Beatrice considered his statement. She’d heard before of nobility having legal requirements to fulfill before they could inherit their estate, but wasn’t Lord Dunham already Lord of Eldenwilde?
“Is there no one else for you to marry?” she asked.
He shook his head. “The young ladies of the nobility in this region are far too young for me, and it’s very unlikely that I could travel to Riyel to find a bride in time. The simple truth is, I need you, Miss Beatrice,” he said.
She felt butterflies in her stomach at the words. She could hardly imagine Roan or her father admitting to needing someone in that way. Dietrich might, perhaps, but he was more boy than man when it came to her.
No one had ever needed her before.
“When would you need to know the answer?” Beatrice asked.
Lord Dunham grimaced. “About thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes?” Beatrice said, almost to herself, her head suddenly feeling light.
She had thirty minutes to decide if she would marry him and become Lady Beatrice Dunham of Eldenwilde.
A thought pushed to the forefront of her mind. “What about my library?” she demanded.
He glanced away from her, toward the fire. “As my wife, you would not be able to run the library in town. But I have a library here on the estate, which contains even more books than the library in town, and you would be given free rein to manage both as you see fit as the lady of the estate, of course.”
The thought of giving up her library was like a knife to her chest. “I would have to give up my library?”
“Yes,” he said, turning back to her, and there was true regret in his eyes. “And I apologize for prodding, but unfortunately, my time runs short. If you will not marry me, I'll be leaving in half an hour for Riyel to search for a maiden to marry.”
“I see,” she murmured.
Lord Dunham took a deep breath. “You would be given the full power of the title of Lady Dunham as long as you live. You’d never want for anything, and I would be as much or as little of a husband as you wish.”
Her eyes widened at the implication. “And an heir?”
“We can discuss that in a year or so,” he said, not quite meeting her gaze. “It’s certainly not something we’d be rushing toward.”
Beatrice took a deep breath. She could hardly believe she was actually considering the idea. Surely, this was something that she should run far, far away from.
Yet, the truth was, the idea of stability that would last the rest of her life was very appealing. She’d grown up with so little stability that the idea of marrying a man who was tied down to an estate and wouldn’t leave it felt like a dream come true.
It wasn’t as if she had many men beating down her door in town. Roan had been the only one to even hint at marriage,and she had no interest in him. There were few men who were interested in a woman more educated than they were.
That wouldn’t be an issue with Lord Dunham.
And she would be mistress of her own home…not simply managing her father’s and being at the mercy of his every whim.
When she thought about it like that, the decision suddenly became much clearer. Even if she might regret it, even if no one else understood why she had done it.
Her one regret would be leaving her library. But Lord Dunham had promised a large library of books here at Eldenwilde, and she would ensure that her library was well looked after.
Perhaps Eugenia would be interested in the position. She spent a large amount of time at the library already, and she had no qualms about telling people what they needed. She would probably love the chance to help Beatrice with running the library.
It would change everything about her life, but Beatrice had never been one to shy away from a challenge.
Maybe it was time to try something new.
Marrying a lord seemed new enough.
With her mind made up, Beatrice looked at Lord Dunham and nodded her head.
“I will marry you,” she said.
