Page 72 of The Rules of Matrimony
Ian caught her hand as she passed. She looked up at him, curious about what he wanted. His warm gaze quickly made her forget whatever thoughts she had.
“Thank you, Amie,” he said. “You were right to bring me here.”
She could barely form words. “You’re welcome.”
His hand tightened, as if to keep her from pulling away. But she would never think to do that. “And thank you for sparing Mama. That means a great deal to me.” His thumb caressed the back of her hand, trailing a line of heat.
Her mouth curved into a small smile, and she nodded. The tenderest of smiles graced his own lips. Finally, he released her and eased into the chair she had vacated.
She stepped into the corridor and curled her hands around her arms. He had touched her again after swearing not to do so. She loved when he broke his own rules.
Slowly descending the stairs, she had one thought that persisted. Ian couldn’t listen to his father and annul their marriage. She was tired of feeling beneath him. For she was quite certain that when she and Ian touched, she was his equal. She had spent years fighting for a roof over her head, and now she wanted to fight for something far greater—for them.
In those few seconds with her hand in his, she had known her heart. She was in love with him. She had likely been so for some time and had not openly admitted it to herself. She gripped the banister tighter, a second realization dawning on her. Lord Kellen was responsible for her sudden determination. His words inspired her to hold on to her love and never let go.
How she had tried to ignore her feelings, telling herself that she would grow used to life without Ian. She knew now, without a shred of doubt, that her heart would always belong to him. No fear accompanied this realization, only peace and happiness. She wanted toprotect this new, growing emotion inside her. She couldn’t alter her past or her connections, as Lord Kellen wanted, but she would do everything in her power to support Ian in his passions. After seeing the glimmer of Ian’s smile as she’d left his side, she was nearly convinced that she could make him happy too.
She took another step down and froze again. One question could not be ignored: Would Ian ever let her love him? There was the matter of their contract and his deep-seated reasons for wanting to uphold it. Drat Lord Grumpy and his stubbornness. Could she persuade him to give their marriage a real chance before his father did otherwise?
If they stayed married, she had a lifetime to convince Ian to love her. But for some reason, she felt a clock ticking somewhere in her head and a sliver of fear telling her to convince him soon, or their future apart would be sealed.
Chapter 36
Ian crumpled the letter inhis hand. He dragged his gaze to his father’s bedchamber door, as if he could will him to be better, then looked down again at the ball of paper in his hand. Sir James was panicking. Their committee had been tallying vote predictions, and they weren’t even close to the majority. They had mere days to persuade the people. If they delayed, more lives would be unjustly lost—possibly for decades more.
Ian dragged his free hand over his jaw. He couldn’t abandon his family, but nor could he ignore this plight. He already had two men he employed copying the records from the Old Bailey, and the papers were piling up at his house.
He shook his head. It would have to be enough for now. He couldn’t leave when there was a doctor upstairs with his father, determining who knows what.
A doctor who had been up there long enough to make a proper diagnosis.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Ian hurried to his father’s bedchamber, anxious for news. He reached the doorway but did not cross the threshold. The doctor leaned over his father and checked his eyes, tested the use of his arms, and glanced down his throat. Father had woken a few short times yesterday but never when Ian was present.
That particular coincidence might have been divinely arranged.
Finally, the doctor rose to his full height, which did not even reach Ian’s shoulder. His expression, though, was as commanding as any Ian had met. “It’s a miracle you’re alive, Lord Kellen. Your heartis weak, but your will must be stronger. I’m giving you strict orders to stay in bed. You must continue to rest, or your health will easily succumb to the worst outcome imaginable.”
“I haven’t spent more than a day of my life in bed,” Father grumbled. His voice did not carry the same power it usually did, and his pallor matched the white of the pitcher on his bedside table.
The doctor chuckled. “This will take some getting used to, I imagine. Heed my advice all the same, Your Lordship. I must be off, as there is nothing more I can do. No need to see me out, Your Ladyship. I know the way.”
Ian’s father’s eyes set on him as the doctor passed by him in the doorway. Ian found himself holding his breath once more.
“What are you doing here?” Surprise laced every one of his father’s words.
Ian came into the room. “Visiting the sick.”
His father huffed. “Unless you’re here to announce your annulment, I don’t care to see you.”
“You don’t mean that,” Lady Kellen said, taking her husband’s hand.
“I do mean it.”
Mama shook her head. “You mustn’t upset yourself, dear.”
“It’s all right,” Ian interjected. “I will excuse myself for now. Maybe some rest will help him see things more clearly.” He likely should have kept that last part to himself and left before his father could stage a counterargument.
As soon as Ian rounded the corner, he sank against the wall. Relief spread through him. Father was alive. Seeing his eyes open and hearing his voice released a weight off Ian’s chest. The near-death experience hadn’t changed his father—no, that had been wishful thinking—but he was awake and that had to mean something. It felt oddly like a glimmer of a second chance, but Ian didn’t know if he could trust it. It would require him to see his father in a different light, and he wasn’t certain it was possible.
