“Why have you requested to see us, Your Grace?” Lorna asked.
For a long, tense moment, there was silence. And then, “I have come to make things right.”
“To make things right?” James scoffed. He shot to his feet. “We shall make things right at this very moment. Fetch your pistol and meet me at Putney Heath so that you shall understand the error of your ways.”
“I do not want to duel with you,” Michael stated in a firm voice. “That was not my intention.”
“No, your intention was to compromise my cousin and ruin any of her future prospects!”
“James,” Elaine cut in. “I am as much at fault as anyone—”
“Hush now, my darling,” Lorna chimed in. “Let the men have their row so that they may get it out of the way and begin to think logically.”
“I am thinking logically, Mother,” James snapped, though he hadn’t taken his glare off Michael for a moment. “And theonly logical thing for me to do is to make sure His Grace understands the error of his ways.”
Slowly, Michael stood. Despite her best efforts, Elaine could not keep her eyes off him for long. He was imposing, calm, furious, yet completely in control. It was as mesmerising as it was terrifying.
“I am well aware of my faults, Lord Abney,” he said slowly. “And that is why I have come to ask for Lady Elaine’s hand in marriage.”
The world spun around her. Elaine eye’s immediately filled with tears. She’d been hoping to hear those words for so long but now that she had, she couldn’t help but feel nothing but sadness.
He was not doing it because he loved her, after all. He did it because he made a bad decision and was trying to make up for it. She should be happy. Even if he did not love her, this was what she wanted. Marriage to a wealthy gentleman so that she could help her family escape destitution. In the end, she was achieving exactly what she’d hoped for. And yet…
James crossed his arms. Elaine half expected him to turn the proposal down, simply because he wanted to work out his rage, but then he said, “That is the smartest thing you have said since you’ve walked in this room, Your Grace.”
“I do pride myself on my intellect,” Michael said wryly.
Elaine stood, blinking her tears away. She braced herself for a moment and then she turned to face Michael. “Would you like to go for a walk in the garden?”
Michael searched her face. She tried to wipe it clean of any sadness but didn’t know how well she fared. Slowly, he nodded. “I would love to.”
Lorna stood as well. “I shall—”
“Alone,” Elaine pressed gently. “If we are to be married, I’m sure it will not be such an issue. Especially since we have shocked the Ton enough already.”
Lorna must have heard the underlying despair in Elaine’s voice because her expression softened. She touched Elaine softly on the arm as she nodded. “You’re right. And James does not mind either.”
“You do not speak for me, Mother,” James grumbled.
“In this instance, I do. Go on, my darling.”
Elaine nodded. She ignored the arm Michael began to offer her and turned towards the exit. But she listened as he fell in step behind her. She pulled her shoulders back, reminding herself that she needed to be strong. If not for her, then for her father, for her brother, and for the future of her family.
They said nothing to each other as they made it out to the gardens. Elaine didn’t know how to broach the topic. She could cry about her situation later. For now, she had to bear her responsibility like she always did.
“I wish to ask a favour of you, Michael,” she said at last.
“Anything.”
Another piece of her heart splintered off at that. He wasn’t making this any easier on her. Somehow, she managed to keep herself together.
“My father,” she began. “You know the fragile state he is in. You have seen it for yourself.”
“I have.”
“I do not wish to add any additional strain on him. As such, I would be much obliged if we were to keep the circumstances of our betrothal a secret.”
He was quiet for a moment. Long enough for her to look up at him with a frown. But he was staring dead ahead, a troubled frown on his face.
