The earl hesitated briefly before he crossed the threshold. “I’m sorry to delay you since you’re clearly on your way out. This won’t take long, I assure you.”
“It’s quite all right. I was actually planning to call on you. Your coming here has saved me the trip.” Marcus took off his hat and gestured for Grasmere’s. The earl handed it to him and Marcus set them both aside on the entryway table. “This way, my lord.”
Grasmere followed Marcus into the small room that served as both study and parlor. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Thank you, yes.”
Marcus called for Maggie, his maid-of-all-work, to bring in a tray. Five minutes later, he and Grasmere had both been served.
“Not bad,” Grasmere remarked.
Some of the tension Marcus had been experiencing since the earl’s arrival dissipated. He tried a smile. “I’m glad you approve.”
“Approve may not be the word I’d use regarding you, but I have to say I’m a little surprised by your circumstances. These rooms are well kept.”
“Did you imagine I lived in squalor?”
Grasmere snorted. “One does like to think the worst of one’s foes. Makes it easier to hate them.”
“Is that what we are?” Marcus carefully asked. “Foes?”
“That depends on how eager you are to foster my daughter’s idea of your being in love with each other.” Grasmere pinned Marcus with a direct look. “She is young and too easily influenced by the kindness she sees in others, latching onto it and calling it love.”
“What do you mean?”
“She thought herself in love with Mr. Fairbanks too until you came along.”
“I know. She told me.”
“Did she by any chance tell you why?”
Marcus frowned. “No. I don’t believe so.”
Grasmere drank some coffee, then set the cup aside and leaned back in his seat. “It is because he came to her aid during a moment of embarrassment some years ago. Since then, she’s barely been able to shut up about him. And since I care for her and thought him a decent enough match in spite of his flaws, I did what I could to ensure an attachment. Because, contrary to what she thinks, I actually do wish her happiness – within the bounds of reason, that is. But then you swooped in and ruined it all. You became her new knight and she promptly forgot all about Mr. Fairbanks.”
“My willingness to help her with her eyes has no bearing on how she feels about me.” It couldn’t. And yet, it was the very thing he’d been concerned about too - that she was unable to separate gratitude from love.
“Of course it does. It’s what gave you enough time alone together for her to decide you were far more worthy of her affection.”
“I don’t believe that,” Marcus said, determined to hold on to every assurance Louise had given him. She’d told him exactly why she loved him. He could not forget that.
“All right,” Grasmere said, “let’s look at the situation from a different angle then. Do you love her?”
“Without question.”
“Then it is fair to assume you want what is best for her. Yes?”
Marcus nodded even though he now feared he was being cornered. “Of course.”
“Now let us suppose she follows her heart and the two of you marry. She will become Mrs. Berkly, daughter-in-law to a man who was executed for murder. Her dowry will be lost since I refuse to approve the match, she will be cast out from Society and while her brother may seem supportive, I’m sure there’s a point at which he too shall be forced to cut ties for the sake of his family. To clarify, it is not just me and my wife she would have to lose contact with, but her siblings as well, along with her aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews, lest you taint their reputations by association. In short, the life she has always known will be drastically different. So much so, I doubt she can fathom the extent of it, though I wager you may be able to do so. You suffered a similar fate thanks to your father’s deplorable actions. I wonder, would you wish that on someone you care for?”
Marcus stared at Grasmere while silently cursing the man for finding the one argument that could sway him in his decision and using it against him. When the truth about his father had come to light and he’d been arrested, Marcus’s life had been turned upside down. Now, seven years later, he still hadn’t managed to escape the repercussions. Men who’d once sought his counsel now crossed the street if they saw him coming. And while he’d grown to accept his situation for what it was, there was no denying how difficult it had been.
If he allowed Louise to suffer such a fate, would she not then grow to resent him? Once the bliss of early marriage passed and the strain of everyday life took over, would she not regret her decision to tie herself to him for eternity? And if she did, would that not then eat away at the love they presently had for each other?
It was a lot to consider. But if there was one thing he knew, it was that rushing into something as binding as marriage without proper deliberation would be foolhardy for them both.
“I’ll think on it,” Marcus told Grasmere. “That’s the best I can do.”
