"For how long?"
"Indefinitely. Lady Fordshire is not a young woman, Lady Harriet. The pressures she's been under..." The physician shook his head. "She cannot continue like this. If she does, I cannot guarantee the outcome."
The words hit Harriet like a blow. "You're saying she could pass…"
"I'm saying that stress is a poison, and your mother has been ingesting it daily for months. Her body is failing under the strain." Dr. Hartley's expression softened with sympathy. "I understand your family is facing difficulties. But whateverthose difficulties are, they must be resolved. Your mother cannot survive another crisis."
Harriet nodded numbly. "I understand."
"I'll return tomorrow to check on her. In the meantime, keep her calm and quiet. No visitors, no bad news, nothing that might upset her."
He departed, leaving Harriet alone in the corridor with the ruins of her plans.
No stress. No worry. Complete rest. As though such things were possible when creditors were circling and solicitors were sharpening their knives and everything they had ever known was about to be torn away.
She had to fix this. She had to find a solution, any solution, before the next blow fell.
But how? How could she solve in days what months of effort had failed to resolve?
"Harriet."
Sebastian's voice came from behind her. She turned to find him standing at the end of the corridor, his expression grave.
"The physician informed me,” he said. "About your mother."
"Then you know we're running out of time."
"Yes."
"Davies will begin proceedings within days. When he does, there will be letters, demands, court notices. My mother will hear of it. The stress will…" Harriet couldn't finish the sentence. "She can't take another blow, Sebastian. The physician was very clear."
Sebastian moved closer, his grey eyes searching her face. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that I've been a fool. That I've let pride and stubbornness cloud my judgment while my mother's health deteriorated." Harriet laughed bitterly. "I thought I was beingnoble, refusing Davies. I thought I was standing on principle. But what good are principles if they kill my mother?"
"Harriet, you can't blame yourself for…"
"Can't I? I've been so focused on what I wanted …what I refused to accept, that I didn't see what was happening right in front of me. My mother has been carrying this burden alone, and it's destroying her."
"She hasn't been alone. You've been here. I've been here."
"Yes, being very noble and honorable and accomplishing nothing." Harriet pressed her palms against her eyes, fighting the tears that threatened to spill. "We need a solution, Sebastian. A real solution. Not someday, not maybe, not if the mining rights pan out. Now. Today."
Sebastian was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was careful.
"There is one option we haven't discussed."
"If you're about to suggest Davies again…"
"Not Davies." Sebastian took a breath. "Me."
Harriet's hands dropped from her face. "What?"
"You could wed me."
The words hung in the air between them, heavy and impossible. Harriet stared at him, certain she had misheard.
"I know," Sebastian continued, his voice gaining steadiness as though he had rehearsed this speech, "that this is not what you want. I know you've made your feelings on the subject abundantly clear. But the practical reality is that a matrimony between us would solve your immediate problems. My fortune is sufficient to settle all your family's debts, with enough remaining to restore the estate. Davies would have no grounds for legal action. Your mother would have security and peace of mind."
