“Where is your sister?” Theo asked—and just like that, her thoughts narrowed to one syllable on repeat.No, no, no.Suspicion, so recently battered down, ratcheted back up.
“I can’t tell you that! Why would you even ask?”
“I’m trying to ensure that she’s safe.” He sounded hurt. Which was exactly the emotion hewouldreach for, if this was all an elaborate trick. “Whose side do you think I’m on?”
She backed up a step, frowning. “I don’t know.”
“Beatrix—”
“I’m not sure if I know you at all,WizardGarrett.”
He stared at her. Then he grasped her hand so fast she couldn’t avoid him.
“I love you. That’s the truth! I …” He set his jaw and dropped to one knee. “I want to marry you.”
She had no idea what to say, and she couldn’t have made her lips form words even if she had. In a day of many shocks, his proposal was second only to Lydia’s near-miss.
“I realize this is all very”—he gave a bark of tense laughter—“sudden. I don’t have a ring. God, I realize we’ve only known each other a little over a month. But I was certain days and days ago. I’ll marry you right away, if you’d like.”
Her heartbeat played like timpani drums in her ears.
“Beatrix? Please say something,” he whispered. “Was I wrong to think you’re serious about me?”
Her dream the night before—kissing a different man—flashed before her eyes. Then she focused on her memories of Theo. His lips. His laughter. His hand in hers.
She brushed away tears. “No, you’re not wrong.”
“I want to go walking in forests with you until the end of my days. I want to make you glad you took a chance on a wizard.” He looked up at her with those soulful dark eyes. “I want to send you to Hazelhurst College.”
She thought for a vertiginous second that she had reached her shock limit and would faint. Instead, she took the hand he held out to her and willed herself to stay on her feet.
“Theo—you can’t. Do you have any idea how expensive that is?”
“If you can send your sister to Hazelhurst on a salary that’s one-fifthof mine, I expect I can manage. You haven’t lived your own life since you were thirteen. Don’t you think you deserve better?”
Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
“I love you.” He put his free hand over hers. “Say you’ll have me.”
She wanted to say yes. Wanted to wake up beside him in the morning and go to sleep in his arms at night. To bask in the sunshine of his good humor. To go tocollege.
But really: How could she agree to marry a man she hadn’t known for even six weeks? A man whose longtime employer was trying to kill her sister?
A man who, from a certain point of view, was bribing her to accept his offer?
Hard to believe Theo would agree to marry someone as part of the conspiracy against Lydia. But this was a man she hadn’t known for even six weeks. How could she tell?
Then it hit her, what he’d said.If you can send your sister to Hazelhurst on a salary that’s one-fifth of mine, I expect I can manage.
“You’re going to keep working for them, aren’t you,” she said, voice wavering.
He hesitated. “I can’t resign. You know that.”
Blackwell managed to do it. Probably for nefarious reasons, but he did.
“Actually can’t?” she asked. “Or won’t?”
“Beatrix, my family—they would never understand.”
