She drew in a deep breath as she waited.
He turned into the park, drawing the carriage to a slow roll despite the fact no one was about.“I was attacked by a group of thieves.Outnumbered, they both stole all my belongings and did a fair bit of physical damage to my person.”
Priscilla cringed.What other scars did he bear under his clothes?“I hope I haven’t offended you in asking.”
He shook his hand.“Not at all.It was more than fair.”
She relaxed a bit at his words.Even-tempered and yet strong enough to cut Eugene with a single remark, he was proving an excellent potential suitor.
“So you don’t wish to participate in society, and I’ve been all but forbidden from doing so.”
He gave a nod, pulling the carriage to a stop.“Accurate.”
She turned toward him, his handsome profile doing strange things to her pulse.Which she could not afford.This wasn’t her romantic fantasy and there was no room for mushy emotions.This decision would be about her father’s fortune, not her perspiring palms.“And what do you hope to achieve with a match from me?”
He turned to face her as well, his scar coming into view.“I need a suitable bride and a son to ensure that what happened to your father’s earldom does not befall my title.”
Her breath caught as she dared to hope… “And my dowry?My funds?”
“My viscountcy is well-funded.They’ll be yours to manage as you see fit.”
Her breath caught in her throat as understanding made her knees weak with relief.Did he even know what he’d just offered?She’d not tell him how much was there, he might change his mind if she did.But to manage the money herself…grow the funds and pass it along to her sons and daughters… “I’d like that very much.”
He gave a stiff nod.“Good.So we’re agreed upon the terms.You’d like to maintain control of your inheritance, I’d like a child.You need to escape your guardian, and I society.All in all, this seems to be a fair trade.”
“All in all,” she murmured as he picked up the reins and snapped them, sending the carriage into motion again.
“Is there anything you still need to know?”he asked as he drove.
Some unnamed fear tickled at the back of her thoughts.He’d assured her the money would be safe in her hands and with that, she’d fulfill all the unspoken promises she’d made to her father before his death.As she’d watched him take his last breath, she’d told herself that she’d guard the assets he’d built with all the lessons he’d imparted upon her.
“Well…” she started, shifting in her seat, which made her knee brush his.A little bolt of awareness pulsed through her.“I suppose that I require…”
“Yes?”
She took a deep breath.She’d be trusting him with her life.Her mother’s.Pressing as her situation was, more information would help her to make certain she wasn’t making a mistake.Overall she liked this man, but there was a wariness to his eyes and a distance that she sensed.“To know you better.”
He looked exactly the same and yet, if she weren’t mistaken, as she said those words, he tensed, every muscle growing more taut.“To know me better?”
She nodded.As a woman, she placed her well-being in his hands when she married him.At least for the next four years until she had full access to her funds.“Eugene looks like a lamb, but underneath…” Her gaze cast out onto the scenery of a park.“I’d like to know that we’re compatible, if nothing else.”
He let out a long breath at her last words.“Compatible?That’s reasonable.”
The footman behind them coughed again.Priscilla stole the smallest glance back at him.Funny.He looked like a rougher, larger version of Lord Ware.Same dark hair, albeit less groomed, same thick muscles, even thicker, same square jaw minus one scar.
And what servant ever commented in the middle of a conversation?Curious.
“What do you wish to know?”
They trotted along, the quiet paths peaceful as birds called around them.She smiled a bit at the question.“The question I’m tempted to ask is what sort of man are you, though it’s likely useless to ask, isn’t it?If I asked my cousin what sort of man he was, he’d likely tell me enterprising, shrewd, he might even say kindhearted.”
He gave her a sidelong glance.“You wish to know what kind of man I am?I’d rather hoped for a question more like, what’s your favorite color.”
That made her giggle, easing some of the tension.“Fair point.The topic was a bit deep to broach for our first outing, wasn’t it?We just didn’t talk much when we met a few days ago and I thought to learn about you as quickly as possible.While I asked to get to know you, I am also aware our time to make a decision is somewhat limited.”
He was quiet for a moment before he answered.“Well, the first thing I can tell you is that I am decisive by nature.In fact, I’ve already decided.I’ll wed you if you’ll have me.”
“Praise be to the Lord,” the footman said from behind them.
