She sighed again. Why was he fighting her on this of all things? It had seemed the ideal solution. In fact, she couldn’t marry him otherwise.
She tried again. “I don’t see what you’re so up in the air about. You don’t love me. You said as much. And my feelings aren’t involved yet either. But I do like you, and we are—at least I am attracted to you.”
“You know bloody well the attraction is mutual!”
She ignored his snarled interruption. “That was one of my prerequisites, that the husband I finally choose at least be pleasing in appearance so that I wouldn’t mind too much—”
She broke off at his snort, knowing full well he was thinking of last night and how well she had enjoyed it. No, it wasn’t necessary to mention that with him she would find certain marital duties quite pleasurable.
“You are personable,” she continued. “And charming. There’s no denying that. And I’m sure we can deal well with each other. But because there’s no love involved, you’re not committed. Neither am I, for that matter, though I’m the one in desperate need of a husband. In your case, however, it would be unrealistic of me to expect you to be completely faithful to your vows, don’t you see? And so I’m not asking you to be. What we will have is a business arrangement, a marriage of convenience, if you like. Trust isn’t required.”
He was staring at her as if she had lost her mind. She supposed thatwasdoing it up a bit much, but how else could she put a nice dressing on the simple fact that she didn’t trust him and probably never would? Hell’s teeth, he was the first to admit he was a rake. And a rake doesn’t reform unless his heart is caught—her grandfather’s own words, and words shecould well believe because they made sense. Anthony had no business getting annoyed with her.Sheshould be angry that it was necessary to even make this stipulation.
“Perhaps we should just forget it,” she said stiffly.
“A splendid notion finally,” he drawled.
Her lips thinned out at his quick agreement tothat. “I didn’t want to marry you to begin with. I told you so.”
“What?” He sat bolt upright. “Now wait a minute, Roslynn. I didn’t mean not getting married was a splendid notion. I thought you meant—”
“Well, I didna!” she snapped, quite losing her temper at last. “And if you willna agree to keep your mistresses, then we’ve nothing further to discuss, have we? It isna as if I’m no’ asking for an equal share of your body. But I ken what you are, mon, and that your eyes will be wandering again once the novelty wears thin. You canna help it. It’s your nature.”
“Bloody hell.”
She went on as if she hadn’t heard his curse. “But I was willing to have you anyway, fool that I am. You would have given me bonny bairns. You would have saved me from Geordie. That was enough. I wasna asking for more.”
“Perhaps I am willing to give you more. Or hadn’t that thought crossed your mind when you came up with this magnanimous gesture?”
Roslynn stiffened under his derision, but she was in control again. “It comes down to one simple thing, Anthony. I could never trust you where other women are concerned. If I should…should come to care for you eventually, a betrayal would be too painful. I would rather know from the start that you won’t be faithful to me; then our relationship will progress nofurther than it is now. We would be friends as well as—”
“Lovers?”
“Yes, well, there you have it. But since you won’t agree, that’s an end to it, then, isn’t it?”
“Did I say I wouldn’t agree?” His voice was calm again, but it was a forced calm. His set expression, his rigid posture, said he was still simmering. “Let me see if I have this right, my dear. You want to get a child by me, but at the same time you don’t want my full devotion. You will act the wife in every way, but I’m to go on as I have been, seeing as many women as I like.”
“Discreetly, Anthony.”
“Ah, yes, discreetly. I can see where you might not want it bandied about, especially since you’re pushing me out the door before I’ve even gotten inside it. So if I don’t come home two or three nights a week, you’ll be happy, I take it?”
She wouldn’t deign to answer that. “You agree?”
“Of course.” His smile was brittle, lacking warmth, but Roslynn didn’t notice. “What man could resist having his piece of cake so thickly frosted?”
Roslynn didn’t know if she liked that analogy. She didn’t know if she liked his surrender either, now that she had it. He certainly hadn’t argued very long. A token resistance, then grudging acceptance. Hah! Wretched man. He was undoubtedly delighted with her terms, and now she had to live with them.
Chapter Twenty-one
The Eden coach was well sprung, comfortable, with conveniences in the way of pillows and blankets, glasses and champagne. Roslynn had no need of the former, her husband’s shoulder doing quite nicely in that capacity. She declined the champagne as well, having tipped enough glasses in toasts after the ceremony.
They had really done it, gotten married. Made love one night, married the next. It was so incredible that Roslynn had to wonder if unconsciously she hadn’t wanted this to happen all along, if this wasn’t why she had gone to Anthony’s last night instead of going straight to Silverley as she had intended. But no, it wasn’t going to be an ideal marriage. She had seen to that with her own perversity and mustn’t forget it. And yet she still had him, didn’t she? He was her husband, part-time or not.
She smiled, snuggling up close to him, glad that she was feeling just intoxicated enough not to feel self-conscious about it. Anthony was sipping champagne himself, staring thoughtfully out the window. The silence was companionable, the champagne she had already consumed making her drowsy.
She wasn’t sure why they weren’t staying the night at Silverley, as she had assumed they would. Anthony had said something about not wanting to worry about the noise, and his own bed, and starting things out right. It had sounded rather ominous at the time, the part about the noise, but she couldn’t remember whynow. Probably only bride’s jitters. After all, she had just signed away her independence, giving herself into the hands of a man she barely knew, and one who was full of surprises, least of which was that he wanted to marry her.
She had every right to be nervous before and after the fact. Hadn’t he surprised her twice today, first by arguing about her conditions, and second by signing the marriage contract without having read it first? Nicholas, who was witnessing the signing, had protested. She had herself, for that matter. But even after signing the damn thing, Anthony had still refused to read it. And now he was taking her back to London, the last thing she’d expected for tonight.
