“A fact that your niece has eventually convinced me of.” He reached for Mary’s hand, the warmth of him weaving its way through her. “Her kindness toward me and her ability to care for the person that I am without being influenced by my appearance, has given me a tremendous amount of hope for the future.”
“I still find it difficult to agree with your method,” Lady Foxworth said, her voice tightening a notch. “After all, you refused to reassure me of your credentials when I asked you to do so. Furthermore, I have just received a letter this morning from the Earl of Rotridge, informing me that you and Mary have been cavorting with each other for the past two weeks. If you were a gentleman—”
“I hope you are not calling my character into question,” Richard said, edging forward in his seat.
“What I am saying,” Lady Foxworth continued, not the least bit deterred by the note of warning in Richard’s voice, “is that you have deliberately put my niece’s reputation at risk on numerous occasions, which is hardly very gentlemanly of you.”
Mary held her breath while Richard stared back at her aunt. If only she could dive under the carpet, but unfortunately, that was not a possibility. She looked to Lady Duncaster instead, who in turn appeared remarkably calm—as if she knew that this situation would resolve itself to everyone’s liking. Mary could only hope that this would be the case.
“Point taken,” Richard eventually conceded. “But I saw no other way in which to get to know her better. As our acquaintance with each other turned into a solid friendship and something... more promising than that, it became increasingly impossible for me to imagine a day without Mary by my side.”
Mary’s heart swelled until it felt as though it might actually burst. Her eyes misted and a tight knot began forming in her throat.
“With your permission,” Richard continued, “I would like to ask for her hand in marriage.”
Mary knew her aunt well enough to see that she was pleased by this outcome, even if she tried not to show it, her expression as serious as ever as she met Richard’s gaze. “A former soldier who has fought bravely for his country is certainly a quality that I cannot help but admire. Especially considering the price you had to pay for it.” She paused a moment, seemingly considering her next words. “That said, however, I would like to know how you plan on supporting her. To be blunt, what is your financial situation like?”
Mary gasped. “Aunt! You cannot...” Lady Foxworth gave her a quelling look that forced Mary’s words into silence.
“Commonality is all well and good when choosing your life-partner, Mary,” Lady Foxworth said, “But there is the business side to it that should not be ignored.”
“She is right,” Richard said, briefly offering Mary a reassuring smile before returning his full attention to Lady Foxworth. “May I be equally blunt?”
“By all means,” Lady Foxworth said. “I encourage you to do so.”
“Very well then. As Mary is already aware, I have made some lucrative investments over the last few years. As a result, I currently have an income of ten thousand pounds per year. In addition to that, I have recently acquired an estate which I am sure will meet your expectations. All in all, I would say that my net worth at the moment is somewhere in the vicinity of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds.”
Mary’s jaw dropped, as did her aunt’s. Lady Duncaster on the other hand looked very pleased—as if she’d known all along just how eligible Richard Heartly actually was. Which, Mary realized, she probably had.
Gathering her composure, Lady Foxworth reached for her teacup and took a sip before saying, “That sounds like a very comfortable number.”
Mary almost choked. But before she could manage an apology on behalf of her aunt, the lady surprised Mary again by saying, “My only remaining question now is whether or not you love her.”
Surely there had to be a window through which Mary could escape? Looking around, she saw that they were all firmly shut. But all plans of vaulting over a windowsill and running until her feet could no longer carry her, fled from her mind the moment Richard voiced his response. He gave no lengthy explanation and made no use of flowery prose. All he said was, “Of course I do.”
At which point Mary promptly burst into tears, which of course was silly. After all, today had just turned into the most wonderful day of her life. “I love you too,” she croaked out while dabbing at her eyes with the handkerchief that Richard offered her.
“In that case, I see no reason why the two of you should not be together,” Lady Foxworth said. “If that is what you want, Mary.”
“With all my heart,” Mary managed.
“Well then.” Lady Foxworth’s voice sounded a little more raw than before. “On behalf of Mary’s parents, the Earl and Countess of Harrodsburg, you have my blessing.”
The moment the words were out, Richard slipped off the sofa and onto one knee. He took both of Mary’s hands in his and smiled up at her with all the love that he’d just professed. “Mary Bourneville, will you do me the honor of making me the most fortunate man in the world by becoming my wife?”
Swallowing the knot in her throat, she nodded her agreement, sniffing a little until she finally managed to get the necessary words out. “Yes,” she whispered. “Nothing would please me more.”
Leaning forward, he placed a kiss upon her lips before catching her in his arms and pulling her to her feet so he could embrace her properly. It wasn’t until Mary heard Lady Duncaster whisper something to her aunt that she remembered they weren’t alone.
“We will have more time for this later,” Richard murmured close to her ear before stepping back and adding a respectful amount of distance between them.
The words sent a tremor down Mary’s spine, her cheeks grew warm and for a frightening moment she feared that her legs might collapse beneath her. So she sat down quickly and busied herself with pouring tea into cups and arranging sweetmeats on plates which she then offered to everyone in turn.
“Thank you,” Lady Duncaster said, setting her plate aside, “but I am afraid that I must leave you now. I promised the butler that I would go over the social activities for the coming week with him. Do let me know if you would like to make a formal announcement this evening and I will ensure that enough champagne is put on ice.”
As soon as she was gone, Richard returned to his seat beside Mary and addressed Lady Foxworth. “There is something else that you ought to know,” he said as he reached for Mary’s hand once more. Turning to Mary, he said, “You need to tell her about the opera.”
Chapter14
