Edwina felt shocked into silence as though surely, she must have misunderstood.
He was going to ask to marry her?
In all honesty, she couldn’t pretend that she hadn’t seen such a thing coming. She had known that it was his intent to take things between them in that direction. She had never dreamed, though, that it might happen so soon. “We’ve never even talked about marriage,” she murmured.
“I suppose he thought the thing to do was to speak to me first,” Allan said. “It’s not an idea I can argue with, truthfully. He was right to do it.”
“What…” She hesitated and cleared her throat. “What did you say to him?”
“I told him that he could ask you.”
“I wish you hadn’t done that!”
“Why on Earth not? Shouldn’t he ask you if it’s truly what he wants?”
“But I don’t want to marry him, Matthew.”
Matthew closed his eyes briefly, and Edwina had the sense he was frustrated with her, but when he opened them again, she saw nothing but compassion.
“I didn’t say that you would marry him,” he said. “I told him he could ask you the question. I told him that I would honor whatever decision you made.”
“And do you truly mean that?”
“Certainly,” Matthew said. “If he’s able to convince you—and I must tell you that I hope he is?—”
“He won’t convince me.”
“Ifhe does, I will happily approve the union. And if he doesn’t convince you…Edwina, you must know that I have no desire toforce you to the altar. Surely you know that I have never wanted any such thing.”
“I don’t know,” Edwina said. She was trembling, feeling uneasy, as if she had found herself in a most dangerous situation without understanding how she’d gotten there. “I don’t know what to think, Matthew. I know how much everyone wants to see me marry. The whole family yearns for it—sometimes, I think you most of all.”
“I do want to see you married,” Matthew agreed. “I won’t deny that. But Edwina, I only want it because I want your own happiness. I know Lavinia feels just the same.”
“You know because the two of you talk about it. You must know that I’m aware of your conversations on the subject.”
“We talk about it because we care so much for you. You are our younger sister. All we want is your happiness. And I know you don’t believe it, but I am firmly of the opinion—and so is Lavinia—that the quickest way to achieve your happiness is through a good marriage.”
“Like a marriage to Lord Kentrow.”
“It need not be him, Edwina, if you don’t care for him. But I think you do care for him. I see that you enjoy his company. You do, don’t you?”
Edwina could only nod. “I do,” she confessed. “I think he’s a kind man. I like him a great deal.”
“And if that’s how you feel about it, would it be so awful to marry him? If he’s a good man and you like him, what could be the matter with the idea?”
“Do you truly think after all this time that I would abandon my solitude for the first man to be kind to me, brother? Did you think that was all I was waiting for?”
“I merely ask that you consider him,” Matthew advised. “If you decide that he truly isn’t the one for you?—”
“He isn’t. He is not the one for me.”
“Edwina, listen,” Matthew said. “We’ve all been very patient with you about this wish of yours to avoid marriage, but the older you get, the more worrying it is to the whole family. You must understand that you are going to run out of chances—you’re going to run out of options. Right now, today, you have a wonderful choice before you. You can marry Lord Kentrow, who is young and amiable and would make anyone an enviable husband. Wait a few more years, delay a little bit longer, and you will find that your choices have abandoned you for good. Nobody wants to see that happen to you. I know you haven’t wanted to marry, and I’ve tried to be patient and empathetic, but you trulymustat least consider this proposal. I don’t know how many more you are going to get.”
“I don’t want it,” Edwina said. “I don’t want to marry him, Matthew. How hard can it be to understand?”
“You’ve been different lately,” Matthew told her. “We’ve all noticed it. Lavinia and I have spoken of it.”
“You and Lavinia speak of me far too frequently,” Edwina said bitterly. “Perhaps you should talk of your own affairs instead of mine. I may be the youngest of us, but that doesn’t mean I need your constant care as you seem to think I do.”
