Page 34 of A Duke for Adela
He opened the box to reveal a star sapphire encircled by tiny diamonds. “Will you wear it for me?”
Adela gasped. “Do you dare trust me with anything so fine? Well, I know you must, but I can be so clumsy sometimes.”
She allowed him to slip it onto her finger, her eyes wide as he did so. “It is a little too large for your finger,” he murmured.
“Yes, perhaps we ought to set it back in the box for now. What if I lose it?”
“You won’t. I’d like you to wear it from now on. We will have it properly sized. In fact, we can attend to it today. Do you have any plans?”
“Other than to sit in Eloise’s garden and dream about you?” She emitted a soft, lilting laugh. “No, I am completely at leisure.”
“Good. We have a bit of running around to do besides getting that ring fitted.”
“Such as? And should we not tell Eloise what we’ve done before we begin traipsing around London? Phoebe ought to be told, as well. Oh, and you will need my father’s consent because I am still shy of my twenty-first birthday. I only turned twenty last month. How old are you, by the way? Or is this an impertinent question?”
“I am just shy of thirty, Adela.”
“And you held off marrying for this long? Women must have been pursuing you since you were sixteen.”
“Even earlier than that. You would be appalled to know how young I was when women first began propositioning me.”
“That is awful. But did none of them steal your heart?”
“No, not a one. Not even close.” He sighed. “You are fretting again. What is troubling you now?”
“I had hoped for a love marriage. But if you have never once been in love in all this time, then how will you ever fall in love with me?”
“Who is to say I won’t?”
“No one, but you must consider the odds. They are worse than I thought.”
He was not going to get into a discussion about love. It was pointless. He wasn’t in love with her nor could she possibly be in love with him in less than a week’s time. But she obviously had a strong streak of the romantic in her and wanted theirs to be a love match.
He liked that she had a logical mind that could sort out the most complex puzzles of the ancients and at the same time had a soft heart that yearned for romance.
In truth, he could fall in love with someone just like her.
Time would tell.
She certainly affected him.
Was this not a good starting point?
Eloise entered, putting an end to his and Adela’s private conversation.
She shrieked when she saw the ring on Adela’s finger. “I am delighted! We must tell Phoebe at once. When is the wedding to be? Dear me, I must write to your parents at once. They must be told the good news immediately. Your father will consent to the marriage, of course. I will insist upon it.”
“I have no doubt he will agree. He and my mother will dance a jig when they hear the news. They’ll want to know of our plans as they are firmed.” She emitted a breathless laugh. “We haven’t set a date yet. But is there a rush? We are betrothed and this ought to suffice for now.”
Ambrose had no intention of waiting.
Having made his decision, he wanted the matter done fast. “We’ll marry within a month’s time, Adela. I am not going to allow for an extended betrothal. I know what you are thinking.”
She tipped her pert chin in the air. “What am I thinking?”
“That if we wait long enough, the scandal will pass and I can quietly back out of marrying you. It is not going to happen. Stop thinking of me and worry about yourself a little, will you? My backing out, even if I am quiet as a mouse about it, will only create a fresh scandal for you.”
She sighed. “Are all dukes this persistent?”
