Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

“ T his is preposterous,” Grounton continued, thundering over to the footman, “What could possibly have possessed you into thinking that this was a good idea?”

“It wasn’t my idea, Sir. It was her’s.”

“Then you should have done the right thing and stopped her.”

“I tried, but she didn’t listen.”

“You were bested by her? Some use you are.”

During this exchange, Adam remained in his chair, and his eyes did not leave the lady’s. Miss Harvelle, as she had introduced herself. She met his eye, not moving, and he respected that a good deal, especially given what Adam’s solicitor was saying about her. She did not even seem to notice what they were saying, too focused on him, which was perfect.

“Very well,” he said suddenly, “You both may go.”

“Yes!” Grounton nodded, “This is all preposterous, and I shall escort you both out myself.”

“Oh, no, Grounton,” Adam corrected him, “She will be staying here. The two of you shall leave so that I can speak with my visitor alone.”

Grounton looked at him with a furrowed brow.

“My Lord, you cannot possibly-”

“I sent an ad, and I have received a response. Do you truly wish to question my judgment yet again?”

“But she is unmarried. The scandal of it.”

“There are many solicitors in London, Grounton, and being out of work is something I would consider very improper indeed. Now, do you have anything further to say?”

He gave Grounton a hard stare, wondering just how far he would be willing to go in order to maintain his standards. It appeared that losing his job was a step too far, as he left the room. The footman followed closely behind, and Adam could hear the two of them bickering as they left.

There was silence for a moment, Adam looking at her once more. She was pretty, and a little older than the debutantes he was used to seeing. She also seemed to carry herself differently, as though she were a woman and not a girl, and he appreciated that greatly.

He shook his head. He had to be a good host.

“Will you please take a seat?” He asked, getting up from his chair and gesturing to it.

She sat down with a polite nod of gratitude, and Adam cleared his throat, leaning onto his desk and looking her in the eye once more. He was not a fool; Grounton’s words about the sort of lady that would respond to the ad were things he had already thought of himself, but he knew that he could find out her true nature himself, and quickly.

“So,” he began, “Why are you here?”

“It is as I told you. I am here about your ad.”

He shook his head with a smirk.

“That was not my question, Miss Harvelle.”

“Then perhaps I misunderstand.”

“I want to know why you are here, why you wish to be my wife.”

“Because I would be a good wife.” She replied, “I am the daughter of the Viscount Pranton, with an aristocratic background spanning generations, and I am well-liked myself-”

“Again, that is not what I am asking you, Miss Harvelle. I shall make it simpler. I placed an ad searching for a wife, the most unconventional way of finding a match that there is. Not only that, but you have come unaccompanied to a stranger’s home, an earl known for being a villain at that. My question is, why?”

She took a deep breath, as though steadying herself before speaking again. She closed her eyes, remaining very still for a moment before opening them again.

“Very well.” She nodded, “You might have noticed that I am older than the typical young lady in search of marriage.”

“Not in any negative way,” he admitted, “Though I would like to know your age, if that is alright with you.”

“Five and twenty.”

Five years younger than him. He was very happy with that; he had no interest in the fresh-faced girls that were barely out of leading strings, even if his idea of marriage was purely one of convenience. Having someone that could be a friend to him wouldn’t hurt.

“That is good. Do continue.”

“Well, the reason for that is that I have been married before.” She continued, and after waiting a moment to see if he would react (which he did not), she said, “I am the widow of Baron Dalton. We were married a while, then he passed away, in a duel of all things, and then his title was inherited by a man who does not want to add another responsibility to his already large family.”

“Can he do that?”

“Ah yes, you are not from London, are you? I could hear it in your voice. Men can do almost anything they please here, hence my late husband was a rake and a gambler.”

“And how long was this marriage?”

“Almost four years. He passed away a year ago.”

“Of a duel?” He asked, as it truly was bizarre to him.

“How many more questions will you have for me?”

“It is simply a lot to understand, Miss Harvelle. You must see that, surely?”

“What I see,” she replied, “Is a man that wants a wife and a lady that needs a home. I think it would be best if we do not ask so many questions and do what we must.”

A lady of duty, indeed. Adam liked her, far more than he had expected, but he had to know more about her before he dared enter into a marriage; such a thing would be unwise.

He almost laughed at himself for thinking of his actions as anything other than that.

“So you say you need a home,” he said, “But you mentioned your wealthy family. Can you not go to them?”

“I would rather not answer any questions pertaining to my family.”

“Why not?”

“Because it is none of your concern. You asked me why I am here, and I told you it is because I have nowhere else to go. Should that not suffice?”

