by Ella Edon
And the perfect opportunity had just fallen squarely into his lap.
Seconds dragged on before Jerome settled on simply telling her the truth. “It will not be easy for you to pull yourself out of this situation.”
Louisa’s snapped her eyes up to him, narrowing them into slits. “Is that so? I beg to differ.”
“Why is that?” Jerome asked even though he already knew what her answer would be.
Louisa’s distrust deepened as she continued to glare at him. “You need only tell them that it was a mistake. Tell my parents that you do not wish to be married to me.”
“But that would be a lie,” Jerome said simply. “I do want to be married to you. Very much.”
A hint of pink shadowed her cheeks. Jerome assumed it was her anger. “You cannot be serious!” she gasped.
Jerome nodded. “I am quite serious, I assure you. I wish to be married to you, so let us.”
“But, I—" She broke off when she noticed how loud she was getting, “—I do not want to be married at all. Do you truly not understand that?”
“Your life will only grow more difficult from here, Miss Louisa,” Jerome said calmly. “Lady Warwick will not allow you to let this go so easily.”
“You do not have to worry about my mother. I will deal with her.”
“And what of the suitors she will send your way? What of the gentlemen who will constantly seek your company? Do you intend to let this continue for the rest of your life?”
“Once I am no longer of marriageable age, I am sure they will desist.”
Jerome scoffed lightly. “You are far too beautiful for that to be the case, no matter how much you might wish it to be so.”
Louisa blinked, her pink cheeks growing redder. But then her glare returned, and Jerome braced himself for what was to come. “As I said before, Mr. Cooper,” Louisa said in a low, furious voice. “There is no need to concern yourself with my affairs.”
Jerome’s frustration surged like a volcanic eruption. It was like talking to a brick wall, and though he knew she had every right to deny him if she wanted, he wished she wouldn’t. “Why do you not want to get married?”
Louisa’s eyes slid away. “That is none of your business.”
“You are right about that,” he said without hesitation and wasn’t surprised to see her astonishment. Clearly, she expected him to push her on this, expected him to weed the truth out of her. Like a bear rising to full height, Jerome could see her readying herself for the fight before her. Perhaps she was even eager for it, to prove whatever agenda she had against gentlemen. But Jerome was not here to argue with her. He wanted to gain her trust. He couldn’t leave here without making her come around to the idea of marrying him.
“I understand that you may have your reasons you would like to keep from me,” he continued. “I am not here to force them out of you. On the contrary, if you would like to take them to your grave, then so be it. But I also believe this will be a mutually beneficial option for us. You will be free of the pressure to be married, and I will have myself a wife. Surely, you can see that this is your best option right now.”
Louisa turned her head away from him, biting her lip. It was quite an endearing sight, even with the worry that shadowed her beautiful blue eyes. Jerome found himself staring, admiring. No wonder she is sought after by so many gentlemen. No matter what she does, she radiates loveliness.
After a long moment, she looked back at him. Jerome looked away quickly, and then cursed himself for being childish. His heart fluttered in his chest as he reclaimed her gaze, tilting his head in anticipation of what she was about to say next. She clearly didn’t want to give in, he could see. He knew she wanted to continue battling him tooth and nail until he set his sights elsewhere. But then she sighed, even as she lifted her chin challengingly, and hope bloomed in his chest.
“If I am to marry you, I would do so on only one condition.”
Jerome tried not to show the victory on his face. His lips trembled with a sudden smile, but he held it at bay as he asked, “And what might that be?”
“You will not dare to force yourself upon me. Ever.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. The quiet force coursing through her words were enough to kill the urge to smile. She said it with determination, with a slight tinge of desperation. Her eyes were utterly serious, not looking away from him for a moment. In that moment, it was clear to Jerome that whatever had caused her to think like this was irreparable. There was hidden trauma lingering beneath her conviction, and it had a surge of protectiveness sprouting suddenly within him.
Jerome nodded. He wanted her to see, through his gaze, through his movements, even though the stillness of his body, that he would not violate the trust she would be placing in him. “You have my word.”
Louisa took a deep shuddering breath, swallowing. Then, slowly, she rose. With stiff limbs, she made her way around the cluster of furniture toward the door. Jerome followed a bit behind her.
When she flung open the door, one of her sisters—Tereza—twirled away, pretending she had been walking casually by. Louisa said nothing, only watched as her sister hurried over to Selina, who was watching by the staircase. Louisa was silent as she stepped out into the hallway and made her way toward them. Jerome remained on her heels, keeping a few feet away from her.
When they returned to the foyer, Jerome saw that it wasn’t just the two younger King sisters giggling and whispering to each other, but the entire family was gathered. The only person Jerome did not see was the man who Louisa had been talking to when he’d first arrived. Jerome came to stop by her side, watching her face while she too looked around the foyer, as if she was searching for the other man. Something whispered across her face but was gone so quickly that Jerome couldn’t decipher what it was.
