Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the weight of his words. That, too, seemed to surprise her.
“So,” he continued, more gently than before, “tell me what you would want out of it.”
They were standing very close now. He hadn’t noticed when the distance between them had shrunk. He could see the gold flecks in her green eyes, so unusual and sharp, like sunlight against moss. And her blush, it was rising steadily, painting her cheeks and the bridge of her nose in soft color.
Odd that he hadn’t truly noticed that before. Or perhaps he hadn’t let himself.
Evelyn tilted her head slightly as her eyes searched his.
“I want to be able to make decisions for myself,” she said, asking for what was the most natural thing for any person to desire. “I don’t want you giving me orders or treating me like some piece of property you acquired. I want freedom. I want respect.”
He nodded just once. “Done.”
Her lips parted slightly, as if she hadn’t expected him to agree so easily. Or at all.
“I don’t expect affection,” she added quickly, as if protecting herself from his agreement. “Or love. That’s not the sort of marriage I want. I would prefer if we led separate lives.”
Robert was silent again but not because he opposed the idea. He was thinking.
“I agree,” he said finally. “With one caveat.”
She raised a brow. “Which is?”
He stepped closer. She didn’t move away. “For the sake of appearances, I require that we spend the first month together. Publicly. Among theton. As a married couple.”
She crossed her arms slowly. “You mean for the sake of your reputation?”
“No,” he said. “For the sake of protecting us both.”
That gave her pause.
“I see,” she said after a heartbeat. “And after that month?”
“You may do as you wish.”
She exhaled slowly, as if she were only just allowing herself to breathe. Her shoulders no longer sat so high, her tone had shifted from defensive to steady, and there was even the faint curve of amusement at the corners of her mouth. That, in itself, was progress.
But then she paused, mid-thought, as if some unpleasant memory had struck her square in the chest. He saw it clearly, that flicker of worry behind her eyes, the way her fingers curled slightly, as if bracing for impact.
She cleared her throat. “There’s something else.”
He waited quietly and watched her expression carefully.
Evelyn didn’t look at him as she asked, “Do you… require an heir?”
There it was: the hesitation. The suspicion beneath it. He could hear the subtext clearly, even if she hadn’t spoken it aloud.
Was this marriage another cage? Another obligation? Was she signing herself away just to become a vessel for someone else’s legacy?
Robert allowed himself a pause, long enough to make her fidget. He could have easily dissuaded her of that with his usual tone of voice, but he chose a different path.
“Are you propositioning me?” he inquired, unable to control his amusement.
Her head snapped toward him so fast it was a miracle she didn’t sprain something. “What… no! Of course not! I didn’t mean… it wasn’t… I just thought…”
He took a slow step forward. She stepped back. Another step. Another retreat.
“I was simply asking,” she stammered, “if that was an expectation, not that I—I mean I’m not… propositioning…”
