Brixhamâs sister, I donât now have the funds or the opportunity.â She huffed. âNot to mention the fact that heâd never allow me to do what is in his mind an utterly disgraceful thing.â
He thought about that for a moment, then asked lightly, âAnd if Iâ¦finance your tour, youâll give me what in return?â
She creased her brows. âI already told you. Iâll provide you with a good home, a proper wife, and an heir if you so desire.â
âOh, Lady Charlotte,â he whispered in a husky tremor, âif I actually go through the immense trouble of engaging myself in a simple marriage, I would certainly so desire.â
His quick response, at once both tactless and intimate, took her aback. Her eyelashes fluttered and hermouth opened a little.
Giving her a sly grin, he stated, âBut really, I can sponsor a tour for you without the legalities a marital union would require.â
That hurt her a little, though she tried to ignore the feeling of being brushed aside as a lady to be courted. âYou donât approve of marriage, your grace?â she prodded, her tone conveying only the hint of disbelief.
âOh, I approve of it wholeheartedly,â he replied at once, âfor everybody but myself.â
That stumped her. She hadnât expected him to be so against what was required of him and his duty to reproduce. âBut youâll need an heir.â
âYes, so Iâve been told by everyone I know. Repeatedly.â His smile went flat. âStill, Iâd rather be the one to choose the lady, and the time to marry her.â
It suddenly occurred to Charlotte that he might turn her and her generous offer down. Leaning forward, she reemerged as the Lottie he knew, the fantasy that had him wanting her so desperately. âOf course you would, Colin,â she agreed in a sultry murmur. âIâm merely suggesting that we work through our options together, that the time couldnât be better for either of us. And I know how much you adore my singing, myâ¦persona on the stage.â
He lifted his brows a fraction, though his eyes narrowed with calculation as she altered her demeanor. âIndeed I do. But Iâm not certain how thatâs relevant.â
âYouâre not? What was it you said to me? That being with Lottie English was something youâd desiredfor years?â
His expression grew sober, his gaze piercing hers in a measure of defiance. âI think I recall saying as much.â
âThen Iâm here to tell you, sir, I am a properly bred lady, the sister of an earl. I would never take a lover, regardless of his appealâor how very, very much I desired him. But I will fully and happily consent to being bedded by my husband.â
She said that in a dark and husky whisper, her fingertips caressing the slope of her cleavage nearly imperceptibly, noting with satisfaction how his gaze lowered and lingered.
He adjusted his large, masculine body in his chair and began rocking, his palms flat on the armrests, his eyes assessing. âI suppose that is the proper thing for a lady to do,â he dryly remarked.
Sheâd trapped him, and he knew it. There wasnât any chance on earth that Lottie English would become his mistress without the Lady Charlotte Hughes first becoming his legally married wife. And she was a perfect choice for that. His decision, then, rested on how badly he needed her physically; how much he truly wanted her as a woman.
âDo you find me appealing, Charlotte?â he asked moments later. âDo you desire me that much? Or is your act as Lottie only thatâan act?â
She felt color rising up her neck and into her cheeks, but she could hardly back down after tempting him as she had. With a light shrug of one shoulder, she countered, âDoes it matter?â
He laughed, though the sound carried absolutely no humor. âYes, I believe it does. Will I be
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