He turned to see her carrying a basket full of freshly cut flowers in one hand and her bonnet in the other. She was wearing a blue dress, and the color contrasted with her lovely brown eyes. She was so striking that Christopher blinked, as if not quite trusting his own sight. After a moment of hesitation, he walked toward her. She set her basket down and held out her hand, palm down. He paused. He was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to shake it, but what should he do? Touch it? Kiss it?
Before he could make up his mind, she dropped her hand. Color stole into her cheeks. Relief swept over him; he was not the only one who felt nervous during this odd interview.
“Lady Sarah Denham, I have come to discuss your proposal.”
“Excellent,” she said, giving him another beautiful smile that caused butterflies in his belly. “Shall we take a turn around the gardens? They are lovely, and we shall have privacy there.”
He nodded.
Lady Sarah picked up the basket and handed it to a footman, instructing him to see that the flowers were put into water. She turned back to Christopher and pointed the direction they were to go. They walked next to each other in silence until they reached a large oval fountain with a high-arching spray. As a man who, until recently, had worked with water all day, Christopher was intrigued with what mechanism was used to shoot the water so high.
Stopping, Lady Sarah turned to him, and all thoughts of fountains fled his mind. She was more beautiful than he’d remembered, and there was a pretty pink in her cheeks. Perhaps she felt as embarrassed as he did. “Have you come to a decision, Mr. Moulton?”
“Yes. Yes, I have.”
“And?” she prompted, biting her lower lip.
“I believe our union would be beneficial for both parties, and I am agreeable. If, that is, you haven’t changed your mind about marrying a stranger?”
She shook her head. “I have not.”
“Then, we have an agreement,” Christopher said, and without thinking, he offered his hand to shake as if this were a business matter. He recollected himself and was about to drop his hand when Lady Sarah placed her slender hand in his. She seemed frail and delicate, like the flowers she’d picked. A real lady.
“We do,” Sarah said and gave him a most beguiling smile.
If he wasn’t careful, he could lose his heart to such a woman, and that would be a disaster. No fine lady like her would ever have tender feelings for a scar-faced canal man. He squeezed her hand automatically, but she returned no pressure. He found his neck feeling hot. He released her limp hand and pulled at his neckcloth.
“I did not mean any disrespect, Lady Sarah,” he said quickly. “A handshake is commonplace after an agreement in business.”
“I should have thought a kiss would be more commonplace in this situation,” she said with a saucy wink.
Christopher should not have looked at her mouth—her beguiling lips. He was better at kissing than conversing, and Lady Sarah had suggested a kiss to bind their agreement. Leaning forward, he waited for her to move away. She did not. In fact, she lifted her mouth to meet his. Her lips were soft and tasted sweet, like spun sugar. He put his hands on her shoulders to bring her closer to him, but her body stiffened. He broke the kiss instantly.
Embarrassed, he stepped back. She was a gently bred lady, and he had been too bold.
Touching her flushed cheek with her hand, she gave him a tremulous smile. “Thank you, Mr. Moulton. A kissisfar more satisfactory than a handshake. Our deal is struck.”
He swallowed and was grateful that he was not forced to apologize to her for his uncouth behavior. “I suppose you ought to call me Christopher, if we are to be married. Or Chris, as my sisters do.”
She laughed; it was a sweet, airy sound, like a delicate bell. “Chris-to-pher,” she said slowly. “I should like to call you Christopher, and you must call me Sarah.”
“Very good,Sarah,” he said. “How soon should you like to be married?”
Smiling, she shrugged her shoulders. “Tomorrow. Or as soon as possible. We could be married by a special license.”
The hairs on his arms stood up. Why was she in such a rush that the banns could not be read? Was she hiding something?
“I do not see the need to rush.”
“And I do not see the need for delay,” she said, sticking her chin out slightly. “I want to go home to Manderfield Hall, and I cannot until we are married.”
Christopher sucked in a quick breath. “I could write to my solicitor and have him purchase a special license, but there is the little matter of marriage settlements. And your father’s permission.”
Sighing, she shook her head slightly. “I do not need, nor do I desire, my father’s permission. I am five and twenty, and my maternal grandfather, the Duke of Aylsham, has already settled ten thousand pounds on me, which will become yours upon marriage. However, I should like to make one request: in addition to whatever money you mean to settle on me as your wife, I want the title of Manderfield Hall to be legally mine if, by chance, you should die before me and there are no children from our union.”
Christopher was not surprised by her request. Sarah was willing to marry a stranger for the house; she would not wish to lose it upon his death. But did she mean she didn’t desire to bear children? Or that she wanted a marriage in name only? “Do you not wish for children?”
“I want at least a half dozen babies,” she said with a bright smile. “But one never knows. My mother wished for many children and was only able to have one daughter.”
