“I believe you.”
Her mouth froze, still open.
“But you said that you thought I was accosting you in Hyde Park.”
“I did think that until I spoke to you for longer than thirty seconds. It is clear to me that you do not want this any more than I do.”
“Then do not feel obligated to marry me. It is my preference that you and I do not, and then I can continue my life elsewhere, no longer under the watchful eye of society.”
“And what would your parents do?”
“They would… They would rebuild. I am the one with the ruined reputation, not them.”
“I do not think you understand quite how serious this is, Lady Cassandra. What we did does not only affect you and I, but everyone around us.”
“I know, and I intend to apologize to your sister. She deserved to have her first event happen without all of this, and I understand if she is furious.”
“Fortunately, my dear sister has been begging me to let her wait a year, and so she will be quite pleased about all of this. She will proclaim that I should have listened to her, and that will be the end of it.”
He chuckled as he said it, thinking about what Philippa would have said if she was in the room with them. Lady Cassandra did not seem to at all know what to make of him, which he reasoned was just as well. He hardly knew what to make of all that had happened.
But they did have to discuss the practical aspects of their match, and he knew that she would not like them.
“Regardless,” he said, clearing his throat, “we must remember that we are not the only people that will be caught in all of this. We have my sister to think of, as well as your mother and father, and from what I have learned you also have two cousins out in society, yes?”
“I do.”
“They will also be looked upon differently. We must consider them all, and in doing so it is clear that there is no way out of this. That is why I have already put everything into place. Two weeks from now, you will be my wife.”
He expected her to argue again, but she did not. It was not that she was pleased about it, more that she had resigned herself to it.
“Very well,” she nodded. “Now, the practical matters.”
“Yes. For a start, your streak of scandals must end. You and I must keep a low profile for the coming weeks, after which we will quietly marry in the country parish.”
“I do not deliberately cause scandal for what it is worth.”
“That is not what I have heard. Either way, if you do not cause them, then you need not change your behavior, and we can both continue as we do.”
“This is all ridiculous,” she sighed. “We did not even do anything wrong! The only thing that you and I are guilty of is being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and now we both have to do something we are vehemently against.”
“Yes, well, it is not up to you or me. It does not matter that we know nothing happened. What matters is that we were seen, with you in my arms.”
He saw her cheeks color at the memory, and he pushed his thought of how pretty she truly was aside.
“For a man of honor,” he continued, “that is unacceptable. I have a sister to protect, and she cannot have a brother who compromised a lady and refused to marry her. This is final.”
“You can tell me to stay quiet until our wedding day,” she acknowledged, “but that does not mean that I will obey. We did nothing wrong, Your Grace. I will marry you, but I will not be a prisoner in my own home until that day. If I have two weeks of freedom left, I plan to enjoy them.”
She left the study, and George knew more than ever that she was trouble, and he was going to marry her.
The preparations, he decided, could wait. What mattered most was that he saw Philippa, and assured her that all would be well. The Burrows left, and George listened as his grandmother stormed to her wing of the house, slamming a door behind her.
When he met Philippa in the parlor room, he was stunned. She did not appear to have slept badly, nor did she seem particularly upset at all. In fact, she was smiling brightly.
“I suppose that I should thank you, Brother,” she beamed.
“And why is that?”
