The kiss lingered long enough that her blood sparkled. “It is too late to purchase a carriage or wardrobe.”
“We will do it tomorrow.”
“That leaves us with nothing much to do now.” She kissed him again. “How ever will we fill the time?”
“With a necessary conversation.”
“That sounds serious.”
“It is, but hopefully not in a bad way. I have been thinking about us, and our inquiries, and our different methods. You do not want a formal partnership, but we can form an alliance that is not formal. There will be times when you will want a man to speak with someone, for example.”
“Such as another man?”
“There will be some who will never take your questions seriously, and there will be others who won’t even hear them. You know I am right about this.”
“You would do that for me? As my employee?”
“I do not take employment. My thinking is we would share any inquiry that requires us both. We would consult on strategy and tactics, and divide up what to do. That will be more efficient, and also be twice as fast.”
“It sounds a lot like a partnership, no matter what you call it.”
“I am sure there will be inquiries in which I will not be useful, so you would conduct those on your own.”
She could not think of any kind of inquiry in which he would not be at least somewhat useful. The idea of a partnership had not set well with her when he proposed it, but now . . . She was sure it did not hold appeal only because it would ensure she would see him with continued frequency, although that played a role in her reconsideration.
“It sounds complicated,” she said. “Perhaps in the days ahead we should talk about whether we should forge a more formal alliance. If you promise not to become the officer commanding the troops, I might agree to that.”
He turned very serious. His embracing arm tightened. “If I had my way, I would be proposing the most formal alliance possible, Minerva, even knowing that with your new situation you have no use for it. I have accepted you will never agree to that, however, and understand why.”
He looked at her warmly. Wistfully. Her own emotions turned poignant. “I have thought about it,” she said quietly. “You are not the only one who has been distracted.”
“If I tell you that I treasure you, that I love you to the point of not only distraction but madness, would it make a difference? Because I do, darling. I will swear to anything you want, if it will encourage you to continue thinking about it.”
His declaration caused tears to well up in her. She had made a terrible mistake once when facing this choice, but she was no girl now, and this man was no enigma. This would not be a practical marriage, or one she needed for security. It would be a love match, with a man she already trusted with her body and her heart.
And yet—that old shadow had not completely faded. She could not deny she would lose much if she did this. She gazed deeply into his eyes, while her mind weighed it all.
“Would you swear to never play the army officer, in any way, with me or mine?”
He smiled. “You have my word as a gentleman. Should I ever forget, I am sure you will remind me of this moment.”
“You can be sure of that. I also never again want to worry about making my own way should I need to.”
“Part of your inheritance is in trust, and I cannot touch it. If you sell the partnership, that money can be added to it. A husband has certain rights to the use of his wife’s property, but not the capital that is in trust. Sanders will explain all of that when you meet with him, should you decide to marry anyone. As to the income, we will declare it yours to use as you wish in our settlement.”
“Would you allow me to continue my inquiries? I truly enjoy them, and do not want to stop.”
“We will be together in that, as in everything.”
Did she trust him to keep that promise, or would he try to force her to stop if she ever was hurt again? Sending him to speak with the men did not mean it would never happen. Women can hit someone over the head too. She had proven that, hadn’t she?
He said nothing to press her for a decision. He had the good sense to remain quiet. That was another thing she liked about him. He did not demand she share her thinking. He did not argue against her emotions.
“There is much to recommend this,” she said. “I might well get with child, for example. I would rather not be making such a decision due to that happening.”
“That is an excellent point.”
“One you neglected to make.”
