Page 75 of To Wed an Heiress
At the base of the stairs, she looked up at him. “I really can walk, Lennox. You can let me down now.”
He didn’t want to release her, so he kept silent as he mounted the steps.
“Really, Lennox.”
“We’re almost there,” he said, and he was right. He entered the room where she’d changed before and deposited her on the edge of the mattress. “There, safe and sound and without frozen feet.”
“I meant what I said earlier, about your being kind,” she said as he lit the lamp on the table beside the bed.
“I’ll start a fire. If you move the chair in front of the fire and put your dress there it should be dry by morning.”
She only nodded at him.
Even with her wet hair she was beautiful, her eyes wide and deep as she watched him. He wanted to be as kind as she thought him, but he was having thoughts he had no business having.
He opened the flue, grateful that he always inspected the chimneys in all the unoccupied rooms once a year. Bending, he started a fire, conscious of her eyes on him.
“Marry me.”
He slowly straightened, turning to look at her. She was still sitting on the edge of the mattress, clutching the valise to her chest.
“I beg your pardon?” he said, playing for time.
“Marry me. You can’t deny that it would be helpful to have an heiress for a wife. You could buy whatever you needed and never have to worry about money.”
He’d never considered that a woman might propose to him. That’s why he was struck dumb.
“I can spend my money the way I wish.”
“So, if you want to buy yourself a husband you can, is that it?” He didn’t know whether to be flattered or insulted.
“It would certainly solve my situation,” she said, staring at the far wall instead of him.
He should never have kissed her. He should never have given himself free rein to think about her. He should never have wondered at her thoughts or been pleased by the sound of her laughter.
“Mercy . . .” he began.
“You could finish the repairs on Duddingston Castle,” she interjected. “And have any amount of money you needed for your airships.”
Her face was bright pink, leading him to think that the words hadn’t been easy for her to say.
“Have you never thought of marrying?” she asked.
“No.”
She tilted her head slightly, her look one of skepticism. “Really? Not even to ensure an heir? Wouldn’t that be important to an earl?”
Her cheeks were even more flushed after that comment.
“I don’t really care what happens to the title.”
“That doesn’t sound like you,” she said. “You care about Duddingston Castle. Why wouldn’t you care about who became earl?”
“The two aren’t connected.”
She didn’t respond to that. The silence in the room was uncomfortable. He’d never thought to have this conversation with anyone, let alone Mercy.
“What about love?” she asked.
