“I have lived my whole life like this.”
“So who cares if they find out, Dale? We are adults. You are their employer. They have no right to question or judge.”
“Shh, Olivia. I don’t like it any more than you do. But that is not the way it is done.”
“Come to me tonight, then.”
He stared at her, slack jawed. What a miracle of an offer. What a miracle of a woman. He'd never desired any woman more than he did her and it was obvious she desired him too. She had made no attempt to cover herself, and her delicious breasts were still partly uncovered in her disarrayed bodice. He didn’t know what to make of her.
She still had not agreed to marry him. Most women of his time would jump at the opportunity to marry a Duke, even him, with his tarnished reputation. They would see tolerating him in their beds as the price they had to pay for the ducal coronet. She apparently didn’t see sharing his bed as a price to pay, but as the prize itself.
He had offered her what other women strived for, and she didn’t seem to want it. She seemed to want him. Not his title or his money. Just him, the man. It was a heady feeling, more powerful than any aphrodisiac. But still... she deserved more than a quick tumble in the library.
And now, more than ever, he wanted to marry her. He knew he couldn’t hold her forever, but for whatever amount of time he could have with her, he wanted her to be his, and his only.
“Does that mean you agree to marry me?”
She sighed, finally pulling her bodice together and restoring order to her clothes. “Dale, I still don’t think it is necessary. Would you button my dress, please?”
“I explained to you why it was.” She turned her back to him. He couldn’t resist running his fingers up her spine in a last wishful caress. Her body trembled, and he swallowed and hastened to redo the buttons and lacing he had enthusiastically undone just a few minutes before.
“I’m not convinced. I haven’t had time to consider it, and now lust may be clouding my judgment. It is a big decision.”
“I understand. But what have you got to lose?”
She turned around to face him.
“I just don’t know if there’ll be hidden pitfalls we haven’t considered. There’s still so much we don’t know about each other. What if you discover in me a character flaw you find repellent?”
“Unlikely. I’ve always been an excellent judge of character. I may not know everything about you, but what I know is enough to know I won’t regret my decision. But I guess the opposite is not true. You have reservations about my character.”
“You have done nothing to make me distrust you. All the opposite. You have been all that is good and kind and solid in this strange reality. But how can I trust my judgment when I don’t even understand my situation? I have been so wrong before.”
“You have been disappointed in love.” It was a statement. How had he not considered it before? She was obviously not a virgin, but neither was she married, by her own admission. Nor did she say she was a widow. What had happened? He wanted, needed, to know. Not because it would change his opinion of her one bit, or his decision to marry her, but because he wanted to know everything that made her who she was.
“Yes, of course. Who hasn’t?” she responded flippantly.
“What happened? You can tell me, Livvy. I won’t judge you or think any less of you. God knows I am no model of proper behavior myself.”
She seemed to consider what to say. Then determination replaced indecision in her gaze.
“Remember when you asked me if I was married?”
He nodded, holding his breath.
“I am not now,” she said, “but I used to be. I got divorced almost two years ago.”
Divorced. The word was like a hammer on an anvil, hard and ringing. Not as bad as he'd imagined, though. He needed to know more. He knew that was not the complete story.
“Please don’t think I am immoral.” She hastened to explain. “I understand that in these times, divorce is very rare, and that it is scandalous and carries a stigma. But it is not so in my time. It is socially acceptable for a couple to divorce if either party wishes to do so.”
“I know you are not immoral, Livvy.” He said, looking into her eyes.
“Thank you for your faith.” She smiled sardonically and raised her eyebrows meaningfully. “I could forgive you for thinking otherwise.”
“Please, don’t consider me so judgemental.”
“Sorry. Anyway, as I was saying, it is acceptable in my time for either spouse to seek a divorce for any reason. Getting a divorce is relatively easy. It doesn’t mean it is easy going through it, though. Especially if you are not expecting it and didn’t want it.”
