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“I’m about to lose it. Forever.”
His brow furrowed. “What’s happened? Are your parents well?”
“They’re moving to Bath, for my father’s health. And Winnover is actually owned by my grandfather.”
“The Duke of Welshire.”
“Precisely. And he has… rules about who may live there. It’s to be the next member of the family who marries.”
As he took that information in, she watched his face. He’d always been quick-witted, and she hoped he didn’t fail her now. If there was one thing she didn’t want, it was to look foolish.
“Your cousin, Penelope Ramsey, just accepted Howard Chase’s offer, did she not?”
Emmie nodded, surprised he knew even that much Society news. “She did.”
“So Winnover is hers now?”
“Not yet. She’s betrothed, but she isn’t yet married.”
“Ah.”
He turned her about the dance floor in silence. Was he looking for a way to turn her down without hurting her feelings? Or had he not yet caught on? She took another breath. Subtlety was for people with time. “We should get married, Will. You and I. Winnover Hall would be ours. It’s only a day from London, much more practical than your Arriss House in Yorkshire for a man who means to work for the government.”
His face paled, and she felt his shoulder stiffen beneath her hand. “I—”
“And I would be the perfect partner for you,” she pressed. “Just think of it. I know everyone, I have a duke for a grandfather, and we’d have Winnover’s substantial income. Our political dinners would become the hit of London. We’d have the prime minister himself dining with us every Wednesday.”
“So y—”
“I will devote every waking hour to your success,” she continued, before he could free himself and run away. Yes, she’d ambushed him, and yes, she was being horribly selfish and foolish, but she meant it. In exchange for keeping Winnover Hall, she would do everything in her power to help him to political success. “You wouldn’t regret it, Will.”
“Th—”
“Please consi—”
“Shut it, will you?” he protested, pulling her off the dance floor and barely avoiding a collision.
“I know it sounds mad, but—”
“Emmie. Allow me a moment to think, will you?”
“Oh. Yes. Of course.”
“Thank you.” He drew a breath. “Now. You want to marry me in order to keep Winnover Hall as your home, yes?”
The time for romance in her life had passed before it had begun, but for Winnover she would take friendship and a business partnership. “Yes.”
“And our marriage would accomplish that?”
“If we marry before Penelope does. And we’d have to produce an heir within five years in order to keep it.”
“Your grandfather is mad, Em.”
“I agree, though Winnover’s been passed down this way for ages.”
“Why me?”
He wouldn’t believe her if she flung something about long-simmering romantic feelings at him. While she’d been rather smitten by him as a child, that had been ages ago. They’d barely spoken in two years. “Because you’re my friend, and because you’ll put my talents to good use,” she said. “We don’t need to do any courting, we can wed quickly, and we understand each other’s motives. Political success for you, and Winnover for me.”