not recoil from his touch but pressed her cheek into his hand, her eyes growing wider.
“I-I am overwhelmed by everything.”
Richard lowered his hand. “Let me help ease your suffering, Rose.” He said her name with such tenderness, such familiarity because he felt he had known her for so long, so intimately.
“Sir…”
“Richard,” he urged gently. “We are to be married.”
She gazed up at him, unsure what to do. “Richard.”
“If you will accept our betrothal, of course,” he said.
“I believe if I don’t, my holdings will be dissolved. At least that is my understanding from Lady Whitmore.”
“Yes,” he admitted, praying her only reason to accept him was not to keep her assets. “Your mother was a pragmatic woman, determined to make your life the best it could be.”
“You knew my mother?”
“My father and I had the pleasure of her company several times.”
She smiled. “I still do not understand why she resorted to such elaborate and secretive means to secure an advantageous marriage for me. It seems so surreal.”
“The answer is quite simple,” Richard offered. She seemed to prefer direct and honest, which he liked, for he was the same.
“Is it?”
“Yes. She loved you.”
Chapter Four
Rose’s heart nearly burst from what he said about her mother and the way in which he said it—with such conviction. If she possessed just one-tenth of the confidence this handsome man exuded, her life might have turned out so differently. But the past could not be changed, could it? And the future, well, was he not staring into her eyes right now?
“Your mother believed wholeheartedly in what Lady Whitmore does here. So much so, over the years, she recommended no less than twenty young ladies to come here and change the courses of their destinies.”
“Destinies?” This played into her silly notion that Lady Whitmore was her fairy godmother instead of just a simple godmother. Why hadn’t her mother shared this part of her life with Rose? It pained her, confused her, and perhaps angered her just a little. “Why would these women need to change their destinies?”
“But of course, you have not been here long enough for our hostess to explain everything.”
Rose gazed across the room, where she found her brother surrounded by Lady Whitmore and her guests, laughing and conversing.
“Your brother will never suffer humiliation again. That I promise you, Rose.”
Her watery gaze met his—so caring, so strong. So masculine! He smelled like leather and wine. “Timothy is everything to me.”
“Dexter is a surgeon.”
“Excuse me?”
“My best friend, Sir Dexter, he is a famous surgeon. A doctor known to help patients with unusual medical conditions.”
“You think he can help Timothy?”
“I believe your brother’s condition inoperable, but perhaps Dexter can deal with his condition therapeutically. There is more than one way to heal a patient.”
Rose’s mouth dropped open. All of the specialists in London had turned him away after initial examinations. He will be lame all his life. Keep him in the country so as not to shame your family. Be grateful for having a healthy daughter. Her parents had suffered through every sort of advice doctors could give—logical, but often cruel, opinions about Timothy.
“My brother has grown into the sort of young man anyone would be proud of. He accepts his condition and has overcome much of the shame he grew up with.”
Richard nodded. “He is an energetic lad.”
“Yes, obsessed with history, and likes to write.”
“An imaginative and active mind is the best medicine for a boy such as him.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” she said, growing more intrigued with Richard. Not only handsome, but intuitive and generous, too.
“I would very much like Sir Dexter to examine my brother.”
He bowed slightly. “It will be done.”
“Thank you,” she said.
Before he could reply, the butler announced dinner was served.
After dinner, the ladies gathered in drawing room. Lady Whitmore once again walked with Rose alone. “Tell me, after speaking with the earl, how do you feel about your betrothal? Will you honor your mother’s wishes?”
Rose took a deep breath; there was so much to consider. Richard had been a wonderful dinner companion, making her laugh so much, her stomach hurt a little. And his sister would be a formidable ally. But mostly, she thought about Timmy and how having an honorable man like the earl in his life would benefit him greatly. She would be protected, perhaps even loved one day. The prospect of love, of having her own home and possibly children appealed to her senses. Like her mother, Rose was a nurturer, always wanting to help the less fortunate and