Page 45 of The Earl and the Reluctant Lady
“You are an extraordinary woman, Agnes.”
“I don’t see why, but thank you.”
“You are resourceful. It is a trait many women do not seem to possess. I must admit, though, that I find it odd Wakefield claims to be courting you only to protect you while your brother is out of town. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and the way you look at him. It seems quite obvious to me that the two of you belong together.”
A nervous giggle bubbled up out of Agnes. “Fletcher and I do not belong together.”
Sullivan waved his hand dismissively. “If you insist. But I thought to propose a counterproposal. We continue as we have been going. Wakefield works diligently pretending to court you, and I will continue as I’ve been so that my mother believes I am also courting you.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Eventually, Wakefield will realize he wants you for himself. Then when you are betrothed to him, my mother will believe me to be brokenhearted about losing you and give me a reprieve from the marriage mart. And everyone lives happily ever after.”
She couldn’t help but be amused. “Well, you certainly have it all figured out.” Her heart beat faster at the mere thought of being engaged to Fletcher. That would never work. Would it? No. As much as the idea made her heart pound with glee, her mind knew it would never work between the two of them. He’d never be faithful. He’d admitted as much himself.
“This would be a lot easier if we were a good match. You and I. We have a friendship, which is more than I can hope for in a marriage.”
“Agnes, you are likely the most beautiful woman in all of England. It seems ridiculous to think you cannot even hope for friendship when selecting a husband.”
“I know the two of us are merely friends. But you have done nothing to prevent people from believing that you have intentions of courting me. Why go to all that trouble?”
“Two reasons. The first being my mother. She has made it her life’s ambition to marry her children off, and despite being the eldest, I am the remaining unclaimed child. Which means all of her attention gets poured onto me. But I have no wish to marry. Anyone. Ever, if I can help it. There’s no pressure for me to produce an heir. I have three younger brothers, one of whom already had a son.”
She nodded. She certainly knew about parental pressure. Her mother badgered her often about securing a man. “And the second reason?”
“Miss Watkins, I truly mean you no offense. Were I interested at all in marrying, you would certainly be my first choice.” Again, he squeezed her hand. “In truth, I selected you specifically because you are a fascinating woman whom many of the men in this town find cold and unapproachable.”
“But you do not?”
“No. It was obvious to me that part of what some might deem as coldness is nothing more than you being rather shy.”
She’d never considered herself shy before, but she had to acknowledge that his observation made sense.
“But also, because your brother is slightly overprotective, and therefore I knew he wouldn’t force my hand. The minimal attention I gave you seemed to appease my mother. But I never meant you any harm. I figured since you weren’t particularly attracted to me, none of this would matter.”
That shocked her. “How do you know I’m not attracted to you? How can you tell?”
He chuckled. “A man knows if a woman finds him attractive, at least he does if he’s paying attention. For starters, you never look at me the way you do Wakefield.”
Her breath caught. Good heavens. Could other people see that? Had Fletcher, himself, noticed it?
“Also, the other evening when you kissed me,” Sullivan said.
“You’re going to have to be more specific. Are you saying you could tell from my kiss? Because you should take into consideration the fact that I am vastly inexperienced.”
“It was a perfectly pleasant kiss. Despite the fire I saw burning in your eyes, there was no passion in our embrace. I can only assume that your heated gaze had been put there during your dance with Wakefield.”
“So, you are not attracted to me, either?”
“That is not what I said.” He shook his head. “I’d have to be blind to not find you attractive. I do not wish to marry. And I would never suggest something so crude as an affair.” He shrugged, his smile affable. “I merely thought to propose an alternative to your current plan, something that would bring you happiness in the end. As you said, we are friends.”
She eyed him for a moment. “I do hope you realize I wasn’t trying to force your hand or manipulate you.”
“It would take a compromising position to force me into marriage, and I would never think you capable of such machinations.”
“I honestly hadn’t given any thought to you or how you would perceive Fletcher’s attentions. In truth, I have no desire to marry, either. This is my fifth Season, you know. I am hopefully weeks away from being put upon the shelf, as they say.”
He paused for a moment. “You want to be a spinster?”
“I have my reasons.” Though she hated the hope blooming in her chest, she couldn’t help but ask, “You truly believe Fletcher wants to be with me?”
“I have no doubt about that, my dear. I suspect the man is already halfway in love with you.”
