Frances closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She had to believe in something, to hold on to the hope that not everyone was as calculating and self-serving as the suitors her mother had chosen for her.
Though it would be an extraordinary act of self-sacrifice to marry only so you could give your brother’s children a chance at a normal life.
Did the Duke not have anyone he was interested in already?
Surprisingly, the thought irked Frances, and she had to reel herself in.
Did it matter?
Well, of course, it did if he was going to ask for her hand. She realized that she did not bring the matter up to him before, and now it was just another thing that she worried about.
Perhaps the only thing that she could do now was wait.
He had to keep his promise. He just had to.
CHAPTER6
Christopher paced the length of his study, his mind a complete mess.
What had possessed him last night to propose to a woman he barely knew?
He, who held out on any sort of a romantic affiliation for most of his life? He had done the unthinkable. It was not out of love but out of a convergence of necessity and desperation. Even though it had seemed like a good idea last night for the better future of his nephews, the decision now felt like a weight hanging around his neck.
He stopped by the window, gazing out at the expansive grounds of Huntington Manor. The twins were outside, playing under the watchful eyes of the maid.
They were laughing for once. He wondered if it had anything to do with Frances’s visit last night. There was no doubt that she had a way with them—something that even he did not have.
But was it worth marrying her?
The boys need stability. That was true and undeniable.
And for it, Frances seemed like the perfect solution—someone who could bring stability and happiness to the twins, and perhaps even to him. But now, in the harsh light of day, the reality of his proposal loomed large.
He had always been… spontaneous. Phillip had always pointed this out about his personality. And so it was very in character for him to propose on a whim like that.
That part was not surprising. Christopher always knew that this was how a proposal would come from him. But he had always assumed that the proposal would be to someone he had feelings for. If not love, then at least an enduring fondness.
When he thought of Frances, he did not think of those things.
Heavens. He barely even knew her.
As he mulled over his doubts, he noticed on his desk that another letter from his mother, the Dowager Duchess, had arrived.
Usually, he discarded her letters right away, but looking for a distraction, he decided to open one today.
His gaze skimmed over her words. They were full of complaints—as usual. But this time, her complaints had a threatening edge to them.
She was pressuring him to marry soon, hinting darkly that she might take matters into her own hands if he did not act swiftly. Christopher’s jaw tightened.
Why now? Why was she so intent on him finding a wife after years of not being involved in his life? He had a fractured relationship with his mother, and the two had not met in years now. The question niggled at him, but deep down, he knew that whatever her reasons, they wouldn’t align with his best interests—or those of his nephews.
If anything, his mother would do her best to find him a wife who would not accept the children as her own—just as she had never accepted the children as a grandmother.
It was noon already. He remembered his promise from last night, knowing that Frances would be waiting for him.
Racing against the ticking clock, Christopher decided to take off. But before he made his journey over to Ramsbury Manor, if he even did, there was one place that he needed to visit first.
“It is a surprise to see you here at this hour,” Phillip admitted a short while later, eyeing his friend with curiosity while holding a cup of tea in his hands. “What brings you here so urgently? We saw each other last night.”
