“I know, but you said I could spend—”
“I’m not arguing,” he pointed out gently.
“Oh. Good. But that’s not all. I want to give a share of the fortune to Perlita.”
“Perlita?” He stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“What is so funny?”
“After all the trouble we went through to keep Ramón’s greedy paws off it! You know she’ll give it all to him, don’t you?”
She grinned triumphantly. “Ah, but it will be Perlita’s dowry. Ramón will only get it if he marries her.”
“And if he doesn’t marry her?”
“He will,” she said confidently. “He loves her. He’s only considering marrying someone else because he’s desperate to bring Valle Verde back to its former glory. And I want that, too, for it was once my home and I love it. So…” She tilted her head and gave him a quizzical look. “What do you think of my plan?”
“It’s an excellent solution to all your worries.”
“My worries?”
“You have a tendency to fret about other people’s welfare,” he told her. “This way you’ll only have one person to fuss over.”
She frowned. “Who?”
He leaned forward and tugged her out of her seat and onto his lap. “Me.”
“Luke! Your wound.”
“Treat me gently,” he murmured.
Eighteen
“I’ve never seen so many people in one place.” Bella’s head swiveled left and right as the carriage Luke called a “yellow bounder” wove through the crowded streets of London.
They’d landed at Portsmouth that day, and raced across the country at a speed Bella could barely believe. They’d only just arrived in London. It was the night of Molly’s ball.
“Grosvenor Square on our left,” he pointed out. “Have you ever eaten ice cream?”
“No, but—”
“I’ll take you to Gunter’s, then. You’ll like it—damn!”
“What is it?”
“I’d forgotten about the dinner.”
“What dinner?”
“The dinner before the ball. I’d hoped to introduce you to my mother before the ball, but she’s giving a dinner beforehand and her guests are arriving already. See all those carriages lined up ahead? That’s my mother’s house. Your house, in fact. It actually belongs to me.”
Bella glared at him. His mother’s house? He’d completely ignored all her protests. “I told you, Luke, I’m not going to your sister’s ball. I don’t have anything to wear. This is my best dress and look at it!” They both studied her red dress. It was looking sadly the worse for wear. “Even a housemaid wouldn’t wear this.”
He dismissed it with a gesture. “I know that. I’d planned to get Molly to lend you a dress.” He pulled out his watch and consulted it. “But we’re running later than I’d hoped. There won’t be enough time for the maids to adjust it.”
“Adjust it?”
“Yes, Molly is plumper than you. And a bit taller, too.” He narrowed his eyes at her in calculation. “I have it—Nell!”
