“But you are.”

She could scarcely believe her ears. He was actually proposing to marry her, albeit with grave reluctance. “You don’t wish to wed me, my lord,” she reminded him. “You came all the way to England to claim a certain bride, remember? You are supposed to begin courting Sir Gawain Olwen’s niece soon.”

“That is beside the point.”

She pursed her lips. “Have you married every woman you had affairs with?”

The question seemed to catch him off guard. “Obviously not.”

“Why should it be different with me?”

“You know exactly why. Because you are not just any woman.”

“We should not be forced to wed simply because we made love. We can pretend it never happened.”

“Impossible. You could be pregnant with my child. Have you thought of that?”

Skye’s gaze arrested. No, she hadn’t thought of that. Aunt Isabella had told her about how to p

revent a man’s seed from taking root inside her body, but that had been the furthest thing from her mind last night.

“There is no help for it,” Hawkhurst stated darkly. “If there’s a child, we will have no choice but to wed.”

Skye opened her mouth to object, then shut it again. If word got out that she had spent the night in the earl’s bed and refused to wed him, she would likely be ruined. Certainly she would be if she bore a child out of wedlock, a transgression that would stain his honor as well. She could weather a scandal, of course; in fact, scandals were practically expected in her family. But she would never sentence a child to a life of illegitimacy. Not when she knew the stigma her cousin Jack had endured, being the bastard son of a European prince.

Yet she didn’t want to trap Lord Hawkhurst in marriage because she was with child. If she were to attempt such a calculating scheme, he would always hold it against her. No, she wanted him to love her first.

Perhaps that was a valid argument she could use, Skye realized. Having someone to love, to belong to, was vitally important to her, even more crucial than her desire to find the ideal mate.

There was no question that Hawkhurst was a man she could love. Yet the reverse might not be true. He’d already had the love of his life and buried her. Skye knew instinctively that it would take a great deal to make him fall in love again. And he would never give her that chance if she forced him to wed her.

“I will not marry you under such conditions, my lord,” she said firmly. “I want a husband who will love me.”

“What you want is also beside the point,” he retorted.

His insisting on marriage would upset all her careful evaluations. Skye felt a twinge of panic, but she tamped it down. She had gotten herself in this pickle, and she would have to get herself out.

She managed a calm smile. Sweetness was almost always more effective than stubbornness and belligerence.

“Your sentiment does you honor, my lord, but I cannot accept a proposal from you. I mean to remain in control of my own destiny.” Skye made a face and let her tone turn sincerely apologetic. “I confess that being the master of my fate is an irrational obsession of mine. But you see, I cannot marry you to satisfy some moral code of society’s.”

A muscle hardened in the earl’s jaw, but he seemed to realize the futility of further argument. With a grim look, Hawkhurst rose from the bed and snatched up his dressing gown from the floor. Pulling the garment on, he yanked the sash closed, then stood staring at her.

They were at an impasse, however, for she would not back down. Turning, he stalked to the door.

“Do you still mean to make me leave this morning?” Skye called after him in a purposely meek voice.

The look he shot her was withering before he strode out, shutting the door forcefully behind him.

Skye bit her lip hard, uncertain whether her outright refusal to consider marriage had helped her cause or hurt it.

She had meant her declaration about fate. She would never settle for a forced marriage if she could help it. And neither should Hawkhurst.

He shouldn’t be compelled to marry her out of obligation. Nor, for that matter, should he have to wed the Olwen girl out of duty, as was his current plan. Everything Skye had learned about young Miss Olwen pointed to her being a milk pudding. Hawkhurst didn’t deserve such a cold fate. Being locked in a loveless marriage of convenience with so unequal a mate would only cause him pain. And regardless of whether he was destined to be her own mate, Skye wanted desperately to save him from more pain. Which meant somehow preventing his pursuit of the Olwen chit.…

Skye went still as a sudden thought struck her. The possibility that she was with child might actually work in her favor. Surely Hawkhurst wouldn’t send her away until he knew if she was carrying his child. And until it was confirmed one way or the other, he wouldn’t be able to court Miss Olwen, either.

A thoughtful frown turned down the corners of Skye’s mouth. Suggesting a waiting period was likely the best way to delay his courtship of his mentor’s niece. However, she needed to give the earl a little time for his anger to cool off before making her suggestion.

Tags: Nicole Jordan Legendary Lovers Historical
Source: readsnovelonline.net