“It will all come right, I promise,” he whispered before walking on and leaving her.
Sophie took her hand as they walked to the stairs. Her silent gaze held more sympathy than words could have added.
Impeccably dressed,with all of Graves’s skill, John took a deep breath and knocked on the Earl of Hartwell’s study the next morning as expected. The voices inside were raised, one of them distraught. Bel’s aunt wasn’t going to make things easy for them.
A fraught half hour later, John was given permission—ordered, in fact—to attend Bel in the small formal parlor. He watched her pacing for a moment before she saw him at the door. She had dressed in a green silk gown flocked with tiny white flowers that flowed in flattering waves across curves now familiar to his touch.
He shut the door, and she turned at the sound. “Tell me you didn’t let them bully you,” she said breathlessly.
As they bully you?But no, that wasn’t entirely true. She wasn’t defenseless. Bel had carved out her own haven here with quiet strength. He took both her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. “Come sit.”
“Tell me,” she insisted when they sat together on the settee.
“Your Aunt and Uncle are understandably concerned about your reputation,” he began.
“Concerned? Aunt Violet is in full on collapse over Lady Ancaster.”
John smiled. It wasn’t inaccurate. “I refused your uncle’s insistence we obtain a common license and marry within the week.”
“I should hope so! He has no right to force you into that,” she said.
“Bel, I will happily marry you, but you deserve better than a havey-cavey wedding that will only feed the gossips. You’ve been through enough at your cousin’s hands. I told him so. Cecil is gone, by the way. Dispatched to the manor in Aberdeenshire on short funds at dawn with two grooms assigned to make sure he gets there. Harry Smithers and the others were sent to the posting inn in the village to make their way to London.”
“Well, that is a small blessing. Thank you for insisting we will not wed—and for defending me.” Moisture welled in her eyes, but she kept her shoulders and face firmly under control.
Her gratitude at what she saw as his protection left him shaken, wondering how to convince her. “I spoke with the earl yesterday and told him I planned court you properly in the spring. And I will.”
“What?”
“And only if you find that we will suit, will we marry. If, instead, you do not want it, we’ll find a way to cry off.”
She stared at him, her mouth agape.
“You might find you like me after all. I come with a title and a lovely—if rather large—manor in Gloucestershire. Property well able to house a professional chemistry laboratory. There is also a large, well-staffed kitchen you could organize to suit yourself. It will house a large family too. Grandfather would?—”
“Your grandfather would want better for you.”
“Now you speak nonsense. While I’m perfectly happy to listen to your forceful opinions on many things, don’t presume to tell me what my grandfather—or I—want.”
“You’re seriously considering this. Just because we were found locked in together last night?”
“That does add some urgency, but Bel, I planned to take my time to get to know you, to court you in the spring, and to show you to the Ton as the lovely treasure you are before I offered for you.” His hand trembled as he touched her cheek. “You must admit we did take some advantage of our proximity last night.”
She blushed a delightful pink. “I would like to get better acquainted,” she admitted.
“Good. Because your aunt has insisted that we be formally betrothed. ‘At the very least,’ she said. They are sending the announcements to the papers. They’re probably writing them up as we speak. They plan to announce it to the company tonight.”
She gasped and raised both hands to cup her heated cheeks. She tipped her head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment before gazing back at him. “Aunt Flora will be torn between elation and jealousy that Aunt Violet got a jump on her.”
That made them both laugh, the shared humor warming his heart. “I should probably leave post haste to warn grandfather before it is in the papers,” he said.
“Take me with you.”
He wasn’t sure he heard her. “What did you say?”
“Take me with you. I want to meet your grandfather and see this place where you think we might set up a full-scale chemistry laboratory. I might like a peek at the kitchen too.”
John knew he must be grinning like a fool. He had her; he knew he had her. He leaned in for a kiss to set a seal on it. Soon enough they leaned back on the settee with Bel draped across his chest, and the kissing deepened. Her gentle fingers ran through his hair, sending tremors through them both.
