Page 34 of From Unwanted to Duchess
CHAPTER 11
Frances
She stared at him as though he had entirely lost his mind, for he must have.
Had he really just told her that he was going to make her his wife? As though she had no say in the matter?
Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears.
Marriage. To him. As if she had no say in the matter. As if he’d named his price at the market, and the lead around her neck was about to be turned over.
“Excuse me?” she sputtered, the words coming out strained, which she hated.
“I said I’m going to make you my wife. You need a husband. I need a wife. Therefore, we should get married and solve both of our problems.”
“I did not know that my lack of a husband was a problem to be solved. I never found myself in dire need of a husband. It was Aunt Eugenia’s idea, which I am grateful for, but I can just as easily go back to Bedfordshire and find a husband with an honorable profession.”
“What? A miller? A farmer?”
“Yes, those are honorable professions,” she said. “Not that you would know.”
“Do not be silly. This is the best solution. We will have the banns read, then we will get married. We can stay in my townhouse for a while, and then we can go to my country seat in Somerset. You will like it. It’s pleasant, and it will remind you of Bedfordshire.”
Her head started spinning.
“Is this some elaborate prank? Because if it isn’t, then you are the most incorrigible, ridiculous person I’ve ever met.”
James sighed, as though her defiance were a mere inconvenience. He walked to the window and shook his head. “Aunt Eugenia would be happy about this.”
“Of course she would be. Wait, are you in cahoots with her? Because she hinted earlier about the two of us being a lovely match.”
He smiled. “Well, she isn’t wrong.”
“She is very wrong, and you are very wrong. In fact, there is something wrong with you. With your mind. Don’t you think that I have the right to make my own decisions? What makes you think that I am willing to become your wife?”
He shrugged. “It is the perfect solution. Perfectly simple.”
“Perfect solution?” she scoffed. “First, we started off strongly disliking each other due to your lofty attitude. Then, I thought we were finally getting along after that horrible experience at the theatre. Then, you decided not to talk to me for days. Now, here you are, demanding that I marry you. You don’t even?—”
“You wish for me to get down on one knee?” he asked. “I will if you want me to. I just didn’t take you for the sort of woman who enjoys such displays.”
Her mouth opened and closed. Truthfully, she hadn’t thought about how she wanted to be proposed to. But what she did know was that this was not it.
“Besides, what is this problem you need to solve? I thought that you did not want to get married and that you were perfectly happy the way you are.”
“I am,” he affirmed, turning back to her with his arms crossed. The defiant look on his face puzzled her.
“Then what is this problem of which you speak?” she demanded, tapping her right foot on the hardwood floor.
The Baron’s words came back to her. Something about bad news about his estate? What had he meant? Was this related?
James inhaled deeply through his nose and looked out at the street again. Music drifted through the walls, and Frances wondered if the Baron was at it again, or if somebody else had taken his place.
“I—” James broke off. “I…”
The Duke of Somerset was stammering? She had never thought she would see the day.
“Very well,” he huffed. “If you cannot be reasonable and see that this is best for you as well, I shall tell you the truth.”
