Engaged? He hadn’t proposed. Or he hadn’t thought so. Scouring his memories of the past few minutes, he tried to sort through his words, but he couldn’t think of anything he’d said to imply marriage at this juncture. Yes, he loved her. That was true. But whatever his feelings, they’d known each other for such a short time, and it was far too soon to make an irrevocable choice.
Wasn’t it?
Laughing to herself, Violet leaned in once more, nestling her head into the crook of his shoulder with a sigh that tickled his jaw, and Arthur tightened his arms around her.
What more did he need to know about her? He’d seen her at her best and worst. Yes, Violet was flawed, but were any of those failings great enough for him to cast her aside? Having been on the receiving end of those shortcomings over the past weeks, Arthur could say for certain that they weren’t. At times, her actions hurt him deeply, yet they hadn’t altered his feelings for her.
Violet shared his dream and was willing to sacrifice for it. For him. And from the way his heart had been paining him of late, it was clear that he didn’t believe another lady would ever suit him as well.
So, what did it matter?
Arthur’s brows rose at that, and he smiled to himself. He’d begun courting her without her realizing it, and they got engaged without his knowing it. Rather fitting.
*
Holding him so tightly, Violet felt Arthur’s laughter more than she heard it, and she smiled to herself. The feeling spread through her, bringing more silly tears to her eyes, but she couldn’t help them any more than she could help the ones before.
Arthur’s voice rang in her thoughts again.“You are someone who carries a mighty load and rarely has anyone willing to help you bear it up.”Despite having a lot of practice at guarding her emotions, Violet couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. Not with Arthur.
“Do you wish to delay the engagement so you can enjoy a proper courtship?” His voice was a deep rumble in her ear, drawing a larger grin from her.
For the briefest of moments, Violet wondered if he was asking because he wished to delay it. A wave of doubt swept through her, but she batted it away. A gentleman didn’t kiss a lady in that manner or call her by her given name if he didn’t intend to marry her, and with those assurances clearing her thoughts, she acknowledged that his tone was merely curious.
“Of course not,” she said with a huff before straightening enough to look him in the eyes. With one arm hooked around his neck, Violet rested her other hand on his waistcoat as her fingers traced the edges of his cravat. “I am being silly, that is all. I had such fantasies about what it would be like to be courted, but I would much rather marry you tomorrow than delay it for my vanity.”
“It isn’t vanity, Violet,” he said, and her heart fluttered in her chest at the sound of her name—her proper name—being spoken with such sweetness. And he thought the name suited her.
Turning her gaze to his chest, she felt her eyes prickle again, and she let out a sharp huff and shook them off. His hand nudged her chin to meet his gaze, and she gave herself a derisive scoff once more.
“Do not mind me. Being in love has made me a silly woman who is constantly overcome by anything remotely tender.”
Arthur’s brows rose at that, and his lips turned into a pleased grin. “Is that so? Well then, I must tell you that you haven’t missed out on anything, Violet Templeton, for I plan to woo you for the rest of our lives.”
Violet forced herself to remain strong against that, though her heart was doing its best to wrestle out of her control, and warmth spread through her with such fervor that she was certain she might just turn into a jelly in his arms.
“Is that so?” she echoed, though it was far less saucy than intended.
“Yes, indeed,” he said, drawing so close that his lips brushed hers.
At that moment, a doubt niggled its way into her thoughts, demanding that she say something. Violet shrugged it aside. It wasn’t important. It wasn’t. Yet Arthur’s dream resurfaced in her mind as vibrant as reality, and she knew just how important it was to him.
“Are you certain you want me?” she asked, forcing the question she didn’t wish to ask. Arthur stared at her, and Violet forged ahead. “In your dream, you want a large family. I am too—” Her throat clamped shut, and she winced, drawing in a deep breath before wrestling the words out. “I am two and thirty, Arthur. I am too old to give you what you want.”
“I want you more,” he whispered as his hand rose to caress her cheek again, and Violet melted into the touch.
Seizing hold of the urge, she leaned into him, capturing his lips in a kiss with a confidence she never realized she possessed, but with Arthur’s assurances ringing through her, Violet felt the last of her reservations melting away. Though she knew theywere unlikely to vanish entirely after a lifetime in her heart, she refused to let them have free rein any longer.
Arthur was hers, and she wasn’t going to let her foolishness stand in the way of their happiness.
When they parted, Violet’s heart twittered in her chest at the satisfied expression on her husband-to-be’s face. Arthur looked as though this was the greatest joy possible for a man to achieve, and she supposed it was true in his eyes, but she couldn’t help but think that no woman in the world was as lucky as she for having secured his heart.
“I suppose we ought to unpack your things,” she said with a chuckle, but Arthur’s expression sobered.
“Nothing has changed, Violet. If I remain, your family will be beggared.” He paused, his eyes dropping from her as the signs of his nerves resurfaced again, pulling at his lips. The sight pained her, and Violet longed to wipe them away. “I—”
Taking his face in her hands, she lifted his gaze to hers. “Tell me, Arthur.”
“But I do not want to take you away from your home, Violet.”