“Miss Harvelle, if we are to marry I would prefer to know why you cannot go to your family in your time of need. Believe me, I shall understand it more than you think.”

She shifted in her seat, looking to one side, then exhaled deeply.

“They do not want me either,” she explained, “When I tried to see them, they refused me. I’m a failure as far as they are concerned, unmarried and unwanted, and they do not wish to waste any time or money on me.”

That was enough for Adam, but he needed a moment regardless. She was exactly what he had envisioned when he went seeking a wife. She was practical, a good speaker, and not the sort to hide their feelings. Not only that, but she seemed as in need as he was, thus willing to do what was necessary for her protection.

“Very well, I am satisfied. Shall we establish some rules?”

Her attention snapped to him, her eyes quizzical.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it is as you say. You want a home, and I want a wife. We ought to begin the plans quickly, do you not think?”

“But you do not know who I am,” she protested, “Nor what I am like, nor if you will grow to loathe me entirely. A marriage is a commitment, unless you have a penchant for duels of course.”

He laughed gently at that.

“I do know who you are,” he explained, “You are Lady Beth Harvelle, a widow looking for protection.”

“Well, I do not know who you are.”

“You do, indeed. Lord Adam Winston, an earl looking for a wife. We are suited in that respect, are we not?”

“That is not what I mean, and you know it.”

“I know exactly what you mean, but I do not have time, and given the way you ran into this room without even knocking tells me that you are too. So, shall we move past being acquaintances and call one another a friend?”

He extended his hand for her to shake, and after a moment she did so. He felt heat from her touch unlike anything that he ever had before, and he wondered if she did too.

“And as a first rule,” he continued, “I shall never go into a duel.”

At last, she smiled. He felt a slight sense of pride in that.

“I have a question about you,” she said quietly.

“You can have as many as you please.”

“Why are you so desperate?”

“Excuse me?”

“You said I am clearly desperate to marry because I answered your ad, but you are the one that sent it out in the first place. My question is, why?”

He knew that such a question would come, but he did not know how on Earth to answer it other than with honesty. In that moment, he felt how she must have when he pried into her personal life. It had been wrong of him, and he knew that, but at least now she could have her vengeance watching him squirm.

“As you said, I am not from here. I was born and raised in Glasgow, in Scotland. I only came here because my father was on his deathbed and I had sisters to protect. When all of that was settled, I left again. That was ten years ago, and because I have spent those last ten years in Scotland and not in this blasted estate that I was forced to inherit, there have been men who are advocating for the stripping of my title. My sisters are both duchesses now, but it would cause a scandal that would hurt them regardless, and I cannot have that.”

He gave her a moment to think about what he had said. He had not told anyone his reason for returning; even Grounton did not know the extent of it, but he had told her after a few mere minutes of knowing her. He told himself it was simply out of fairness.

“You have a strong sense of duty,” she said at last, “I like that.”

“That is just as well, because duty is the goal of their marriage and that alone. I do not need anything else complicating matters. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes,” she responded, “Though I must say your candor is quite surprising. The situation as a whole is surprising, for that matter. I do not know of anyone else in a marriage like this. It certainly isn’t what I dreamed of my life being as a child, but then again neither was my last marriage.”

“I need only a year of your time,” he said suddenly.

She looked at him, quite puzzled at what he had told her.

“My Lord, I shall need a little more than a year.” She replied with a nervous laugh, “It shall take a good long while before I am able to sustain myself if you wish to rid yourself of me.”

“No! No, that is not what I mean at all. You see, Miss Harvelle, I was thinking that we might live like a couple for a year to establish everything. I shall ward off the gentleman claiming to be the rightful heir, you shall be granted all of the rights of a countess, and then when everything is settled you shall be free to do as you please. Perhaps I should have mentioned that in my ad.”

“No, I can see why you wouldn’t want that to be publicly known,” she smirked.

“So… Would you be okay with that?”

“I am,” she replied with a nod, “And I must say, I am pleasantly surprised by it as well. It sounds nice to be afforded all the freedoms I have now while being supported. It is a most generous offer.”

“Then we are in agreement. We shall marry in the next few months.”

Her smile faltered.

“My Lord, if you and I are both happy with this arrangement, and we are both in need of it, then a week is more than enough to get ready for marriage, no?”

Adam had to admit that he was rather taken aback by this. He had thought himself to be wild, but she was proving to be even more so than he was. Then again, it might simply have been desperation, which Adam knew all too well.

“Even quicker if you want to.” She continued, “We both know what we want, and I certainly know what I need, and so why wait?”

Adam sighed, but he was grinning. He really did like this girl.

“Very well,” he nodded, “I shall acquire the license. I will see you in a week’s time.”