmly between his own. “I am here by my own free will, ready to find out where this adventure might take us. Will you join me?”

She looked as though she might be sick. There were so many emotions dancing across her face, it was hard to keep up. In the brief time they stood there, Callum saw pain, anxiety, uncertainty, and finally, when all of those faded, a hint of joy. He chose to hold on to that while willing her to take a chance, not only on him but on them.

Her jaw tightened and then she finally nodded. “Very well. Yes.”

Elated, Callum swept her into his arms and swung her around until they both grinned. It was the second time he’d proposed in the space of three hours, and while it was briefer, it was no less indicative of how he felt about her.

“What’s happening here?” a deep voice asked.

Callum stumbled and nearly sent his bride-to-be flying. She squealed as he made a quick turn, coming to rest against the newel post at the base of the stairs. He set her down with the utmost care before turning to face her father.

“Forgive me, Lord Rosemont.” His wife, Callum saw, stood at his elbow. Both looked as though they’d just seen an elephant playing dress-up. Callum straightened his posture and clasped his hands behind his back. “Lady Rosemont, I do apologize.”

“I’m surprised to find you still in the foyer,” Lady Rosemont said when no one else spoke.

“My wife says you’d like a word with us.” The earl frowned, but the look he sent Callum was full of interest. “Shall we remove ourselves to the parlor?”

“Please make sure some tea is brought up,” Lady Rosemont said while eyeing someone who stood behind Callum.

He turned and blinked a few times when he spotted the butler and Georgina, both of whom he’d completely forgotten. Neither servant showed any hint of dismay over him having spun their mistress about or nearly dropping her in the process.

“Of course,” said the butler. “I’ll see to it that it’s promptly delivered.”

“We’ll have to make this quick,” Lord Rosemont said once they were all seated in the parlor. “My wife and I are due for Seaton Hall. We’d like to make the trip there and back before it gets dark.”

“Understood,” Callum said. Impulsively, he took Emily’s hand and gave it a squeeze. The gesture did not go unnoticed. Eyebrows were raised by both her parents. “Allow me to get straight to the point. I’ve asked your daughter to be my wife and she has accepted. Pending your approval, of course.”

Lady Rosemont beamed and clapped her hands together. “That’s marvelous news.”

Lord Rosemont looked less impressed. “Is this what you want, Emily?”

“Yes.” The word was whispered and lacked the enthusiasm Callum had hoped for.

Her father seemed to latch onto that. “I wasn’t even aware you were courting.”

There was no denying the censure behind that statement.

“The truth is, we weren’t.” Emily took a deep breath, sent Callum a please-don’t-hate-me-for-this kind of look, and proceeded to tell her parents all that had happened.

“It was kind of you to pretend for your grandmama’s sake,” Mama said, “but your grandpapa will be hurt if he finds out he helped with your scheme. Had you simply left it at courtship, you might have gone your separate ways later. A proposal of marriage – one made before them, no less – is far more serious.”

“Though not as impossible to escape as an undesirable marriage,” the earl pointed out. He glanced at Callum. “Once you say your vows, you’ll be bound to each other forever.”

“I understand the ramifications completely, my lord,” Callum told him.

“And yet you wish to proceed.” The earl leaned forward. “Why?”

A maid arrived with the tea tray Lady Rosemont had ordered, offering Callum a brief reprieve from the challenging conversation. Cups and saucers were swiftly distributed, and the tea poured before the maid slipped from the room.

“Well?” the earl pressed, an expectant look on his face. “What reason do you have for wanting to marry my only child and why should I permit it?”

“Papa,” said Emily, her voice a touch more affirmative than before. “Stratton was only trying to help.”

“And now he wishes to make you his wife in earnest. I do not think an explanation is too much to ask for.”

“Of course not, my lord.” Callum met the earl’s gaze. “I understand your concern.”

“Do you?” Rosemont scoffed. “Because your sudden interest in Emily certainly strikes me as odd. I mean, you’ve attended the same balls as she these past six years, yet you’ve not been seen dancing with her or speaking with her since she made her debut.”

“If you’ll recall, my lord, that didn’t go very well,” Lady Rosemont murmured.

“Perhaps not, but a gentleman finds a way to put that behind him if the lady in question is worth it.”

Callum stiffened. “Your daughter is without question the finest woman I know. That is why I wish to make her my wife.”

“According to what she’s just told us, you were the one who contacted her first. Correct?” When Callum nodded, the earl said, “You were also the one who decided to get down on bended knee, effectively changing the rules of the plan you’d devised.”

Callum didn’t like where this was going one bit. “If you’re suggesting that engineered this engagement from the beginning, you’re wrong.”

“Am I?” The earl picked up his teacup and paused before taking a sip. “Tell me, Stratton. What’s your financial situation like these days?”