“Mother, Father,” Louisa began, her hands clasped before her. The Earl and Countess of Warwick turned expectantly toward her, not bothering to hide the fact that they had been talking about her. Louisa took another deep, silent breath, and then continued, “It is as you think. Mr. Cooper has asked for my hand in marriage and I have decided to accept.”
“Oh, heavens,” Lady Warwick gasped. Her eyes drifted over to Jerome, wide with disbelief. “This cannot be a dream, can it?”
“Mother…”
“It is as she says, my Lady,” Jerome said respectfully. Then, he turned his attention to the Earl of Warwick, bowing his head slightly. “Forgive me for failing to approach you regarding this matter. It happened quite suddenly, you see.”
“Nonsense, nonsense. I understand completely.” Not to Jerome’s surprise, the Earl of Warwick was quite easygoing, smiling even. “There is much we will have to talk about now. Come and speak with me in my study.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Jerome started off after the earl, but not after glimpsing at Louisa again, wanting to make sure she was all right.
She appeared to be resigned. She watched as he walked off, meeting his worried gaze. That usual suspicion crept into her eyes, but it wasn’t anything Jerome was worried about. What worried him was the shadow that would deepen her eyes, the tiny frown she made when her eyes drifted off. He wanted so badly to ask what was bothering her, but he knew it wasn’t his place. Even if they were newly betrothed to each other.
As he continued along behind the earl, Jerome heard Lady Warwick’s low whisper and the excited chatter of the sisters that was much too hushed to be discerned. Jerome didn’t know whether to smile or grimace at that. She would have a lot of explaining to do, but in the end, he’d gotten what he wanted.
A wife. Surely his father should be pleased.
Chapter Ten
“You cannot leave out a single detail!”
“Oh goodness, Selina.” Tereza rolled her eyes, waving her hand dismissively at her sister who sat by her side. Her eyes shone with intrigue. “If she dared to do such a thing, I would be quite cross. Louisa is a smart girl. She knows better than to do that.”
Charlotte shoo
k her head disappointingly, but there was no mistaking the clear interest on her own features. “Must you talk about your older sister as if she is not sitting right before you, Tereza?”
“I am only hoping she will not dare to hold back any information she thinks we need to know, that is all,” Tereza said simply. She turned to Lady Warwick, who was sitting on the other side of her. “What do you think, Mother? Did you know anything about this?”
“I was without a clue.” Lady Warwick sounded dazed, as if she couldn’t believe what was happening around her. Louisa was hardly listening to the unending banter amongst her sisters, so aware was she of her mother’s heated stare. Lady Warwick had not stopped looking at her since Selina and Tereza dragged her away from the foyer and back into the drawing room.
She was sitting in the same spot Jerome had been. Louisa almost thought she could feel the lingering warmth of his body, but that was outrageous. It was simply her embarrassment, she deduced, as she tried to avoid her mother’s eyes. Not the heat from the strapping body who had sat here minutes ago, but the simmering rage lingering deep within at the fact that she’d gotten herself in this situation.
That fact only bolstered her irritation. She had no one to blame but herself. And now, she would have to think up a story to get her sisters and her mother to understand why she’d done what she did. Stories that had nothing to do with her uncle.
“Well, Louisa?” Lady Warwick’s voice had her snapping back to attention. She looked up to see that her mother and all her sisters were staring expectantly at her. “Do you care to explain this sudden turn of events?”
Louisa huffed a nervous laugh. “What is there to explain? I am to be married. Is that not what you wanted?”
“Of course it is,” Lady Warwick responded simply. “But the last time we spoke, you were hellbent on living your life as a spinster. I only want to understand what has caused this sudden change.”
“Mother, isn’t it clear?” Selina cut in, her eyes sparkling. “It’s love! Oh, dear, I can hardly believe my dear sister is all grown up.”
“Oh, shut it,” Louisa said half-heartedly. The mere mention of love made her skin crawl.
“Is that not the case?” asked Charlotte in a calm manner. She looked quite confused as she pushed her spectacles further up her nose, but Louisa didn’t miss the worry underneath it all. She couldn’t blame her sister for being concerned. This was far too sudden a change to be anything but.
But for the life of her, Louisa couldn’t imagine how to answer that question. She wasn’t in love. She couldn’t lie and tell them that she was. But she also couldn’t admit that she’d made that announcement in order to keep her uncle away from her. That would only bring more questions she couldn’t possibly answer.
“Charlotte, did you not see the way Mr. Cooper was looking at her?” Tereza asked before Louisa got the chance to think of a response. “That should be clear as day!”
“How he was looking at me?” Louisa spoke up, flabbergasted.
Selina leaned closer. As the hopeless romantic of the family, Louisa was not surprised to see her so invested in this situation. “He couldn’t take his eyes off you for a second, Louisa. I wonder what he might have done had we not been there.”
