She realized that even with a thousand pounds up front, it would not be enough to purchase the leasehold. And there was no way to know if Robert’s book would be successful or not. It would take time before his book was published and the royalties would be coming in.
She felt uncomfortable asking Robert for more money and answered, “It does sound fair.”
“Then will you agree? I should so like for Sir Cecil to be able to move forward with publishing my book as soon as possible.”
“I would like a few days to think about it—if you do not mind. It is a big decision and I would like to discuss it with my parents and my friend, Adam.”
“Adam? Is he a friend or a suitor?” Robert asked with a hint of hesitation.
Diana prevaricated, then said, “Well, to be honest, the relationship is not clear cut. I would have to honestly answer by saying—he is a little bit of both.”
“I see,” he said contemplatively, as he looked at her with what she thought was a look of disappointment.
Chapter 6
They reached the stile and after they crossed over, they were headed back to Diana’s house when, as they were passing the Sinclair residence, Miriam and Geffrey ran out of the house and ran up to Diana, accosting her as Miriam shouted, “Come in for tea!”
“We saw you heading to the meadow earlier,” Geoffrey added.
“Oh, hello…”
“we are the Sinclair twins…”
She pointed to her brother and said, “Geoffrey…”
And he pointed to her, “and Mariam.”
“Robert Donnelly,” Diana introduced, as Robert offered his hand to shake.
“Are you…”
“a professor at the college?”
“No, I am an author, like your friend, Diana,” Robert said, but not introducing himself as the Earl of Donnelly.
“Then come inside for tea…”
“Robert, the author.”
Miriam grabbed hold of Robert’s hand as Geoffrey grabbed hold of Diana’s and led them inside, Robert laughing at the sudden turn of events.
* * *
Diana was amused as she watched Robert interact with her two bizarre friends. But he seemed to be enjoying himself all through the brief tea.
Finally, when they left, Diana took hold of Robert’s arm again and said, “I hope you didn’t mind having tea with my crazy friends. I was going to offer you a much more sedate tea time, but we were kidnapped and taken hostage.”
“Just like an episode out of my Amazon travels,” Robert said laughing.
When they reached the house, Diana offered Robert the opportunity to come inside, but he declined as they stood at her doorstep.
“What if I stop by again in two or three days? Might you have your answer for me by then?” he asked.
Diana smiled as she shook Robert’s hand. “I expect I shall. And I do look forward to seeing you again then.”
Robert raised her hand and kissed it. “Until we meet again,” he said and walked briskly away from the house toward the inn where he’d stabled his horse.
Diana found she was agitated as she watched him walk away. Not uncomfortably so, but feeling a mixture of anticipation, attraction, and concern. It was a strange combination of feelings, so she went inside and sat at the kitchen table where the quiet of the kitchen and comfort of the heat from the stove calmed and settled her.
She was suddenly taken with the need to tell Miriam and Geoffrey about the Earl’s offer. The subject had never come up at tea and she wanted to hear what they thought about this new opportunity, so she put on a sweater, as it was getting colder outside, and she headed to the Sinclair’s house.
“You are back,” Miriam squealed as she opened the door. “Oh, do come in. Are you going to tell us all about that enchanting man, Robert?”
“Well, I do have some news about that.”
“Who is that?” Geoffrey called out.”
“It is Diana with news,” she shouted back.”
“But did she not tell us all the news she had just minutes ago? What could possibly have happened since then?” he asked as he appeared in the entrance way.
“Ask her yourself, then,” Miriam scolded.
“Tell, tell. Is it about the divine Mr. Robert?” Geoffrey asked.
“More or less,” Diana said, “Come… sit with me so I can tell you. I need to know what you think.”
They headed to the sitting-room where the tea service was still sitting cold on the table.
“Now what I have to tell you must be in the strictest of confidence. Do you understand?”
They both nodded vigorously.
“Now, I mean it. Do not tell a soul or the literary furies will swoop down and peck out both of your eyes. Understand. Seriously.”
“Oh, come on and tell us. You are being so dramatic,” Miriam insisted.
Diana laid out the entirety of Robert’s offer then asked, “What do you think?”
“But who is he?”
“Have you read anything he has written?”
“He may be a serial killer for all you know,” the twins said all at once, overlapping each other.
“Now. Now. I know he is not a serial killer. He is the Earl of Donnelly to answer your first question.”
