Who Wants to Marry a Duke - Sabrina Jeffries Page 0,73
entered Olivia’s head. But first . . . “Mama, would you go out into the hall for a few minutes? His Grace and I need to have a private conversation.”
Mama glanced from Olivia to Thorn. “You’re not marrying him, not a man with his reputation. I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to Thornstock. And you, dearest, can do better.”
Olivia seriously doubted that, but that would require a longer explanation than she had time for. “Please, Mama. Let me speak to the duke alone.”
Gwyn stepped in at that moment, rising from the settee to hold her hand out to Mama. “Lady Norley, have you seen my brother’s beautiful gardens? It’s a lovely day outside, and I know you would enjoy touring them.”
Mama appeared apprehensive, but she rose at last and let Gwyn guide her out. They were barely out the door when Thorn changed seats so he could sit next to Olivia.
He took her hand. “Tell me what your objections are, sweeting, and I will try to address them.”
Her main objection was he didn’t love her and didn’t have any intention of changing that state of affairs. But she was too much a coward to say that, especially since she still wasn’t sure if she loved him. Besides, she had plenty of other objections to voice.
Steadying her gaze on him, she said, “You told me at your sister’s ball in London that you would never offer for me. So what changed your mind?”
“Everything is different now.”
She lowered her voice. “You mean, because you bedded me.”
“I mean, because I have come to know you. Once I realized you had no idea that your stepmother was blackmailing me, I was able to look at you more clearly, to see the lovely and principled woman I was so enamored of nine years ago.”
“‘Enamored of’! You weren’t enamored of me.”
He leaned closer. “Did you really think it was usual for me to kiss women I had just met? I assure you, it was not. But you and your interest in chemistry fascinated me. Why else do you think I got so angry once we were caught? I was sure you had conspired with your mother to entrap me, that you had somehow pulled the wool over my eyes.”
“Oh, for pity’s sake,” she muttered, and started to stand.
But he pulled her back down. “My point is, as far as I’m concerned, things have changed between us. Or we’ve merely taken off our blinders so we can see each other as we really are. Don’t you agree?”
“Perhaps.”
“And there are practical reasons for us to marry. However you feel about it, I have taken your innocence. Some anonymous person has already learned that you left Carymont and has informed your stepmother of that fact, so what’s to keep him from telling the rest of society? And if he followed your stepmother here, he’ll know you’re with me. Just a whisper of a possibility that you and I are alone together would ruin you.”
“That doesn’t matter to me.” She dropped his hand to pour herself some coffee. “I don’t care if I’m a pariah. I never did belong in society anyway. Why do you think I like the Juncker plays so much? Because he mocks those who will do anything to fit in and lauds those who have minds of their own. Sometimes it seems almost as if he writes the plays for me. I know that sounds silly, but that’s how I feel.”
A pinched expression crossed his face, reminding her he didn’t much care for his friend Juncker’s plays.
“My point is,” she said hastily, “it doesn’t matter if I’m ruined.”
He stared intently at her. “But having scandal surround you won’t help you establish yourself as a legitimate chemist.”
“Chemists don’t care about society and scandal. They merely care about isolating new elements, doing experiments to prove their hypotheses, and finding new chemical compositions that would help people. Besides, it’s not as if you’ll let me be a chemist once we marry, anyway.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
She sipped her coffee. “You would let me do experiments that might lead to dangerous situations?”
“Your experiments don’t usually blow up in your face, do they?”
“Not as a general rule, no. But they could.”
“I see.” He poured himself some coffee, too, and took a sip. “That’s something we would have to work out—what you do in your laboratory.” He stared down into his cup. “And honestly, you and I both have hobbies we enjoy, so we’ll simply have to agree on how far we would