“If you’re that worried about him, marry the man, then. It won’t hurt his reputation none and might help it. Its best for my Selina if you marry the villain. I ought to force you, but he said—”
“What did he say?” Mia demanded.
“He offered for you; I’ll give him that. He said he wouldn’t have you bullied, though. Now you talk to him. Ask him about the village girl. Ask him about the duke. Dukes don’t just disappear. You’re well to remember that. But think of what’s good for Selina—for our family. I’ll be with Marshall.”
He left her there, alone and confused. She sank onto the settee, unable to sort through her muddled thoughts.
Moments later Gideon entered, shut the door quietly, and drew a chair up to sit in front of her.
“Did he berate you horribly?” he asked.
His kindness upended her already confused feelings. To her horror, tears threatened. She breathed in lest she dissolve in a puddle of them. “A bit,” she said, forcing a wobbly smile.
“Did he threaten?”
“No. Unless you consider Great-Aunt Hortensia a threat. She’s a kind enough old woman. I can—”
“But you don’t have to. There is my poor self as an alternative.” He took her hand in his. “Unless the thought of taking me as a husband horrifies you.”
“You had no intention of taking a wife. I will not have you forced into a marriage not of your choosing!”
*
Her bleak expressionat the mention of the aunt told Gideon everything he needed to know. Yet she faced misfortune with admirable courage, painfully young though she was. How old was she? Not a schoolroom miss but certainly no more than twenty, much too young to be thrust into marriage to a deformed man at least seventeen years her senior. And yet her concern was all for him. He squeezed her hand. Courage and strength—she had both.
“Leave me to my own decision, Mia, but before you make yours, there are some things you should know.” It struck him how little they actually knew each other. How much could he share in the midst of the urgent situation in front of them? He cleared his throat. “First of all, I can well afford a wife. I own three prosperous mines. I have a large home, one I believe to be comfortable and well appointed. It is, however, in the mountains of Wales.”
He waited for her to react in horror to the remote location. “Are they as beautiful as people say, your mountains?” she asked. It struck him again how very young she was.
“Every bit.” He smiled at the thought before continuing. “I come with baggage, however. To begin with, I have three children.”
She smiled at him. “You mentioned them before. Children are blessings, not baggage.”
Grateful to have one hurdle crossed, he briefly considered describing his twisted back and rejected the idea. She could see some of it for herself and would have to face the worst of it when the time came. He felt a twinge of uncertainty. What if his body repulsed her? It couldn’t be helped. “We need to discuss the stories you may have heard.”
“You’re certainly far from the ‘half-wit cripple’ folks liked to call you. I cannot believe anyone who lives or works at Woodglen believes any such thing any longer.”
“Thank you. Far worse rumors spread about the night I was sent away. You need to hear the truth of that.”Damn it, Kendrick. This woman is an innocent. Choose your words carefully.
“Is it why people have warned me it isn’t safe for a young woman to be near you?” Mia appeared amused rather than horrified. “That’s something else I know to be untrue.”
“That I’m a danger to you is certainly untrue. However, I was in fact found in my stepmother’s room that night, just not for the reasons my sire put out. I went to warn her. He had plans involving his cronies and Madelyn that I won’t sully you by describing other than to say they were debauched and evil. I wanted her to bar her door. He went into a rage when he found me there and had me beaten, trussed up like a Christmas goose, and shipped to his mines in Wales. I never doubted he meant me to die there.”
Her watery smile, filled with compassion, moved him. She leaned forward. “Vile man,” she whispered.
“Indeed. The stories don’t go away, however. If you choose to marry me, you need to know such stories follow me, especially here in Dorset. Are those the only rumors you’ve heard?”
A veil of confusion came over Mia’s expression, as if she was remembering something, uncertain what to say. “Tell me,” he prodded.
“Lizzy Carter, the blacksmith’s daughter.”
He had no idea what she meant. “What about her?”
“Uncle said that she has disappeared. She is only thirteen, a decent girl,” Mia said sadly.
He cursed under his breath. “That sort of thing should be reported to the magistrate, but who that is with my brother gone, I don’t know.”
“People are accusing you,” she said.