“He is?” they said in unison.
“Our Earl of Donnelly?” Geoffrey asked.
“Yes. And no, I have not read anything he has written.”
“But what if it is dreadful and it alienates all your readers?”
“I am sure it is not dreadful,” Diana insisted, “otherwise my publisher would not publish him and go to all the trouble of trying to find a surrogate author for him.”
“Now, that is an excellent point,” Miriam said. Then she added, “and he certainly is romantic himself, is he not?”
“He seemed very attentive to you,” Geoffrey said.
“Was he? I had not noticed,” Diana replied, but not so sure that what she said was true.
“Now you are getting away from the crux of my problem. Do you think it is a good idea for me to let him use my name to publish under? After all, my reputation is at stake, and if something goes wrong I could lose all my readers and what little income I have from my writing.”
“But what if he finds you wildly attractive and falls madly in love with you, then you would become Lady Donnelly,” Miriam rhapsodized.
“Do not get carried away. You are far too flighty. Come down to earth. This is strictly about a business agreement between the two of us,” Diana insisted.
“I would not be too certain that is all that is involved here,” Geoffrey hinted.
“You two are evil and wicked. I come to you for sound, practical advice and you ply me with your romantic fantasies.”
“But it could happen,” Miriam insisted. “He is like a white knight out of a dream. And you would be so perfect together. Both writers. Both so lovely looking. I imagine your babies would be dream babies too.”
Diana stood up. “Now you are not only ridiculous but also silly, and I am going to leave.”
“Take the offer,” Geoffrey said, matter-of-factly. “It’s a lovely down payment and if the book is successful you will make additional money. How can you lose?”
* * *
Back home, after fleeing the exhausting session with her friends, she calmed herself down by picking up a book and settling in by the fire to read. And after a few moments, she began to feel a little more relaxed when there was a knock again at the front door.
Her first thought was that Robert had something else he wanted to tell her and she went to answer. But it was not Robert, it was Adam.
“Oh, hello, Adam. Please, come in.”
He smiled broadly. “Thank you.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “Do you have your answer for me today, as you promised?” he asked, jumping right in with a bright expectation.
It took Diana a moment to realize what he was asking—about his marriage proposal. She had given it thought previ
ously and had come to the conclusion that marrying Adam was her best hope for securing her family’s security. But with the excitement of this new opportunity from Robert, she had not yet had time to consider if this change might free her from the need of accepting Adam’s proposal.
“Come into the sitting-room, Adam. There is a nice fire and we can talk.”
“Talk? Is there a need for talk?” he asked. “Is your answer to my proposal a yes or a no?”
Diana took his hand and led him to the chairs by the fire, and directed him to sit.
She began by briefly outlining the offer from Robert and what it might mean for her future.
“Are you going to accept?” Adam asked.
“I am leaning toward acceptance. Yes.”
“And how might that affect my proposal?” Adam asked a little concerned that she might be shying away from his offer.
Diana lowered her head and was quiet for a moment. Then she looked up at Adam and said, “Adam, I am going to be blunt with you. If I accept your proposal will you ask your father to guarantee whatever funds we will need to secure the new leasehold?”
Adam seemed a little agitated. “So your acceptance is dependent on a successful financial transaction?”
“Yes, Adam, it is.”
“And your feelings for me? Are they nothing?”
“No Adam,” she said with sympathy, “you know that is not my only motive. You know I care for you a great deal. We share many common interests and tender feelings. But the situation is such that the fate of my family is in my hands and I need to make sure my parents’ future is secure in this house. Please try and understand.”
Adam hung his head. “I do. Believe me, I do. But I want to be sure that you are marrying me for me and not just for what I can do for you financially.”
Diana stood and opened her arms to Adam. He responded by standing and taking her in his arms and kissing her cheek.
“Then your answer is a yes?” He asked, standing back to look into her eyes.”
“Yes, Adam, it is.”
“Then I will do everything within my power to help you with the loan,” he said with a big smile. “We are engaged. Think of that,” He said, throwing his arms up in the air. “We need to celebrate. Let us go and tell your mother.”
“Very well,” Diana said shyly.
Adam took her hand, kissed her on the cheek again and led her out the front door and over to the gallery.
Her mother was hanging a painting on a spot on the wall that was empty from the sale of a painting earlier that morning.
