“Yes, it is. I wish to– oh, there is no use lying to you. No, I do not wish to leave. It is at my mother’s request, and it is to benefit my family.”
“Your family being who, exactly?”
It was at that moment that she realized she had yet to tell him her name.
“Fairleigh,” she stammered. “Miss Margaret Fairleigh, Your Grace.”
“Wonderful. With introductions out of the way, I must ask how your leaving is of any benefit to them. The best thing would be for you to marry, surely?”
“Under normal circumstances, perhaps, but when one cannot afford to have all three daughters out in society, it becomes a barrier. If I remain in London and do not attend events, questions will be asked. She can barely afford to have two of us out, never mind a third.”
She hated that she found it so easy to tell a stranger her deepest secrets, but she could not help it. He was easy to talk to, and frankly she had nothing to lose. Regardless of what happened, she would be leaving town, and her sisters would make their own ways. That would not be changed by a duke, even if he did intend to gossip, but something made her trust that he would not.
“I see,” he nodded. “I wondered if that was the case, and that is precisely why I wished to make you an offer.”
“An offer?”
“An arrangement, and a respectable and temporary one at that. I propose that you and I pretend to court for the season. I need to appear to be in search of a wife, and you need a reason to remain in London.”
“That is not possible, Your Grace. I am to leave soon, and–”
“And you having caught the attention of a duke will change your mother’s mind, I am certain of that. It would improve your sisters’ prospects, and I will ensure that you are all provided for myself. Your mother cannot refuse that.”
“She would gladly accept it, but she is not the one that you are asking. I am, and I am telling you that that is too much. You do not know me.”
“I do not need to. You are in need, as am I. It is noble of you to sacrifice yourself, but if you do not need to then it is foolish. I want to make it so that none of you ever have to sacrifice again. I shall restore your dowries, and make it so that you remain in town until you find a match of your own.”
“I do not understand. There are many ladies that you could have offered this to. Why me?”
“Because, even though I do not know why, I trust you, and I want to make your life better. If I can help you, and you can help me, then why should we not? We can part ways at the end of the season as friends, and both of us shall be all the better for it. You shall not need to enter a convent, nor will you have to accept a life forced upon you.”
“And you?”
“I shall be able to escape those well-meaning mamas that hound me incessantly, for one.”
She giggled, then scolded herself for it. This was a serious proposal from a serious man, and she had to act accordingly. But then she looked at him, his gray eyes on her, and she noticed that he was also grinning.
There was no denying that he was an attractive man, though she forced herself to bury such a feeling. If they were to fool theton, she would have to feign attraction to him, but she could not feel it.
And she knew that she would go along with his plan. She did not have a choice. If she wished to continue living her life as she knew it, then she would have to place all of her trust in a stranger, and as kind as he had been to her, she was afraid of what it could bring.
“Very well,” she agreed at last. “We shall do it. Before any announcements are made, however, I shall have to speak with my mother. This will be a surprise to her, and I do not want her to think that anything untoward has happened. It was difficult enough to speak with her this morning, for she knew where I had gone last night.”
“I do not plan for you to tell her, if that helps you at all.”
“We cannot rely on rumors!”
“I did not say that either.”
He blinked at her incredulously as if she were a madwoman, which she supposed that she was. She had gone to a stranger’s home in broad daylight and accepted a proposal for a courtship with very little thought. Even so, she thought it was a trait they shared, given that he had been the one to suggest it in the first place.
“Then what do you think we should do?” she asked.
“I am going to speak with her.”
“You cannot do that!”
“It is best, is it not? She can speak to you however she pleases. I, on the other hand, am a duke. She will remember her place when she speaks to me.”
