“Don’t tempt me.” He closed his eyes briefly, then smiled. Then, he immediately sobered. “I came here to apologize. And please don’t flirt with me.”
She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. “I will not flirt with you.”
Roman groaned softly. “Just the way you say that is flirtatious.”
What was happening? Weren’t they at odds? Wasn’t he angry?
Ellis managed to take a deep breath. “Please make your apology, though I don’t think you owe me one.”
“The hell I don’t,” he said harshly. “I walked out on you the other night, and I should not have. I’m apologizing for that, and because I should have told you that your mother sent me a letter.”
“I know about that,” she said.
He blinked at her in surprise. “You do?”
She nodded. “The duchess was here earlier. She informed me of her desperate attempt to extort you. I greatly appreciate your denying her demands.”
His shoulders sagged. “You’re not angry that I refused her?”
“Of course not,” Ellis said with fast conviction. “I wouldn’t want you to give her a shilling.”
“Good.” He sounded relieved. “I didn’t see a point in paying her. I didn’t think she could be trusted to leave, and Sheff agreed with me.”
“I agree with both of you.” She hesitated as she searched his familiar face, her gaze lovingly appreciating the hawk-like sharpness of his nose, the masculine angles of his jaw and cheekbones, the deep gray of his eyes fringed in gorgeous black lashes. “Sheff told me you called on Rowland Harker. That must have been difficult for you.”
Roman’s jaw tightened briefly. “It had to be done. I’m also sorry for making you think I was going to call your father out.” His expression softened, and she resisted the urge to embrace him. There was still more to say.
“I don’t think of him as my father any more than I think of the duchess as my mother.” Ellis shuddered in revulsion. “I hope the meeting with him gave you some sort of satisfaction, if not peace.”
“It did. But I will have no problem never seeing him again, and I realize that could create some difficulty for you. Though if you don’t think of him as a father?—”
“I do not,” Ellis confirmed vehemently. “You shall never have to see him again. I honestly don’t know if I will either. It’s sad, really, because I suspect he actually has a decent heart. He seems almost…compelled to behave in the manner in which he does. It reminds me of someone consumed with drink.” She shook her head. In truth, she pitied Rowland Harker, for he prevented himself from forming deep and meaningful connections with people, including his own family.
“I don’t want you to keep yourself from him on my account,” Roman said. “But it doesn’t sound as though that will be a hardship.”
“It will not,” she agreed. “Does this mean he isn’t going to come between us?”
“Not as far as I’m concerned. Which leads me to the other reason for my visit. I’ve come to offer you a proposal,” Roman stated rather matter-of-factly.
Whilst it wasn’t the manner in which she might have expected him to make a marriage proposal, Ellis was too glad to care. “And what is that?” She smiled expectantly.
“I’ve just come from Lacey and Company, and Josiah agrees it’s past time we have a branch of the library in Bath,” Roman replied. “We would very much like you to be the librarian at that branch.”
Ellis’s heart sank. He didn’t mean to propose marriage to her at all. But he’d behaved in a flirtatious manner. This didn’t make sense.
“Or,” he continued, and Ellis held her breath. “You could accept a different position, one that I would prefer to see you take.” He moved toward her and dropped to his knee in front of her, taking her hand. “I think I heard you say ‘I love you’ the other night, but I don’t know if I imagined it—because I wanted it so badly to be true—or if it really happened. Either way, I am here to tell you that I love you, and nothing would make me happier than if you would be my wife. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Ellis replied without hesitation. “I did say that the other night.”
He smiled, but only briefly. “And what about marrying me? Is that a yes too?”
“Resoundingly.” Ellis grinned. “As much as I would love to be the librarian in Bath, I believe it would interfere with my duties here in London as your wife.”
Roman closed his eyes briefly and bent his head. Turning her hand, he pressed a kiss to her wrist.
He looked up at her. “You’re sure this is what you want? Because I want you to have a choice. I want you to choose your future.”
“I know,” she said. “Why did you propose the library first? Did you think that was what I wanted most?”
