is that it?”
“No! But…but this…what we’re doing here…”
“Oh, so now you feel guilty. You’re just upset because you can’t have a little dally with me while I consider your friend.”
“Hell no, I can’t do that.”
“Well, then perhaps I should consider someone else. Mr. Oxland, perhaps? He seems rather keen. Would you feel less guilty if I were promised to him while you made love to me?”
“You’re not promised to any of them! I won’t have it. Not now that…not after…”
“After what? After I’ve let you put your hands all over me? Does this make me unworthy of decent men now?”
“No, it’s not that at all.”
“Well, what is it, then? What have I done that’s so horrible I’m not fit for society?”
“You’ve made me…”
He stopped. His eyes were an odd circular shape, and his lips moved with no sound coming out. At first she thought he was choking, but he gasped in a breath. She waited for him to finish his words, but instead all he seemed capable of was swallowing.
“I’ve made you what?” she asked when it was clear he’d lost track of the thread.
He took another deep breath. “You’ve made me love you.”
Now she was the one choking. What had he said? She blinked furiously, trying to grasp what he meant but feeling her knees buckle beneath her.
Fortunately he caught her before she fell down.
“I love you, Prudence,” he said. “I don’t care what you told Archer, or Oxland, or any other damn gentleman. I want you to marry me .”
“But…I can’t marry you. You’re engaged to Miss Holycroft.”
“Not yet, I’m not,” he said, pulling her tighter. “It’s not official. There’s been no announcement, no papers are signed…I want you, Prudence, and nobody else.”
“But I…”
“But you muck out stalls and you run around in boys’ clothing? Well, I suppose I can live with a wife who does that.”
She laughed at him. “No, I was going to say that I already told Lord Archer I’d consider him if things became desperate.”
“Doesn’t matter. He’s a dead man the next time I see him, so you won’t need to worry about that.”
“You will not kill Lord Archer!”
“Well, you’ll stop considering his marriage proposal!”
She must have appeared rather hesitant because he was suddenly serious.
“You don’t…you don’t actually care for him, do you? Hell, Prudence it would rip out my heart if you did, but if you’d rather have him, I suppose…”
“No, I don’t care for Lord Archer. Not in any passionate way, I assure you. It was just, well…I knew everyone wanted me to find a husband, so I said I’d consider.”
“Well, you’ve found a husband. By God, Prudence, I’ve treated you abominably. Can you forgive me? Please say that you will, and that you’ll marry me at the earliest possible moment.”
She pretended to be undecided. Yes, he had treated her abominably. There was no sense giving her consent too quickly, was there? He deserved to suffer in uncertainty just for a moment. Or two.
“Well, I suppose there’s one thing you’ll need to agree to,” she said slowly, chewing her lip.
“Anything. Name it.”
“My father’s stable is in trouble,” she said. “Whomever I marry must agree to rescue it, to get my father back on his feet. Figuratively, of course.”
“Of course! Whatever your father needs. All that I have will be yours, Prudence. Your father can build a hundred more stables if he likes.”
“Good heavens, a hundred? I was already working my fingers to the bone mucking his stalls in the one that he had. Would you have me mucking a hundred?”
“If that’s what you want, Prudence Canton, then that’s what you may do. Now please, put me out of my misery and say you’ll be my wife.”
She tipped her face toward his so he’d have no trouble hearing her words. Or kissing her after them.
“Of course I love you, my lord. And I’ll marry you today or tomorrow or whenever you want.”
There
“No! But…but this…what we’re doing here…”
“Oh, so now you feel guilty. You’re just upset because you can’t have a little dally with me while I consider your friend.”
“Hell no, I can’t do that.”
“Well, then perhaps I should consider someone else. Mr. Oxland, perhaps? He seems rather keen. Would you feel less guilty if I were promised to him while you made love to me?”
“You’re not promised to any of them! I won’t have it. Not now that…not after…”
“After what? After I’ve let you put your hands all over me? Does this make me unworthy of decent men now?”
“No, it’s not that at all.”
“Well, what is it, then? What have I done that’s so horrible I’m not fit for society?”
“You’ve made me…”
He stopped. His eyes were an odd circular shape, and his lips moved with no sound coming out. At first she thought he was choking, but he gasped in a breath. She waited for him to finish his words, but instead all he seemed capable of was swallowing.
“I’ve made you what?” she asked when it was clear he’d lost track of the thread.
He took another deep breath. “You’ve made me love you.”
Now she was the one choking. What had he said? She blinked furiously, trying to grasp what he meant but feeling her knees buckle beneath her.
Fortunately he caught her before she fell down.
“I love you, Prudence,” he said. “I don’t care what you told Archer, or Oxland, or any other damn gentleman. I want you to marry me .”
“But…I can’t marry you. You’re engaged to Miss Holycroft.”
“Not yet, I’m not,” he said, pulling her tighter. “It’s not official. There’s been no announcement, no papers are signed…I want you, Prudence, and nobody else.”
“But I…”
“But you muck out stalls and you run around in boys’ clothing? Well, I suppose I can live with a wife who does that.”
She laughed at him. “No, I was going to say that I already told Lord Archer I’d consider him if things became desperate.”
“Doesn’t matter. He’s a dead man the next time I see him, so you won’t need to worry about that.”
“You will not kill Lord Archer!”
“Well, you’ll stop considering his marriage proposal!”
She must have appeared rather hesitant because he was suddenly serious.
“You don’t…you don’t actually care for him, do you? Hell, Prudence it would rip out my heart if you did, but if you’d rather have him, I suppose…”
“No, I don’t care for Lord Archer. Not in any passionate way, I assure you. It was just, well…I knew everyone wanted me to find a husband, so I said I’d consider.”
“Well, you’ve found a husband. By God, Prudence, I’ve treated you abominably. Can you forgive me? Please say that you will, and that you’ll marry me at the earliest possible moment.”
She pretended to be undecided. Yes, he had treated her abominably. There was no sense giving her consent too quickly, was there? He deserved to suffer in uncertainty just for a moment. Or two.
“Well, I suppose there’s one thing you’ll need to agree to,” she said slowly, chewing her lip.
“Anything. Name it.”
“My father’s stable is in trouble,” she said. “Whomever I marry must agree to rescue it, to get my father back on his feet. Figuratively, of course.”
“Of course! Whatever your father needs. All that I have will be yours, Prudence. Your father can build a hundred more stables if he likes.”
“Good heavens, a hundred? I was already working my fingers to the bone mucking his stalls in the one that he had. Would you have me mucking a hundred?”
“If that’s what you want, Prudence Canton, then that’s what you may do. Now please, put me out of my misery and say you’ll be my wife.”
She tipped her face toward his so he’d have no trouble hearing her words. Or kissing her after them.
“Of course I love you, my lord. And I’ll marry you today or tomorrow or whenever you want.”
There
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