Page 9 of The Lady and the Footballer
“Well, I’m sure it will not involve me, so he likely did not bother informing me.”
She furrowed her brow as she looked down, trying to follow his feet, for it seemed she had gotten out of step.
“On the contrary. It has everything to do with you.”
“Hmm?” She looked up, her concentration breaking, and she stepped on his toe, although he didn’t seem to notice, for she was wearing only kid slippers. “How so?”
“In history, Miss Evans, what has been the best way for two families to merge their interests?”
Dread began to crawl up her sternum as she quickly realized what he was referring.
“You do not mean?—”
“Marriage? But of course. And why not? You and I are both of marriageable age, have no other romantic interests, and are equally attractive.”
What that last part had to do with anything, Lily wasn’t quite sure.
“I would leave you to your interests while I pursued my own,” he continued. “It would be the ideal arrangement.”
“And just what are your… interests?”
“Football and pursuits that are not for a woman to concern herself with. But nothing that will overly affect you. You will mind the home, bear children, and meet my needs.”
The knot in her stomach that had slowly been growing soon threatened to overwhelm her entirely.
“If you will excuse me, Lord Nathaniel,” she said, wrenching herself out of his tight hold and taking a step backward. “I believe I am going to be ill.”
Chapter Four
“Well, I have never been so embarrassed in my life.”
Lily wished she had another way to return home, but, unfortunately, she was trapped in the carriage with her parents.
“I wasn’t feeling well.” She shrugged. “It must have been something I ate. And I did make it to the ladies’ room.”
“That is a blessing, at least.” Her mother sighed. “But you left Lord Nathaniel standing alone in the middle of the dance floor halfway through the set. People had much to say about it.”
“Let them say what they want. I will not do it,” Lily said, shaking her head as she looked from her mother to her father. “I will not marry him.”
“I do wish that he had not brought it up to you before I had the chance to speak with you,” her father said, rubbing a hand over his brow. “However?—”
“However, nothing,” Lily said. Her parents stared in surprise at her objections for she was usually agreeable, but if there was ever a time to stand up for herself, this was it. “He makes me cringe. He even spoke to me about how after we married, he would continue pursuing thingsladies should not concern themselves with.”
It was her father’s turn to wince.
“That shouldn’t matter—” her mother began, but her father stopped her by raising his hand.
“But it does, Annabelle. As much as this could be advantageous, I didn’t bring it up for a reason. I was hesitant at the thought of Lily marrying Lord Nathaniel. I have seen how the young man conducts himself. It is not ideal.”
“Perhaps the young man just needed time to get all of his flirtations out of his system.”
Lord Harcourt barked in laughter.
“Somehow, I thinkthisyoung man’s interests go beyond flirtations.”
Lily swallowed hard, grateful that, as much as her father was absent due to his business interests, he had always had her welfare at heart.
“There was something he said that was actually of interest, however,” she said slowly, wondering if now was the time to raise the subject, but there would never be a good time to bring up something like this.
