“So now you wish to marry me so that I can what?” she asked. “Raise your daughter with values? Serve as a moral example?”
Take care of her if I’m forced into exile or die in my quest to kill Dervil.
He kept that response to himself and answered, “Yes. Yes. And yes.”
His reply took the wind out of her sails. Her chin came down a notch, but then she said, “What if I want more?”
“Such as?”
“A real marriage. A meeting of the minds. Of two souls uniting.”
“Is that in the Bible?” Mars was confused. Where did she learn such nonsense?
“As a matter of fact, my lord, it is,” she said, moving around her chair as if preparing to dismiss him from the nursery. Hisownnursery. “And I will settle for nothing less in a marriage. I almost sold myself short once. I shall not again.”
Mars only took a moment to reach a conclusion. “Why not? Of course. We shall have a real marriage. A meeting of the minds. Two souls and all that.”
“Except there would not be any love.”
There was that cursed word again.Love. Why did women always think love was important? He had yet to understand what that useless word meant. It changed from one person to another. “Actually, we will have something more,” he assured her. “We will have mutual respect and consideration.”
She frowned as if the prospect was unappealing.
Whereas he believed he was being very reasonable. “You will never again have to worry about a roof over your head,” he reminded her.
Her shoulders sagged. She turned from him.
He frowned, annoyed she was making this difficult. The desperate thought struck himthat if Clarissa didn’t agree to marry him, if something happened to him, then Deb might reclaim Dora thinking there was money in it for her. He could not let that happen.Tell Clarissa you love her,a devilish voice urged him.Give her the words.
Except he discovered he had too much respect for Clarissa to make such a declaration.
And then she faced him. “If I agree to what you propose, what sort of marriage would we have?”
“Whatever you wish.” He really hadn’t given the marriage part very much thought. There was a good chance he wouldn’t be around any longer than a month. Perhaps even less.
She nodded as if he’d confirmed something in her mind, and Mars realized she needed time to think. He’d thrown a lot at her and here it was the middle of the night.
He moved to the door that linked his bedroom to her room. “This is my bedroom door. I’ll leave you to think over the matter. If you are set against a marriage between us, say nothing. However, if you wish to accept my offer, knock on the door and tell me. I will send for a special license and we shall be married with all haste.”
“What about your mother?”
“She will be leaving this morning. She can’t abide being in a place that doesn’t cater to her every whim. The servants side with me in their opinion of her. She also believes London and the world should not make any decisions without her.”
“She will know there is nothing between us. Mothers have a sense about things.”
Her excuses were sounding weaker. He smiled. “Clarissa, the only thing my mother has worried about is your poor taste in clothing. Or that I am miserly. She has instructed me to dress you better before presenting you in Society.”
That brought Clarissa’s brows together. He almost laughed.
“I don’t like shallow people,” she warned.
“Then you will have a fine time in London criticizing them all. The place is awash in shallowness.”
Mars put his hand on the door handle. “Sleep on my offer. I hope you say yes. I believe it is what is best for you and for Dora.”
On those words, he left the room.
And he really didn’t know which way she would choose.
