Leonie dipped into her imagination. They wouldn’t want to hear about her flares of temper or his rudeness. Actually, they might, and then they would believe she’d taken leave of her senses to marry him.
“He said he had never forgotten me. He came right up to me at the marquis’s ball. I had my back to him.” She stood to demonstrate. “I heard his voice first. ‘Hello, Miss Charnock,’ he said—and I recognized him immediately. I turned and—”
Her voice broke off as if she was really living the moment.
In truth, she really could see him as he’d been last night. Rugged, an outlier, even in his fine clothes. Rochdale was competent, something she could appreciate after years of living with her father’s carelessness. Perhaps he was a touch jaded. However, hehadsearched her out last night.
He’d come for her.
“He said he would marry me.”
“Just like that?” Cassandra asked.
Leonie nodded.
“Oh, my,” Willa breathed. “So decisive.”
“Yes,” Cassandra agreed solemnly.
They were right. Roman hadn’t minced words.
“Well?” Willa prompted. “What does he look like?”
Years ago, Leonie had chosen Arthur over Roman because of looks. Arthur had been tall, slender, almost beautifully made with deep blue eyes.
However, Roman had something Arthur had never possessed, that no man of Leonie’s acquaintance had carried in the same quantity, and that was presence.
One knew when Roman was in the room. “He’s handsome,” Cassandra said. “Not as spectacular as the duke but he can hold his own.”
“I want to hear it from Leonie,” Willa chided.
Leonie forced a smile. “Tall, dark hair, lean face.”
Willa waited for more. When Leonie didn’t continue, Willa made a great show of saying, “That was informative. We’ll recognize him because he has dark hair like ahundred other men in London.” She pulled a face, letting Leonie know she wasn’t satisfied.
Leonie shrugged. “You will meet him soon and then you can form your own opinion.”
“I know and I will,” Willa said with impatience. “But tell me what you like best about him?”
“Oh, that is a good question,” Cassandra agreed.
It was. “He is loyal,” Leonie answered.
“Loyal?” Cassandra echoed. She scrunched her nose in distaste and looked to Willa, who shrugged.
Loyalty might not mean anything to them, but it was everything to Leonie. Roman had never betrayed her.
Willa’s imagination supplied words Leonie hadn’t spoken. “Obviously, the earl is in love with you. He has traveled looking for you and you must feel something for him, or else you would not have agreed to this match so quickly. No one can make you do something you don’t wish, Leonie. You are too strong. The rest of us can be cowed but never you.”
Cassandra nodded agreement.
How Leonie wished what they said was true. She was the biggest of cowards, but she would not tell them that. No, this was her secret... along with so many others that if they knew they would race each other to the door to escape her presence.
But they didn’t. And she was safe.
Only she and Roman knew the truth.
Roman wasted no time in posting the betrothal notice in the papers. Leonie could only surmise that he had walked straight from her house to the papers.
