“What, by foot? A singular plan. Was that one of yours or Terry’s?”
“There’s a mail coach from the next village,” she retorted coldly. “I intend to take a seat on it.”
“I have a better idea.”
He took her hands in his and, although she tried to shake them off, held on tightly. “Eugenie . . .” he began, then shook his head. “No, not like this.” And he dropped to his knees on the dusty track, still holding her hands and gazing up at her. “Eugenie, will you elope with me to the border?”
“Elope?” she croaked.
He searched her eyes but found only mistrust and confusion. Impatiently he shook her hands. “I’m asking you to marry me, Eugenie. We can elope to the border if you like, or we can go home and get married at Somerton. I’ll even ask your family, all of your brothers. I suppose it’ll be impossible to ignore them when we’re related.”
She seemed stunned to silence.
“Eugenie, I know I’ve taken some time to come to this decision. I know I’ve fought against it. But that was because I didn’t understand. I do now. I want to marry you and live my life with you.”
“Sinclair,” she murmured, “how can we? It’s impossible. The—the scandal! And your family . . . no, I can’t allow you to do it.”
Sinclair had a sick feeling in his stomach. It had not occurred to him that she might say no, that she might not want to marry him for the very reasons he’d used before. He didn’t know if he could bear to hear her reject him.
“My family will be polite, I will make certain of it. They may not approve, they may not love you as I do, but why should we care for that? As for the scandal . . . there are new scandals every day. Something bigger and better will soon come along and occupy the minds of the gossips. Perhaps when they see how happy we are they will be shamed into letting us be.”
“They will never forget, Sinclair, and you know it.”
“So what? I will be the Bohemian duke who paints naked portraits of his wife, and you will be the girl whose great-grandmother was the mistress of a king. We will be asked everywhere; no society function will be a hit without us.”
For the first time Eugenie giggled. The shock of his proposal had swamped any joy she felt, but now the happiness was rising up to drown all doubts and negative considerations. And then she remembered the letter she’d written to her friends and the nonsense of the Husband Hunters Club.
“Sinclair, I should apologize again. I never meant to tell my friends I was going to marry you. They are all so much more eligible than me and I felt as if I should have something exciting to tell them, a possible husband who would be better than all of their choices. And you were the best, the most wonderful, man I could think of.”
“You can talk about this later. Right now I would like an answer. Will you marry me?”
He looked overwrought, as if he thought she was going to refuse him. What a turnup that would be, Eugenie Belmont refusing the Duke of Somerton! Turning down a proposal from the most eligible man in England!
She smiled.
He finally stood up. “Say something, for God’s sake!” he roared.
Eugenie put her arms about his neck and kissed him.
“Yes, Your Grace,” she whispered. “I will marry you.”
He gave a shout of joy, and then he lifted her and swung her around on the dusty road. Rufus raised his big head and gave them a quizzical look, and then, satisfied all was well, went back to cropping the grass.
Lizzie was sitting on a bollard by the towpath, gazing into space. She didn’t hear him approach and he hesitated, wondering whether he should just creep away and leave her alone. She deserved better than him. And what if she rejected him in her kind, gentle way? No, he couldn’t bear that. But neither could he bear not to know.
Gathering all his courage, Terry walked toward her.
She must have heard him then because she looked over her shoulder. Something flashed through her eyes but it was getting too dark for him to read, and then she had dropped her gaze and turned away again.
“I thought you had gone,” she said.
He tried to read the emotion in her voice but failed.
“My sister was eager to leave as soon as possible, but the duke had other ideas.”
She looked at him then. “Oh.” Her soft mouth curled into a smile.
“He’s promised me a commission in a good regiment in the army.”