“I did not,” Lord Dorchester said. “I have only givenyoupermission, and I have never rescinded it. And to be fair, I am glad that she has chosen you.”
Taken aback, Matthew asked, “Why is that, my lord?”
Lord Dorchester’s eyes traveled to the windows, and he whispered, “Spain is far away.”
The pain in Lord Dorchester’s expression was the same pain Matthew saw in the mirror each morning. It was Matthew’s fault that either of them felt it at all.
“I promise I’ll keep her close to you. I should have proposed when you gave me permission, but—” Matthew cut himself off. Excuses didn’t matter and Lord Dorchester knew every one of them. “I’ve brought shame upon your daughter, and I’ll marry her as soon as possible. I’ll purchase the special license—”
“No.”
Matthew’s stomach dropped.
Lord Dorchester set his brandy off to the side, and steepled his fingers on his desk. “To make this simple, I’ll do the talking. The only answers I want from you are ‘yes, sir’ or ‘no, sir.’ Is that clear?”
Matthew swallowed and nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Did anyone else see you tonight?”
“No, sir.”
“Assuming that Jasmine made it to her room undetected, the three of us are theonlyones who know what happened tonight. That means we have options.” Lord Dorchester said pointedly, “Tokeepthose options, this needs to remainquiet—if you understand my meaning.”
Don’t tell Lady Dorchester.
“Yes, sir.”
“My daughter deserves to be married in a church. My wife will expect alargewedding.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tomorrow, with my permission, you will begin courting my daughter for no less than two weeks. At the end of your courtship, you will propose to her with a suitable ring, and she will accept.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then banns will need to be read.”
Matthew’s brows rose. “Banns?!”
Banns would need to be read for three Sundays in arow. Three Sundays of opportunities for people to object. And if no one did, he could marry her in five weeks at the earliest! Duke Kendall’s birthday party was six weeks from now. On that timeline, he couldn’t take her on a honeymoon untilafterthat!
“There is no reason torush.” Lord Dorchester narrowed his eyes. “Or is there?”
Matthew gave a solid shake of his head. “No, sir.”
“After church, I want you back here—withflowers—to publicly ask my wife for permission to court Jasmine. Do not be late tomorrow, I willnotbe patient. We’ll leave it here for tonight.” Lord Dorchester murmured, “I imagine I won’t sleep once I break the news to my wife.”
“I’ll be here tomorrow, with flowers for Lady Jasmine and LadyDorchester.”
With a wave of his hand, Lord Dorchester dismissed him. “That’ll be all, Lord Lincolnshire.”
“Thank you for your understanding.” Matthew stood and bowed. “Goodnight, my lord.”
As he made his way to the door, Lord Dorchester called out.
“And Matthew?”
Matthew turned to him. The older man released a long exhale, and his shoulders fell. The disappointment in his eyes broke something deep inside Matthew.