“Wife. You have no wife.”
“Not yet, but I will soon and I feel it necessary to at least be able to stand in the same room with the woman you marry.”
He shook his head. Only Harewood would think so far into the future. That was his strong suit, looking ahead, foreseeing possible outcomes. He was rarely wrong. They’d met their first week at Oxford, where they’d discovered they had similar interests in rowing and trifle, among other enticements. His friend knew more about him and his motives than even his own sibling.
The man raised his brows. “I’m assuming from your step that she accepted. Did her father also agree?”
He smirked. “She did not say yes.”
Harewood nodded, satisfied that he had predicted correctly. “She said no.”
“No, she didn’t refuse me either.”
“You’re not making sense. Out with it, man.”
It was much too fun to frustrate Harewood. It wasn’t often that the man didn’t foresee a scenario, and in this case, he’d been completely wrong, having reasoned that she would refuse an offer of marriage as she had with the two others before him. “She made a counter proposal.” He barely held in a laugh, enjoying the surprise on Harewood’s face.
Harewood’s gaze grew shrewd. “What could she possibly have proposed? I mean, she is a lady with a perfect reputation.”
Not quite sure why he found the whole situation amusing when his future, and that of so many others, hung in the balance, but he couldn’t help drawing out the suspense. “That is why I told her I must think upon her proposal.”
“Bloody hell, Sommerset, what did she propose?”
He laughed. “If I tell you, you must keep it in the strictest of confidence.”
Harewood crossed his arms and glared at him.
He thought about prolonging the inevitable, but he did need the man’s counsel on the subject. His own anticipation of Harewood’s reaction was too tempting to deny himself any longer. “She will marry me on the condition that one, I pose naked for a painting, and two, that until said painting is done, we let no one know we have any relationship whatsoever, so as not to ruin her reputation before we marry, which we will do after the painting is completed.”
Harewood’s mouth dropped open, his stare almost catatonic in his shock.
He, on the other hand, couldn’t stop grinning. He didn’t know if it was because Lady Amelia unwittingly opened another path that he might take, or because he was extraordinarily pleased to find her far more interesting than he’d ever imagined. Or it could possibly be that he was excited by the prospect of posing for her.
“She…you…” Harewood gave up, closing his mouth tight.
“Didn’t expect that, did you?”
“No.” Harewood shook his head, then stilled. “Are you sure you spoke to the right Mabry sister?”
“I’m not daft, of course I spoke to the correct Mabry. The oddest one married the Duke of Northwick.”
“Oh, right. I’d forgotten.” Harewood’s brow furrowed. “That was last month, wasn’t it? I remember thinking the man should have kept to Lady Caroline as was rumored.”
“Maybe the duke preferred an interesting wife as well.”
Harewood frowned. “Why did you say you would think upon such an outrageous proposal?”
“Because I’m intrigued. I did not expect such a surprise from her. Perhaps an off the subject remark, but not a full counter proposal like she’d thought of this idea for a while. Either she has a very fast intellect or—”
“Or she’s thought about you and painting you specifically for quite some time.”
Harewood’s conclusion had also been his own, which made Lady Amelia all the more a puzzle. If she’d thought about him so frequently, why had she never shown any interest in him? Actually, she had almost gone out of her way to avoid him.Of course, that would mean while in the company of each other at any public setting, we would pretend no specific relationship to avoid any hint of impropriety.Her words echoed in his mind. “I believe it is the former. She has shown no interest in me and even if I accept her proposal, she will continue to show no interest in me while in a public setting.”
Harewood gave him a sly grin. “Yes, but in private, it appears her interest in you is quite strong.”
Harewood’s insinuation had his body reacting and his anger surfacing, a combination he’d never felt before, especially not with his good friend. He stifled his emotions and shook his head. “I don’t believe she has an interest in me in that way either.” Though his body obviously had an interest in her. “No, she sees me like she sees a bowl of fruit.”
“A bowl of fruit?” Harewood’s grin disappeared. “Maybe she sees you as ripe and easy for plucking?”
