if you insist on more, I will agree.”
And then she would lie there like a wooden doll, he thought. It must be a sign of what lengths she would go to in order to persuade him. She obviously wasn’t keen on the prospect, given her stiff, prickly attitude and obvious disinterest in lovemaking. He didn’t see the need to force a wife to accommodate him when he could easily find someone else who would actually enjoy the experience. Still, he didn’t want to tie himself for life to a cold, untouchable woman. Who knew—perhaps with a little coaxing, Katherine Howe would thaw and soften. Some men might see it as a challenge to warm her up. Gerard, unfortunately, tended to be one of those men.
“Very well,” he replied opaquely, neither confirming nor denying her implied question. “But—you’ll pardon my wariness—your proposal comes with some significant shadows about it. You’ve done your research; I hope you’ll allow me to do mine as I ponder your proposal.”
“Of course.” She put one hand into her pocket and drew out a sealed letter. “You may speak to my father’s solicitor in the City, who knows all the particulars. This letter will assure him he may speak to you in confidence. I hope that will be sufficient.”
Gerard took the packet and tapped it against his knee. “It should be.” Along with some other discreet probing of his own, of course. “How shall I inform you of my decision? Where is your home?”
“You cannot come to the house,” she said quickly. “Whatever your answer is. I—I shall return here. How long do you need?”
“I hadn’t planned to stay that long,” Gerard said, watching her from beneath lowered eyelids. “I have pressing concerns elsewhere and expected to quit London in the morning.”
She didn’t move. “Should I take that as refusal?”
“No.” He turned her letter over, gingerly, as one might handle any dangerous object. Was this the solution to his quandary or an invitation to further disaster? “Not yet.”
“I also would appreciate an answer as soon as possible,” she said.
He glanced at her. “So you can find another candidate if I say no.”
“Yes.” She spat the word out.
“Very well.” Gerard sat forward in his chair. “Two days? Three?”
She flinched backward at his movement, but nodded. “Yes. I can return in three nights.”
“I suppose I can’t offer to escort you home.”
“No, that isn’t necessary.” She got to her feet, and Gerard did the same. Although not a tiny thing, she still only came to his shoulder. Watching her intently in the firelight, Gerard caught the flicker of unease in her face as she sized him up from so close. He wondered if her husband had beaten her; she had the defiant but skittish posture of someone who’d been abused. “Thank you,” she said stiffly, raising her gaze to his.
He bowed, never looking away from her face. “It appears I should thank you. I shall expect you in three nights.”
She just nodded, and he turned to go. At the door he paused and looked back at her. He held up the letter, which had his name written on the front in a neat, small hand. “Were you that certain I would say yes?”
“No.” She was pulling her cloak around her again but met his eyes steadily. “But I was that certain you would consider it.”
Chapter 3
The second the door closed behind Captain de Lacey, Katherine whirled to Mrs. Dennis. “What do you think, Birdie?” she whispered as she retied her cloak. “What is your impression of him?”
Birdie snorted, reaching for her own cloak. “Determined. Suspicious. Not used to being thwarted. That one’ll work out every secret you have.”
“But big,” Katherine said softly, casting another glance at the door. “And strong.” Gerard de Lacey was tall and broad and all man. Not fat in the slightest, and he looked strong enough to break her in two. When he’d reached out to take the letter from her, just the size of his hands had taken her aback. She remembered him as a tall stripling of a fellow, his boyish face alight with laughter. That had been over a decade ago, but she hadn’t been able to alter the image in her mind. The Gerard she remembered was kind and patient, even to a plain, awkward girl too shy to speak properly to him. She knew she hadn’t improved in looks, but at least she’d become bolder.
Of course he barely resembled that boy in her memory, from the several stone of muscle he’d