Page 49 of Loving a Noble Gentleman
Edmund stood up to greet Mary, and his eyes instantly ran down her body. He liked the look she had today. It seemed that she had reverted back to the more natural version of herself, which he preferred massively. The last time he had met up with her, she had her face filled with make-up, hiding all of her most beautiful features, and she also looked like she had her waist tightened with a corset. Today she did not have any of that; she was simply herself.
For a moment, Edmund was transported back to the moment they shared at her bookcase when they finally started to realise that there was something very real to the pair of them. That moment was special, powerful, life-changing ... and now that was all gone. Not only the relationship that they shared but the house in which they met. That belonged to someone else now, and Mary did not have anything from the house deal. Walter Thompson had stolen it all, and that was not right.
“Mary, I am so terribly sorry,” he started, his voice thick with emotion. “What happened to you was terrible.”
“Yes, it was.” Mary could not keep the stiffness from her tone. “And it was very unexpected too. I assumed that my father had good taste in people, that he was smart, but it seems that maybe I was wrong.”
“Right, yes.” Edmund did not know whether this also meant him or not, but he chose not to pursue it. The last thing he wanted to happen was an argument with Mary. “I would assume that he did not expect this to happen.”
“No.” Mary folded her arms across her chest. “I guess not.”
They stood in an uncomfortable silence for a while, just staring at one another. Both of them had a whole lot to say, but neither of them knew where to start. A lot of tension flowed in the air; it was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife.
“Do you ...” Edmund started, needing desperately to fill the silence. “Do you have any plans? I mean, I know that things are limited now, I just wanted to ...” He shook his head, internally cringing. “Urgh, I am sorry, that is a stupid question to ask after everything that you are suffering.”
Mary could not stop the small smile from spreading onto her lips at the expression on Edmund’s face. She could tell that he was really trying, and despite herself, she felt touched. It was nice to actually be cared about; it made her feel important in a way that she had not in a very long time.
“It is alright; you are correct in your assumption. I do need a plan. I guess I just have not worked out what that could be yet because ... well, I have nothing. No money, no home, no marriage prospects ...” Her words trailed off as she realised what a silly thing that was to say in front of him.
But Edmund was pleased that she had brought it up. It meant that he could address it too. “I will still marry you,” he said kindly. “I know that things have been difficult between us recently because of the mess with Lady Hartmon – which isnottrue by the way – but we can get past this. We can still ... just be together.”
Mary was taken aback; she could hardly believe the words that Edmund was saying to her. “Are you serious?” she gushed. “You would still marry me now? Even though I am ruined, and I have nothing to offer you?”
Mary could feel her cheeks growing wet, but she chose not to acknowledge that. She left the tears there as she focused solely on Duke Edmund. She had not wanted to see him, but now that he was here, she could not stop looking. She was drinking every inch of him in, committing him to memory in case this was the last time she ever got to see him.
Why is it that every time I see Edmund, I feel like it will be the last time? And why do I never want it to be?
“Of course. That does not matter to me. I have never wanted to marry you for that.” Edmund was a little incredulous; he assumed that he had never given that impression across at all. “I have always wanted to marry you for you. That is why I regret even going to the ball with Lady Hartmon there ... that should never have happened.”
“But that would ruin you ...”
“I am already ruined.”
Mary was silenced. She did not know how to take this. On the one hand, it would solve absolutely everything. She would have somewhere to live, financial security, and a husband, but on the other, she was not sure if she could do it. Maybe it was childish of her to still worry about what happened with Victoria with everything else that was going on, but she could not totally shake her pride off.
“That is so kind of you, Your Grace. I do not know how to thank you enough.”
“You could say yes,” Edmund said with a small smile. He started to feel like this was not going well at all. “I know this is complex, but it could be wonderful. Before things got all mixed up, we were good together.”
“We were,” Mary whispered. “We were.”
Her brain span as she imagined what her future could actually look like with Edmund in it. She had not planned for this; she had spent a lot of time planning the opposite, but now with him in front of her, she did not know what to say.
“Mary, please.” Edmund decided to try a different tactic and to just lay it all bare. After everything that they had been through, it felt good, to be honest. “I want to be married to you; I have wanted you to be my wife for a very long time. I still want that. Is that not what you want to?”
His genuine honesty affected Mary. She felt it race through her system. “Yes,” she whispered, getting swept up in the moment. “Yes, I do.”
Edmund’s heart lifted. He could finally see a light at the end of the long tunnel that he had been stuck in for far too long. “You do? So you want to get married?”
Mary glanced from side to side, checking that no one was listening to her. Then she leaned in closer to Edmund so that she could whisper to him. He was intrigued, so he pushed his ear forward to meet her lips.
“I am scared to leave this house,” she admitted to him. “I do not ever wish this information to get out, so I hope you understand that I am trusting you here.” Edmund nodded a little fearfully. “Lord Jones has got a terrible temper, and I fear it is getting worse every single day. I am scared for Charlotte and her unborn child.”
Edmund could not disagree with this; he had seen the bruise, and he could recognise exactly what was going on here. He could also understand why Mary did not want to leave that situation. “I see,” he murmured sadly.
“I am sorry. I really appreciate you being so kind to me and offering to marry me.” Mary pursed her lips tightly together. She hated what she had to say, Edmund could see that by the way her hands squeezed tightly together. “But I am truly scared for Charlotte. I cannot think of doing anything until I know that she is safe. I know she has sent for you, so it probably looks like I am overreacting ...”
“No, not at all.” the Duke had to agree; he knew that she was right. “I understand completely. Maybe ... maybe this is something that we can revisit at a later date.”
“I do not wish you to wait for me; that is not fair.” Of course it was what she wanted, but she could not expect it. It would not be fair for her to ask Edmund to take himself off the market for her when she did not know when she would be free. Thiswaseverything that she had been wanting, but now that it was put in front of her, she realised this was where her priorities lay. She had spent too long wallowing in misery when she needed to remember that Charlotte needed her, “I just have to sort this, then ...”
“Yes.” Edmund pushed himself into a standing position. “Then ...”
