Page 32 of Surrender

“My future?” Theo asked quietly.

“It’s obvious you’re in love with Genevieve, and your mother and aunts believe she cares for you as well.” The earl’s lips twisted in a small, ironic smile, and he raised his hand as Theo started to deny the statement. “Your Aunt Constance has apparently seen something that has her deeply worried, although she won’t say what it is.”

“Christ almighty,” Theo muttered beneath his breath.

“Indeed.” The earl arched his eyebrows and stared at Theo for a long moment before curiosity settled on his face. “If you love her, why haven’t you offered for her?”

“She won’t have me,” Theo said without thinking, and the moment his father jerked with surprise, he groaned inwardly. Damnation.

“Are you saying you’ve proposed, and she said no?”

“Yes. She thinks I offered for her out of a sense of honor.”

Theo’s terse response made his father’s gaze narrow at him, and now it was his turn for his face to flush red. Speculation made Lord Melton arch his eyebrows before empathy settled on his face. Pushing himself away from the desk, the earl sat in the chair next to Theo.

The silence between them extended for several seconds as his father leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. Lord Melton studied the floor for a long moment before he spoke, but he didn’t look at Theo.

“I know you’ve heard the story about how your mother was kidnapped by a madman before we were married.”

“Yes, Father,” Theo’s somber nod emphasized he understood the story was still a painful one for his sire. Although he’d only heard the tale two or three times in his lifetime, he knew enough that his mother had almost been killed. His father blew out a harsh breath.

“What you haven’t heard is that I asked your mother to marry me several times before she was kidnapped, and she refused me each time.”

Lord Melton paused and continued to stare at the floor. After a lengthy silence, he lifted his head to look at Theo.

“When I met your mother, I fell in love the moment I saw her. I just didn’t realize it. I tried to distance myself from her, and I was not always a gentleman. I said and did some things that I’m still ashamed of to this day. Although your mother chides me when I mention it.”

The earl winced as if he’d experienced a physical blow, and the note of pain in his father’s voice made Theo’s chest tighten. Lord Melton reclined back in his chair and grabbed his chin between his fingers to rub his jaw while pressing his elbow into the arm of his chair. A thoughtful expression on his face, he met Theo’s gaze.

“Tell me why you think Genevieve refused you?” The question made Theo frown, knowing to guard his response.

“I believe she sees her background as a barrier that can’t be crossed.”

“Ahh, she thinks herself unworthy because of that bastard, Ruckley, and having been born in the East End.” The earl arched his eyebrows and nodded with understanding. “Her mother thought the same thing. Percy had the devil of a time convincing your aunt to marry him.”

“I’ve told her it doesn’t matter, but she refused to listen.”

“So, what do you intend to do?”

“Jamie asked me that same question last night, and I didn’t have an answer then anymore than I do now.”

Theo twisted the truth without it being a complete lie. Jamie had failed to realize what had happened between him and Genevieve, but his father would know the minute Theo shared his reasons for even contemplating the thought of forcing her hand. The last thing he wanted was to experience his father’s anger and disappointment in him.

“Perhaps declaring your feelings for her would be a good place to start.”

The moment his father suggested Theo tell Genevieve he was in love with her, his mind emphatically rejected the suggestion. The instant he confessed he was in love with her, it would make her resist him all that much harder. She’d think it was another ploy to convince her to marry him. When he didn’t respond to his father, the earl leaned forward and rested one hand on Theo’s shoulder.

“The worst mistake I made where your mother was concerned was not telling her how I felt when she was reunited with her grandfather and she left Melton House. I could have lost her, and she would never have known how much I loved her. I don’t want you to have any regrets down the road, Theo. If you love Genevieve, then I encourage you to tell her. The rest will work itself out.”

Chapter 9

The orchestra began playing another waltz when her dance partner left Genevieve at Vincent’s side. She’d not seen Theo all evening, and had assumed Vincent had been assigned chaperone duty for the evening. If she discovered later that the man had gone out on assignment without her, Genevieve would make his life miserable.

Looking up at the man her parents had rescued along with her and her other siblings from Ruckley’s servitude, Genevieve offered him a bright smile. A horse riding accident had left Vincent deaf several years ago, and using sign language, she said she needed some air as the ballroom was hot.

“I’ll go with you.” Although he couldn’t hear himself speak, Vincent’s voice was softer than most as he fought to keep from yelling when speaking with others.

“No. I need a few minutes alone,” Genevieve shook her head as she signed her reply. “I won’t be gone long, and I promise not to wander off the terrace. I’ll be quite safe.”