Page 42 of The Viscount's Unwanted Bride
He nodded and lowered himself back onto the chaise. “Before doing so, I wanted to make sure you are certain of your decision and haven’t had a change of heart overnight.”
Please let her have had a change of heart.
She smiled, her expression serene. “I’m comfortable with my decision, but thank you for checking.”
His breakfast threatened to rise up the back of his throat, but he tried to keep it from showing. “Very well, then. I will speak with the earl at once. Is he in his office?”
“He will be by now. Boden will have warned him of your arrival. Let me walk you there.”
They both rose and strolled side by side out of the drawing room and along the corridor.
She paused outside. “Thank you.”
He wasn’t quite sure what she was thanking him for. Doing the honorable thing, perhaps. Whatever the case, he nodded in acknowledgement, then knocked.
“Come in,” the Earl of Longley called from within.
Lady Katherine backed away, and Theo pushed the door open, the question flashing briefly through his mind as to whether it would be too late to drop this whole situation on Nicholas’s lap and flee for the country.
He entered.
Andrew Drake sat behind his desk, his usually warm hazel gaze shrewd and assessing. “Please have a seat.”
Theo dropped onto the visitor’s chair and got straight to it. Better to get this conversation over and done with quickly. “I’m here to ask for your blessing to marry Lady Katherine.”
Andrew tilted his head to the side. “She has made it clear to me that she’s amenable to the match.”
“Excellent.”
Andrew rested his hands on the desk. “I’d like you to know that I never believed that nonsense about you being involved in the deaths of your father or wife.”
Theo frowned. That was an unexpected comment. “I’m glad to hear it.”
Andrew cocked his head. “Quite honestly, I think it’s ridiculous that anyone ever suggested you might be involved in your father’s death. I suspect it never would have happened if not for the unfortunate circumstances of the former Lady Blackwell’s demise. Once the gossips sink their teeth into something, they love to make it seem as dramatic as humanly possible and that was fuel to a fire.”
Theo thought much the same. There had never been any hint that people questioned his father’s death until after he’d ridden into South Wye with Elizabeth’s body that fateful day.
Andrew’s eyes narrowed and his lips flattened. “That said, I get the impression you’re somewhat of a reluctant groom. If you go through with this marriage, I don’t want Kate to bear the brunt of that. I expect you to do everything you can to ensure her happiness.”
“I will.” Theo may not want a wife, but he’d do his best to provide and care for one. He wasn’t cruel, just jaded.
Andrew held his gaze for a long moment before nodding. “Then I consent to the marriage. What time frame do you have in mind?”
“Perhaps a month,” Theo suggested. “If we marry in early December, we’ll still have time to travel to the country before Christmas, and wedding preparations won’t be too rushed either.”
“Early December is acceptable to me.”
“Good.” Theo’s head spun. Was this actually happening? “I’d also like to host an engagement ball. Perhaps that could be a week or two prior to the wedding?”
“Interesting idea.” Andrew sounded like he approved. “That will certainly make all of this seem less scandalous. I’ll call for Kate. It would be a disservice to discuss her wedding without her present.”
Once again, Theo was caught off guard by the other man’s attitude toward his sister. He wasn’t trying to make decisions for her and was actively involving her in things that would affect her life. Theo respected that.
Perhaps, after all of this was done, he and Andrew could be friends. Although he had a feeling that it would take a lot to make up for jeopardizing Lady Katherine’s—Kate’s—reputation to begin with.
Andrew circled the table and opened the door. Kate must have been hovering not far away, because she joined them a moment later. Theo forced himself to smile at her as she pulled up a second chair and Andrew returned to his seat behind the desk.
Andrew cleared his throat. “Kate, I have given Lord Blackwell permission to ask your hand in marriage. Do you still want to go through with this?”
