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.He hadn’t the energy to fuss with Victoria.He was hung-over, hadn’t washed, eaten, shaved, or slept, so he was in no condition to spar with her.Mary’s continued residence at Barnes Manor was dependent on his comments, and in his reduced state, he couldn’t do her justice.“I’m sorry, Victoria, but I’m having the worst morning.We’ll have to talk later.”“No, I am sorry, Redvers, but this has to be now.”“I’m feeling particularly ill.I’m going back to bed.”“If you don’t attend me—this very second—you may return to London immediately.” She was impossibly regal, bent on destruction.He fumed, knowing he had to converse.It was her home.It was her daughter and stepdaughter.He was a guest, and an unpleasant one at that.He could do as she’d asked or he could leave.He followed her into the library.She sat behind her massive oak desk and he sat across from her.“I will come right to the point,” she said, “and don’t lie to me.You’ve exhausted my patience and abused my hospitality.I would just as soon toss you out on the road as have you as my son-in-law.”“Is this my official welcome to the family? If so, you could use a bit of work on your delivery.I found it to be a tad harsh.”“Don’t be smart with me.”“I don’t have to stay at Barnes Manor.If you’d rather I go, I will.I’m happy either way.There are plenty of rich girls in the world, but only a few men who will be earls.What shall it be, Victoria? Should I stay or not? Should I marry Felicity or not? The choice is yours.”He sprawled in his chair, his feet stretched out, the very picture of nonchalance.She scowled, assessing his disrespectful posture, his sneering expression.If she thought she could intimidate him, she was sadly mistaken.Much of his life had been spent seated across from Sunderland at a desk similar to this one.He’d endured this type of distasteful discussion a thousand times.“I will ask this question once,” she said, “and I expect the truth.”“What is it?”“Are you having an affair with Mary?”He had to give her credit.She was very cool, very composed, although he imagined if she’d been holding a pistol, she’d have shot him through the middle of his black heart.Answers—all of them false—flitted in his head, and as he hesitated, she added, “Before you reply, you should know that I have a reliable witness, so it’s useless to pretend to have virtue.”He let out a heavy breath, feeling as if he was perched on a cliff and about to jump off.“All right, I don’t deny it.”“Where do you come by the gall to insult me in such a fashion?”“I won’t explain myself to you.Nor will I talk about my relationship with her.”“Could she be pregnant?”His pulse raced.“I doubt it.”“But she could be.”He merely shrugged, and she was silent, pondering, calculating the odds as to how he could be coerced.“I heard your father shouting,” she mentioned.“We have a habit of loud discourse.”“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the volume ensured that I couldn’t help it.I know that you’ve been disinherited, so your financial situation is even more dire than it was when you first arrived.”“My fiscal state has always been dire.Nothing has changed during these weeks at Barnes Manor.”“You probably haven’t the coach fare to take you and your friends back to London.”“Actually, we came in my carriage, remember? Mrs.Bainbridge has been extremely adept at hiding it from my creditors.It hasn’t been seized.”“That’s neither here nor there.You had said that I had a choice to make, but in fact, you are the one with the choice.I ask that you make it immediately.”“What is it?” he inquired, though he already knew.“You will propose to Felicity at once.Then we will send a messenger to Town to bring back a Special License.I will host a small ceremony, tomorrow morning in the front parlor.The dowry money will be transferred into your bank account tomorrow afternoon.”“Or.?”“You and your companions can depart within the hour.”“An interesting conundrum,” he mused.“You’ve been wasting my time.”“I certainly have.”“And you’ve toyed with Felicity’s affections.”“I wasn’t aware she had any.”She ignored the rude remark.“You have exactly sixty seconds to decide what you will do.If you don’t propose, I have several maids waiting out in the hall.They will go upstairs and pack your bags.” She smiled a grim smile.“Your minute starts now.”They peered at the clock over on the mantel.He should have been frantically reviewing his options, but all he could think about was how she’d bested him.Yes, in his drunken stupor, he’d whispered some half-baked promises to Mary, but he couldn’t keep them.It would be lovely if the world were a perfect place, if he could snap his fingers and have the cash to purchase a house, to feed and clothe and support her.But he didn’t have any cash, and he never would unless he took drastic measures.She had an absurd fantasy where they ended up together, and it had been humorous to encourage her, but it was a pipe dream.He possessed every flaw his father bemoaned and many more besides.If she joined him in his disreputable life, she’d be miserable forever, and he couldn’t do it to her.She was the only person he’d ever known who genuinely liked him.She saw someone who didn’t actually exist, but it was the man he wished he’d been.He wanted her to always envision him that way: as noble and decent and worth having.He loved her.He loved her because she made him laugh, because she made him happy.He loved her because she’d brought him joy and serenity.He loved her because she loved him, because she looked at him and saw something of value, something splendid and fine, and when he found her to be so extraordinary, he simply couldn’t ruin her future by marrying her.As he understood all too well, he would be the worst husband in history, so he had to let her go, had to relinquish any ridiculous notion she might have fostered that they could thrive in matrimony.At the moment, she assumed she wanted to wed him, but time and distance would quell her attachment, and gradually, she’d come to her senses.She’d realize how lucky she’d been to evade a connection with him.She’d be glad.She’d grow to comprehend that he’d done what was best for her, that he’d done the only thing he could.While he’d been in ominous fiscal shape before Sunderland’s appearance, his situation was now bleak beyond words.He would never inherit a penny from Sunderland, and he had to stop hoping for a different conclusion.Though he’d bragged to Victoria that he’d simply pick another rich girl, it wasn’t likely to happen.He’d struggled to find an heiress other than Felicity, but Jordan was a renowned scoundrel.No sane father would agree to a match.Victoria was the sole parent he’d encountered who was greedy enough to have him in the family.There was only one way to proceed, only one choice to be made.The minute ticked to an end.“What is your answer?” Victoria queried.“Yes, I’ll marry Felicity tomorrow—on one condition.”“What is it?”“That you let Mary remain here—without penalty or reprimand—until I can make arrangements for her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]