“Is that the marriage you are proposing? Even so, why?”
“We can have any kind of marriage you want, Olivia. We can decide that later.” She raised her eyebrows, and he held up a hand. “What I am concerned about is your reputation and being able to protect you and provide for you.”
“But you already do that, Dale. I still don’t understand the need to take such a drastic measure.”
“For one, it is rather scandalous for you to be living here with me, alone. My servants are loyal, but rumors get out. You already experienced it yesterday in town. For now, they are just curious. They don’t know what to make of you. But soon they’ll begin questioning and making conjectures. And they will assume the worst. They will think you are a... lady of easy virtue, my mistress.”
“I don’t care. It’s none of their business, and I don’t owe them any explanations. I don’t even know them!” She heard her agitation in the higher pitch of her voice and took a deep breath.
“You should care. If you continue to live here, you will want to be able to go to the village and interact normally without being whispered about or, worse, insulted directly. Even if you don’t care, I do.” He looked down and fidgeted with his napkin, betraying he was anything but calm, regardless of his reasonable tone. “I already have a bad reputation. I’d rather not make it worse.” He added, sotto voce.
“Why do you have a bad reputation, by the way? You mentioned yesterday they would not receive you.”
“We will talk about that later.” He sighed and looked her straight in the eye. “There are things I need to tell you about me before you decide what to do.”
“Okay,” she said warily. “But I’m still not convinced I should marry you just to placate a bunch of gossips I don’t even know.”
“It is not just that.” He reached out across the table and grabbed her hand. “Consider this—as a guest, there’s only so much I can do for you. If something were to happen to me, you would be left alone and unprotected.”
“Why think about that? Do you have reason to believe something will happen to you? Are you ill? Do you have enemies that want to kill you?”
“Neither. But life is uncertain for everyone. We are here today, and the next we could have an accident and be gone. I should know that.” He added with bitter irony. “It is a very troubling thought.”
“I guess, but you are talking as if I was going to stay here forever. I might go home soon. Whatever force brought me here might take me back.”
His hand tightened possessively around hers. “If that happens, then the marriage is of no issue. In your time, it would be like it never even happened.”
“For me, maybe. What about you? How will you explain the disappearance of a wife?”
He looked away evasively. “I could say you went back to America and then died there. It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does! You would have to get proof of my death to be free, which will be near impossible short of faking a certificate.”
“That can be arranged.” He said, raising an eyebrow arrogantly. “But being ‘free’ would only matter if I intended to marry again. And I do not plan to do so. Ever.”
She made an exasperated sound. “You don’t know that. You may change your mind and then regret this rash action.”
“I won’t change my mind. But even if I do, I told you, there are ways around it. The most important thing now is to protect you.”
“I don’t know. This all seems rather rash and unnecessary.” She stood up and started pacing. “If you are concerned about my financial status in case of your death, you could just settle a small inheritance on me. Whatever sum you consider appropriate to support me until I get a job. Or better yet, you could help me get a job now, and then I won’t be your responsibility.”
“It is not only financial considerations. As the Duchess of Avondale, you will have prestige, connections, and advantages that you could never have as a stranger in this world.”
“I suppose you are right. But I don’t know, Dale. The idea of marriage seems so extreme. Are you sure it’s necessary?”
“Maybe not absolutely necessary,” he confessed with complete honesty, “but certainly the best course. And also consider this. You feel uncomfortable receiving my help, and you think of it as charity. As my wife, you wouldn’t have to feel that way because it would be my responsibility to provide for you.”
“A responsibility you didn’t ask for. One could say the marriage itself is an act of charity.”
“Be that as it may, if I didn’t want it, I wouldn’t do it. Please believe me when I say that I’m glad you appeared in my life. And any responsibility towards you, I assume happily.”
“Thank you, Dale. You are the most generous man I have ever met.”
His eyes shuttered before he looked away, shook his head, and waved a hand dismissively. “It is nothing, really. So, will you marry me?”
This was so strange. Marriages of convenience existed even in her time, but she had never contemplated one. For her, marriage was a serious commitment, a bond of everlasting love. Granted, it did not always work out that way. Her own marriage was proof of it. But she still believed in marriage. To receive this cold proposal that had nothing to do with love... but desire and liking existed between them. Was that good enough?
