Page 5 of Betting on a Baron
“I see.” Alicewasextremely blunt, and it hadn’t occurred to Daphne that his distant behavior stemmed from shyness and not indifference. She scanned the park once more, but it appeared that no one else was interested in taking a brisk afternoon walk. She removed her hand from her warm muff, looped her arm through his, and led Ambrose down the path. She’d dreamt of walking in the park by Ambrose’s side many times. Him looking adoringly down at her. Her giving him sweet smiles. But now that it was really occurring, she was a jumbled mess of nerves.
Gathering every ounce of courage she could muster, she flickered a quick glance up at Ambrose and said, “Shall we agree going forward to always speak freely?”
“I’d like that.” Ambrose nodded. “I’d like that very much, Lady Daphne.”
“Then I shall give you leave to call me Daphne, and I shall drop honorifics when addressing you in return—agreed?”
He answered with a question of his own. “Did you know you have a tendency to speak as if every encounter is a transaction?”
Two could play that game. “Is life not one large deal?”
He stopped, withdrew his arm and took a step back to rake his gaze over her from head to toe and then back up to eyes again. What in the devil was the man up to? She looked to her right and then to her left, and was shocked to find that they had ventured off the path and were now alone. Even Sue was no longer within sight. Egad. If they were caught alone sans chaperone by anyone, Ambrose would have managed to involve himself in two scandals all in one day.
Ambrose circled her. “I think I better understand why Alice is so fond of your company.”
“Is that so? Pray share your theorem with me.”
He stopped once he was directly in front of her. “You are refreshing to the soul and blindingly beautiful.”
Daphne swayed as the light breeze pushed her forward. Forward into Ambrose’s embrace. Her eyes fluttered closed as he bent closer becoming a blur. The light pressure of his lips upon hers was exactly as she’d imagine it would be. Tender yet intentional. Behind Ambrose’s calm exterior lay a man of passion. After years of wondering how to appeal to the man, she wanted to groan at her lack of awareness—she simply had to speak to him and be herself. A sigh of pleasure escaped her as Ambrose’s mouth left hers.
“Marry me.” Had she uttered the words or had he?
Ambrose released her and quickly stepped back. “I beg your pardon.”
Shehad, and she wasn’t going to retract the idea after experiencing the kiss she’d fantasized of. Ambrose’s soft but firm kiss set her blood on fire. All alone with no one about, she had the courage to do what she’d wanted to for eight long years. And he had given her the perfect reason. “I asked if you would marry me.” She cupped his cheek and gazed directly into his eyes. “I have a large dowry… a very sizable one, in fact, and you are in need of funds.”
“You are talking of marriage, not some bloody investment transaction.”
“I one hundred percent agree with you. I’ve decided to invest my future in you.” Pleased with her response, she rolled up on to her toes and kissed Ambrose, who groaned and then wrapped his arms around her to bring her closer.
Seconds or mayhap minutes passed. She wasn’t certain how long it was before Ambrose pulled back to say, “I’m honored but…”
Argh. The horridbut. She cut him off and finished the thought for him. “You do not wish to marry me.”
His brows knitted together. Ambrose stood silent and didn’t even attempt to refute her last statement. The man who had declared to all and sundry at the modiste shop he was broke wasn’t interested in marrying her, even if it was just for her dowry. While the kisses had sent her heart racing, mayhap Ambrose had found them droll and uninspiring. Her heart clenched in her chest. She spun around and fled.
The tear threatening to roll down her cheek moments before had barely escaped when she heard his footfalls right behind her. Before she could change directions and head back toward the path and her awaiting maid, Daphne found herself once again wrapped up in Ambrose’s arms.
Holding her tight from behind, he spoke softly next to her ear. “A wise man advised me to always do research before investing.”
It was her father’s favorite motto. It dawned on her that while their kiss reinforced her feelings for Ambrose, it was more than likely the first time Ambrose was really seeing her… seeing her in an entirely new light, and not as his little sister’s best friend.
“I’d like for us to become better acquainted before we stand before a reverend.”
Better acquainted!A mixture of anger and frustration mounted within her, which then turned into a deep unsettling ache lodged in her chest. She couldn’t breathe. For once, being right wasn’t in the least bit rewarding. She hadn’t imagined his indifference all these years. He truly had not noticed her while she knew every nuance about him.
“I retract my offer.” Hurt and confused by her wish to remain in his arms, and needing to escape, Daphne pulled away. “If it is truly Alice’s last season, I shall do my best to assist her in finding a gentleman worthy of her love.”
“Aha! So, marriage isn’t merely another transaction in your opinion.”
She glared at Ambrose. Men spoke in financial terms all the time. He needed funds, and she could provide him with a solution to his financial woes if he simply agreed to marry her. Love was not a necessary consideration. Marriages amongst the ton were often negotiated with total disregard to the feelings of the bride and groom. So long as the arrangement benefited both families in some way, society matrons endorsed and favored such unions.
Only fools like her believed in love matches.
Ambrose’s gaze lowered to her lips briefly and then rose to stare directly in her own eyes.
As if he’d said it out loud, in her mind she clearly heard him sayI want to marry for love.
