Page 15 of The Duke's Concealed Vow
“Thank you for coming, Your Grace,” he said, pointing to the chair across from his own. “Please, have a seat. Do you prefer whiskey or brandy?”
Rowan tensely bowed once more, offering a strained but polite smile.
“Whiskey will be fine, my lord,” he said as he took his seat.
The earl wordlessly poured them each a drink, then handed one to Rowan. The men took a minute to enjoy their spirits before either of them spoke.
“Lovely day today, is it not?” the earl asked, barely glancing out the window.
Rowan nodded, despite having noticed a few dark clouds blotting the sky on the trip.
“Quite lovely, indeed,” he said.
Lord Lindmere nodded, glancing around the room. It was clear that he was nervous. Rowan could understand; his own heart was pounding hard against his ribs.
“I suppose we might as well get straight to it, if that suits you,” he said. His words were matter-of-fact, but Rowan recognized the tension in his voice. It was the same tension that had been present the evening before, the same tension Rowan himself felt.
“It suits me perfectly well, my lord,” he said.
The earl nodded. He shuffled some papers on his desk,pulling out a small stack. He flipped through them, then handed them to Rowan.
“This is a standard arranged marriage agreement,” he said. “I had my attorney draft it for, and go over it with, me. I expect that you will wish to take it to your attorney, and I invite you to do precisely that. There is no time limit, but I imagine we would both like to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.”
Rowan shook his head, even before the earl finished speaking.
“That will not be necessary,” he said. “I take you at your word. I will simply read it here and now and, if the terms are agreeable, I shall sign right now.”
The earl nodded, seeming pleased.
“Excellent,” he said, although his tone was anything but. “I like a man who makes swift, prudent decisions.”
Rowan nodded, reading through the documents. The agreement was, indeed, standard. Lady Serena’s dowry, a sum of 25,000 pounds, five acres of undeveloped forest belonging to Lord Yardley for Rowan to do with as he pleased and a percentage of the earl’s current investments, was promised to him upon his signature of the agreement. And in terms of what was expected from him, the earl wished to merge certain future investment opportunities between the two men, especially if the opportunities promised to be especially profitable. Rowan knew there was much profit to be gained with the right investments, especially when men went in together, if they were even a little bit wise about their moves. He looked up at the earl, waiting to see if there was anything he had to say.
As if anticipating Rowan’s question, the earl cleared his throat.
“Naturally, I expect that Serena will be cared for in the event that something should happen to you that leads to your disability or death,” he said. “That part is detailed in the third tolast page. As is…” he paused, as if he was suddenly even more uncomfortable than what he had been previously. “As is the part where I expect Serena to be entitled to a reasonable amount of compensation, should the two of you ever divorce.”
Rowan listened, nodding along, knowing that his decision was already made. It had been made before he set foot in the Yardley’s home. He was just waiting politely for the earl to finish speaking before he proceeded. He thought about Lady Serena and the life they would share, wondering how she would react to the news of their betrothal and whether she would come to resent him for removing her choice in the matter.
“I understand all these terms,” he said. “And I accept them all. If it pleases you, I shall just sign this now and we can consider the matter settled.”
The earl smiled, and a shadow of relief colored his strained features.
“That pleases me greatly, Your Grace,” he said. “I am delighted that the terms are suitable for you.”
Rowan nodded again. Despite the civility and shared understanding of the situation at hand, Rowan couldn’t shake the feeling of impending discord and undercurrents that he could not quite understand just then. It was almost enough to make him hesitate, at least long enough to discuss the matter with his family’s attorney and have him review the documents after all. But he wanted to get the legal aspect of the arrangement out of the way as quickly as possible, so they could progress to the part of speaking with Lady Serena. The sooner they carried out their arrangement, the better. Rowan signed the papers, handing them back to the earl.
With a resigned sigh, Lord Yardley summoned the butler once more.
“Nathaniel,” he said, his voice heavy with the same energy that set Rowan on edge. “Send for Serena. I would like to speakto her at once.”
The butler bowed and left the room immediately. Silence fell between the two men as they waited for Lady Serena to arrive. Rowan tried to suppress the fresh anxiety that settled around him. Was he doing the right thing? Or had he just made a terrible, irreversible mistake in the name of keeping a promise that might do more harm than good?
