“They come to me.”
He steepled his fingers, and he saw her glance at his bare hands. “And this pleases you? Do you plan to continue in this capacity?”
“Of course not.” She leaned across the table toward him, and her eyes softened with earnestness. “It’s only temporary, until he’s a bit older.”
He arched a brow in surprise. Was she truly naïve or just telling herself this? “You don’t think you run the risk of him enjoying your coddling so much that he never behaves as a man?”
“You do not know this family, Lord Blackthorne,” she said mildly.
“I knew your father well. Would this arrangement please him?”
“It would. I respect and admire the long tradition of my ancestors. These grounds and every estate in the earldom deserve the best care, and I’m devoted to them.”
She spoke with such pride and fervor, as if the estates and its people meant everything to her. He admired her devotion, even as he knew she would someday be disappointed with this foolish path she’d chosen. She needed her own life, not that of her brother.
“You must be devoted,” he said quietly, “to beg a stranger to marry you.”
Cecilia knew she was blushing again but couldn’t refute his words. She’d been devoted—and desperate. She had no choice but to go forward and minimize the damage. If she could just outlast his curiosity, surely her lawyers could somehow extract her without her losing everything.
“And Appertan’s guardian?” he asked.
“He is a busy man and trusts me with the day-to-day affairs. Once a month he visits and examines everything. He’s due in less than a week.” She hoped Lord Blackthorne would not ask more—it was none of his business, after all. Lord Doddridge had been Oliver’s idea—handpicked as a friend of their father’s, yet one who was so busy with his own estates and Parliament, he would permit Oliver much leeway. As the new earl, Oliver had been allowed to choose his own guardian, and he’d thought the Hanburys far too rustic to oversee a prominent peer. Cecilia had no such choice and had been stuck with the Hanburys, to the distress of everyone involved—until she’d married Lord Blackthorne.
Lord Doddridge had control of the vast Appertan properties, but he was content to allow Oliver—and hence Cecilia—to oversee its management, as long as he received regular reports. But he held the purse strings tightly, something Oliver hadn’t counted on. She couldn’t explain that she’d been acting in Oliver’s place to her own guardian, so conservative he would have surely contacted Lord Doddridge and ruined everything. She needed access to her own money, another reason to marry a man who would allow her that control.
As if reading her thoughts, Lord Blackthorne said, “I assume you needed your funds because your brother is quick to spend his own on pleasure rather than the estates?”
“You don’t know what his life has been like,” she said in a low voice.
“Regardless, in your opinion, Appertan cannot deal with his own estates, and you do not trust a man of business to do it for you. Does Appertan have any responsibilities at all?”
She leaned toward him, hands braced on the table. “Our father died, and Oliver has suffered with his grief.”
“All while you managed more than your own duties—along with your grief.”
“He is my responsibility, my lord. I gave my promise to my parents that I would see him well. Surely, having a younger brother, you understand that.”
“I do. But you do him no favors in this, madam. You need to rethink his future, and your own.”
“Are you threatening me, Lord Blackthorne?” She was proud of her soft, dignified voice.
“Why would I threaten you?” He sounded genuinely surprised. “I offer my advice as an objective person outside the family.”
“Objective? For right now, you’re my husband. I’m not sure how objective you can be.” Now that he’d seen the impressive castle that was her country home, perhaps he was beginning to realize how much money he’d given up by allowing her her freedom. “Please tell me the truth—why did you marry me? You say you honored my father, but that cannot be the sum of it since you renounced the money I might have brought you. You’re a viscount—you could find a perfectly lovely wife all by yourself.”
“I’m a career soldier, Lady Blackthorne. Until this point, my regiment has been my mistress and wife. I only planned to marry under my own terms, for I needed no heirs, since my brother is perfectly adequate for that task. In that regard, you and I are well matched since you seem too busy to want children, should we not be blessed.”
She blanched, for she never let herself think about children. And she didn’t want him thinking about thecreatingof children.
“I believe, in marriage, we suit each other’s purposes. You need access to your money ...” His voice faded as he frowned.
“And you, my lord?” she whispered. “What do you need?”
He hesitated, then spoke in a low voice. “I thought I needed to help the children of my commander. I tried to write to you about how much he meant to me, but words are not often my forte. But there was something in your letters, my lady, that called to me in a way I’d never imagined.”
She found herself barely breathing, staring at him, but he did not continue with the words that flattered even as they confused her.
He rose slowly to his feet, reaching for the cane hooked in the arm of his chair even as he cleared his throat. “As for your brother, Lady Blackthorne, I had to express my concerns.”
