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“She doesn’t need to know anything else about me. Not now.”
“Fanny probably suspects a lot more than she lets on.” The duke smiled. “Raised among thieves, you’ve come a long way from Seven Dials.”
The hair on the back of Jeremy’s neck rose. “I never said that I—”
“Didn’t have to. You don’t get to be my age without developing the skill of reading between the lines. As I mentioned when we first met, my daughter is fond of taking in strays. The more hopeless the case, the better. She has a knack of bringing out the best in most people she helps, though.”
Jeremy scowled, angry at hearing yet again that he was a charity case. None of them would let him forget it. “Her so-called generosity will bring her nothing but trouble, you know.”
“I think so too, which makes you the perfect man for the position I have in mind.”
Jeremy frowned. “What position would that be?”
“As her husband.”
“I never… I didn’t.”
The duke smiled. “There they are. The words of a man terrified a father might call him out for kissing his daughter.”
Jeremy gulped.
“More than kissing?” The duke shook his head. “I don’t need to know how far along your courtship has gone, only that it is a fact—and I expect you to marry my daughter, or I will make your life extremely uncomfortable.”
Every muscle in Jeremy’s body tightened, ready to take flight. “You can’t be serious. You’d hitch her to a gormless diver just to spare her the shame of having everyone know I got under her skirts?”
“Gormless?” The duke stood abruptly and drew closer. “Never, ever let me hear you speak of yourself like that again. It is beneath you.”
Jeremy drew back. “It’s what I am. A thief. She thinks I’m no better than a wh—” But he failed to complete that sentence. “I haven’t a clue what she wants but it will never be me.”
“Let me give you a little bit of advice since you seem dense to certain facts: there are no men in this world who can provide a woman with everything they wants.”
“Then why would you want her wed?”
“Because I’m growing older, son. I know what it’s like to not have someone, a best friend, by your side. To be overwhelmed by difficult choices and have no one you trust completely to confide in. I had my children, yes, but it is not the same as having a spouse.” The duke caught his eye. “Do you realize my second wife was one of Fanny’s strays?”
Jeremy shook his head quickly.
“Fanny rescued Gillian from a cruel employer. I won’t go into the details now but suffice to say, Fanny fought a dragon to free her and won herself another firm friend. But she made an enemy in society, too. Fanny, in her usual reckless fashion, took my Gillian home to stay with her—promising to help her find a better position. I feared the worst, of course, given that many of Fanny’s strays seem to hang about for far too long. But I found a use for Gillian as a paid companion to my youngest daughter.”
“You married her.”
“No one ever plans to fall in love. It just happens.” The duke put his hands to Jeremy’s shoulders and propelled him back to his former chair, pushing him down to sit in it. “I married Gillian after nearly a year of getting to know each other because our interest in each other was too strong to ignore. One of my daughters disapproved of Gillian strenuously and almost ruined my chances of winning her hand. But we eventually married, and we’ve been happily going along together ever since.” The duke smiled. “My point is, no matter the difficulties, they can be overcome very easily—but only if you talk through them.”
Jeremy squinted at the duke. The man clearly didn’t know what he was talking about. “She wanted to pay me for sleeping with her.”
The duke winced. “Badly done, and a sign that I was right. My daughter needs you.”
“She doesn’t need anything money can’t buy,” Jeremy said, feeling bitterness rise up inside him again.
The duke held up one hand, fingers spread, and ticked off each finger as he spoke. “Respect. Understanding. Patience. Protection on occasion. Eternal admiration. Did I mention patience? The fact that she tried to place limits on your relationship speaks volumes. She has considered where you might fit in her life.”
Jeremy shook his head. “She doesn’t want me.”
“She does, and even now, you’re having doubts about leaving, too, I can tell.” The duke pointed at him. “You respect my daughter—her intelligence, her capability. You also understand the many dangers that she’ll face in the coming years better than anyone. The more wealth she accumulates, the more the needy will flock to her door. Her heart will be touched again and again as she gives whatever is asked of her to the undeserving.”
“She is too generous with her charity,” Jeremy murmured. “She’ll run out of money one day.”