“Oh, hello, you two,” Mother said, still distracted by hanging the painting.
“We have an announcement,” Adam blurted out.
Mother turned to look at them. “And what might that be?” she asked as she stepped down from her small ladder.
“We are finally engaged—officially,” Adam shouted out.
Mother cast Diana a questioning look. “Really? How exciting. And have you set a date?”
“Not yet,” Adam said and turned to Diana. “Soon, yes?”
Diana shook her head. “Remember we decided that you needed to graduate first?”
Adam frowned. “But now…”
“No, Adam. An early marriage would only distract you from your goal of a degree. You promised me.”
“Yes, but that was before we became engaged.”
“It does not matter. And besides, a wedding takes time to organize.” She turned to her mother. “Does it not?”
Mother caught the plea in Diana’s eyes. “Yes, it most certainly does, young man. Proper arrangements must be made. You just ask your mother and I am sure she will concur. We will need at least six months.”
Adam’s face fell. “Six months?” he wailed. “I shall be an old man by then.”
Mother shot him a stern smile. “Oh, Adam, I am quite certain you will survive.”
* * *
That evening, Diana took her father aside after supper and sat him down in his study. She had already told him about the wedding and the offer from Robert Donnelly. Now she wanted to discuss the details.
“Are you marrying Adam because of the loan?” he immediately asked.
“Partially.”
“And do you love him?”
“I took your advice to heart, Father. Love is not always the primary reason for marriage, you advised me.”
“So you do not,” he said with a hint of sadness, as he tapped his pipe on the fireplace grate and added fresh tobacco and relit his pipe.
Diana was patient with him as he played out his pipe routine, as she knew it gave him time to think through an issue before he spoke.
“I care for him a great deal,” she said as he turned to look at her again.
“I am sorry I burdened you with that idea, daughter. And now I fear you are marrying him to secure the leasehold.”
Diana could not dispute his claim, remaining silent, and did not respond.
“And tell me more about this offer from the Earl? It does not sound quite right, somehow. Is it not dishonest to publish under another’s name?”
Diana explained again why the Earl could not publish under his own name.
“To publish under another’s name would be unthinkable in my day,” Father said.
“But Father you are an academic, and your name must be associated with your writings. You have gained wide recognition for your books and rightly so. But in the case of the Earl, it is fiction with different standards and expectations. It would hurt the Earl socially if he were to publish using his own name.”
“And do you plan to accept his offer?”
“Yes, Father, I do.”
Father sat back in his chair and studied the fire as he smoked before he said, “And you are certain you want to go through with this loan from Adam’s father? You think it wise?”
“Yes. I do. And I will need all the details from you as to how to set up the new leasehold and to whom the payment must be made.”
“I will take care of the details,” Father said. “Once Adam’s father agrees, I will contact him and make all the arrangements. There is no need for you to be involved. It sounds to me like you will have your hands full dealing with the Earl’s offer.”
Diana laughed. “Strange times, are they not, Father? I never foresaw any of this. I thought my life would just chug along like a little locomotive, spending my days at my little desk quietly churning out my little romances. And now everything is all changed and our lives are all rearranged.”
“Daughter, not much surprises me anymore. I learned long ago to accept what comes into our lives and make the best we can of the circumstances that come our way for either good or ill.”
Diana sat back in her chair and contemplated what an extraordinary day it had been and how her life was running away with her. It seemed she no longer had control over her own life. She did not know what would come of all of this craziness but she was content to let the events flow and reveal themselves in their proper time.
Chapter 7
“Amelia, you are quite the saucy vixen, are you not?” Ludlow Russell leaned in and attempted to give Amelia a kiss on the cheek, but she turned away from him. “How you taunt and test me,” he added as he stepped away and turned his back on her.
Ludlow Russell was the Viscount of Berwick and his estate abutted up against the Donnelly estate.
Amelia crossly looked up at Ludlow and snapped her fan in disapproval of his action. “I swear, Luddy, at times you behave quite unlike a gentleman.”
“What do you expect? You thwart me whenever I suggest we announce our wedding plans,” he said angrily.
“I have told you many times. I cannot marry until the Earl is married and his wife is expecting. The family must have an heir.”
Ludlow turned back and leaned in to her and whispered. “I could give you an heir,” he said suggestively.
This time she rose from her chair and began pacing. “The succession is not through me, as you well know.”
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