“Selina,” Lady Warwick warned in a low voice. She still hadn’t lifted her gaze, as if she was waiting patiently to hear what Louisa had to say. Louisa still hadn’t come up with a suitable explanation.
“It is a bit far-fetched to say that she is in love,” Charlotte argued. “Louisa has never even entertained the idea.”
“Love is not something you can prepare for,” Tereza stated decisively. Selina gave her an agreeing nod.
Charlotte let out a low breath of frustration as she shook her head. “You two have not even allowed Louisa to say anything before you’ve begun jumping to your conclusions. Louisa, please tell us what has caused this change in you.”
Being put on the spot had never bothered Louisa before. She’d often been the subject of attention and was used to weeding her way out of it—or basking in its glow. Right now, Louisa hadn’t a clue what to say or do. She racked her brain for the correct words before deciding it might be best to stick as close to the truth as she possibly could. Lady Warwick would surely notice that something was wrong if she dared to stray too far.
“I have decided to take your advice, Mother,” she said, grateful for the fact that her tone was even. “I now believe it will be in my best interest to be married, if only to be away from these foolish gentlemen vying for my attention.”
Selina and Tereza giggled at that. Charlotte shook her head with a sigh. Lady Warwick only lifted a brow. “So, you believe Mr. Cooper would be the correct fit?”
“He is quite decent,” Louisa said, then remembered what she’d said about him in the past and quickly tried to change her words. “I must admit that I might have been a bit too harsh in the past, but I know now that he is not the man that I thought he was. He is kind, at least. And not foolish at all.”
That was the truth, and for some reason, it didn’t pain her to admit it. “Do you see?” Tereza murmured under her breath. “She is in love. The Louisa I know would have never said anything kind about a gentleman other than Father.”
“I have said plenty kind things about Kenneth,” Louisa defended but Tereza was already shaking her head.
“He does not count, and I am certain you know it.”
Louisa sighed softly. There was no use arguing with her. Selina and Tereza were bound to create scenarios in their heads, and trying to stop them would be like trying to stop the ocean from washing up onto the shore. Instead, Louisa turned her attention to the other two ladies in the room who regarded her with silent scrutiny. She couldn’t tell if Charlotte and Lady Warwick believed what she was saying, but she knew one thing for certain. This wedding would happen, whether they thought she was lying or not.
“Mother?” Charlotte turned to Lady Warwick. “What do you think of this?”
Louisa held her breath. Lady Warwick looked at her bespectacled daughter then back at Louisa before smiling softly. “What do I think? I have been trying to no avail to make her marry. I will not let go of his opportunity when it has fallen right into my lap.”
Charlotte looked a bit worried at that, but she said nothing. Lady Warwick rose and went to sit by Louisa. Without warning, she gathered Louisa into her arms. “I am so happy I can hardly think straight. I was beginning to think that I would truly see you grow old without a husband, but now I’m elated to know that I no longer have to worry about that.”
Louisa’s throat grew thick with emotion. She didn’t know whether to scream, cry, or laugh in utter disbelief that things had turned out this way. She’d been so determined, had carried this conviction with her ever since she’d grown to an age where she would be required to think of marriage at all. To think that in just one single, unthinking moment, she’d disrupted the very order of her life.
But then, her life had become disrupted the moment her uncle returned to the manor.
When Lady Warwick pulled away, Louisa forced a smile onto her face. “Do not get too comfortable now, Mother,” she said teasingly, not feeling the words even as she spoke them. “Perhaps I will change my mind and I will be quite alone tomorrow once again.”
Lady Warwick slapped her on the arm. “Do not speak like that! Heavens, you truly do know how to get on my bad side, don’t you?”
Louisa, despite all she was feeling, laughed at that. She did know how to get on her mother’s bad side, and this wasn’t it.
“You will not even get the chance, Louisa,” Selina said. “Mother will only set the wedding as soon as she possibly can.”
“Wonderful idea, Selina!” Lady Warwick sprang from her seat and went over to her daughter, pressing a happy kiss on her temple. Selina laughed at that. “You will be married by the end of next week, Louisa,” the countess went on. “Do not even think about getting out of it because it will not work.”
Ne
xt week? Louisa’s heart sank to the pits of her stomach.
“Do you not think next week will be too soon, Mother?” Charlotte spoke up. Louisa knew without a doubt that Charlotte must have seen the stricken look on Louisa’s face before she’d gotten the chance to wipe it away. “Perhaps you should give Louisa a bit more time. To enjoy being betrothed publicly, for example.”
“She will have more than enough time.” A glint appeared in her mother’s eyes and Louisa knew then and there that there would be no stopping her. “I should begin the preparations as soon as possible.”
With that said, Lady Warwick hurried out the room in a rush of excitement. Selina and Tereza went after her, no doubt to continue talking about this surprising turn of events in private. Louisa didn’t move, listening to their retreat. The moment the door closed behind them, she looked up at Charlotte.