“Oh?” Maddie had not. Every time she tried, the painful thoughts skidded away. It made her realize how tired and fraught she’d become. And she’d been that way since…she feared remembering her parents’ deaths could bring those pesky tears again. How sad they would be for her.
Hart gazed at her so carefully that Maddie feared he’d guessed, and she curled her fingers, resisting an impulse to rub her eyes.
“I’d like to get your thoughts on something,” Hart said when Jane left the room.
She nodded, wondering what it was.
“I am in need of a wife, Maddie.”
At first, she thought she must have misheard him. Her hand shook, and she almost spilled her tea when she saw he was serious. She put the cup down carefully. “I believed…” She could hardly reveal what her cousin said about his rakish lifestyle in her letter.
“You believed…?” he said, coaxing her.
She could hardly tell him her cousin had heard he didn’t wish to marry.
“You seemed happy to be a bachelor,” she said lamely.
He didn’t dispute it. “I’ll explain in more detail later, but briefly, in order to inherit from my uncle, I require a wife. He left some unusual conditions attached to his will.” He leaned toward her, searching her eyes. “And you need a husband. It is the only way to safeguard your inheritance, not to mention your life.”
Maddie traced the edge of the table with a trembling finger, wondering where this was leading. “Hart, is this a proposal of marriage?”
“You might call it that.”
Her chest was tight, and she could hardly breathe. “I’ve always considered my marriage would be one of romance, even love.”
“Love? That cannot be a concern when your life is at stake. This could be a mere formality. You cannot leave things as they are for long. Eventually, Wakeham will find you. If you must marry, why not me?”
She looked at him, askance. “You can’t just thrust this on me… I need to think…”
“It makes perfect sense,” he said warmly. “You will rescue me from a difficult situation. If I marry and restore my estate in the manner my uncle stipulated in his will, I will gain my inheritance, and all will be well.”
“All will be well,” Maddie echoed, staring at him. Hart made it sound so reasonable. Not a declaration of love. A mere formality to safeguard her life and his inheritance. It seemed so cold-blooded. Although he’d proved to be a stalwart friend, he didn’t love her. Not once had he even flirted with her. When they first met, she doubted he’d even liked her. And there was the undeniable fact of his rakish reputation. Her cousin had said as much. Although he’d never shown that side of himself to her. Apparently, she didn’t appeal to him in that way.
“I have heard of such arranged marriages.” She fought to keep the disappointment from her voice. She supposed she should be grateful. After all, Hart offered safety. A way out of her predicament. But gratitude was not an ideal way to begin a marriage.
He lifted his dark eyebrows. “Yes. Arranged marriages are popular because they often make perfect sense. They can be quite successful.”
Was she mad enough to condemn herself to such a life? When she wanted love and tenderness from a husband. And fidelity. If Hart was unfaithful, she doubted she’d be a wife who pretended not to know, or took a lover herself. He wouldn’t know that about her, or he might not ask her. “But you don’t know me. Or I you.”
His blue eyes sought hers, questioning. “We have a lifetime to discover each other, do we not?”
Although casually said, a frisson of sensation settled low in her stomach, and she almost gasped at the force of it. Would lovemaking be part of this arrangement? She wanted to ask, but didn’t dare. Hart was handsome and would be a fine lover, of that she was sure. She frowned. But that would not be enough for her. She wanted far more from a husband. And she feared she would be badly hurt.
“Why the frown? I know I’ve rushed this. But we have little time. Can you see the sense of it? Unless you find me a bad bargain?” His uncertainty only made him more attractive to her. No sign of the accomplished rake she had expected after reading her cousin’s letters.
“I… I…” She struggled for words, wanting to reassure him. He was anything but a bad bargain. Any woman in her right mind would want to marry him. “I really must have time to think,” she said at last.
“Of course. But remember, such a marriage can be whatever you choose it to be.”
“Oh?” Maddie was stunned at the deep regret his words caused. Would he wish to continue his bachelor lifestyle after they married? Or was he suggesting it would be all right for them both to stray? She wanted to ask him that too, but it might sound insensitive and insulting if she was wrong. This would be a marriage of convenience, she firmly told herself. Hart was not looking for a love match.
“But I will need an heir sometime in the future,” he said after a pause. He ran his hand through his dark, wavy hair. “I’m making a terrible hash of this, Maddie. But I think we will deal well together. Friendship is an excellent basis for a marriage.”
Heat flooded her neck, and she put her hand to her throat. Of course, an heir. She hadn’t thought of that. How intriguing he made it sound. She stared at his mouth and envisioned him making love to her. Her knees weakened as such thoughts threatened to sweep away her good sense.
He stood. “I’ll say goodbye. I must return home.” He smiled as he put on his hat. “Think about it, Maddie. The next time you see me, I will have Pearl with me.”
Maddie followed him outside. He was a good man and a wonderful friend. She watched him jump athletically into his curricle. He seemed to do everything with ease. Her cheeks burning, she went inside, where Jane stared at her. “Is everything all right, milady?”