Page 17 of The Rules of Matrimony
She clasped her hands together. “But I hardly knowyou. Besides, of course, that you are prone to drinking and sleeping in strange places.”
His brow jumped. “Not that again. Let me clear this up once and for all. Do you recall smelling any alcohol on my waistcoat when you brazenly pressed your head to it?”
Brazen? That was a bit thick. “I wasn’t sniffing, I was listening for your heart.”
“Must I produce witnesses of my whereabouts from that morning or previous evening for you to trust me?”
She had met one of his relatives in the graveyard, and that woman had been kind. Amie couldn’t recall her name or her familial connection, but she had been a lady. An aunt perhaps? Too much had happened between then and now, and Amie had all but forgotten. Besides, she had never been tutored in the peerage and dared not admit to more failings. Maybe she could discover the relative another way and seek her opinion about Lord Reynolds. “I suppose I can trust your story, but can I trust you to keep your word on every other matter for the rest of my life?” Any other woman would’ve jumped at the opportunity to marry a viscount, but sucha leap would be foolish if this new situation proved worse than her current one.
He eyed her like he could not believe she was questioning his character. “You can be assured, I follow the honor code of a gentleman.”
“That is something, I suppose.” He at leastclaimedto be honorable. If she dared believe him.
“Except,” he continued, “when a rule in Society bothers me.”
“Oh.” She drew back. “What sort of rules bother you?”
“Most of them.”
She scoffed. “I cannot put my trust in that, Lord Reynolds. It is too vague.”
“I suppose it will come down to your desires. Do you want security?”
Amie nodded.
“Then, I shall provide it. You will have little reason to interact with me otherwise. Rule breaking or not. We must be together long enough to meet my parents and have a wedding, but beyond that is negotiable. I have a hunting lodge in my name that I rarely visit, and you can make your own. Though you might enjoy living with my mother, I will not subject you to my father.”
“And where will you live?”
“As it is clear by now that I do not get along with my father, not with him. He will have no reason to force me to London for the Season after I am wed. So, I suppose I will live in York until Parliament is out of session and then return to my hunting box or my London townhome. Once father dies, which won’t be for some time, I shall inherit an additional two estates, and you can move to either, should you wish to.”
She stared at the trees, not really seeing them. What choice did she have? Face ruination, or live an astonishingly comfortable life? The answer was simple. “Very well.”
“Good. Except ...”
“Except?”
Lord Reynolds straightened his jacket. “My father. He has to believe we are married in every sense of the word. A little playacting will be required when he is around. I believe we ought to make an effort to be together and take a trip or two a year to see my family. If you cannot agree to that end, the arrangement is off.”
“It is a small request, I suppose. If the same can be applied to my mother. I am her sole child, and she would take to her bed if she heard I’d married for independence.”
“A fair agreement.” He tapped his hand on the arm of the bench. “Now that we have both consented to this much, I thought to add a few rules for us to conduct ourselves by. Nothing overmuch, just three simple points to ensure this contractual marriage does not lead to anything more.”
“More?”
“Like falling in love.”
It was hardly perceptible, but she swore she saw the faintest hint of pink in his cheeks.
Well, she needed no rules. Who would dare fall in love with him? He did not seem the kind to even allow the thought of it.
“Number one,” he began, “no touching beyond being escorted into dinner or the like. I borrowed that idea from a good friend. It worked well for him for a time. Until it didn’t.” Lord Reynolds coughed into his hand.
“Why did it stop working?”
Lord Reynolds met her gaze head on. “He decided he liked to touch his wife.”
Her eyes widened, despite her attempt to temper her reaction. She gave a slow nod. “I see.” Yes, falling in love with Lord Reynolds would be completely out of the question. Even now, she felt herself inching away from him in fear of accidentally touching him.
