Page 134 of A Foolish Flirtation

“Titled and connected but possessing no fortune.”

A smile tugged at Jeremy’s lips. “Your father would have thought me a useless fop.”

“He would have loved your title though,” she pointed out practically.

Jeremy smiled. “I did not even possess that in those days.”

“You had the promise of it, however. He would have loved to think he had bought a title.”

He reached for her hand, drawing her closer. “Would you really have married me, if I was disowned and dispossessed?” he asked in a low voice.

“Yes,” she answered promptly. “I’ve always been an absolute fool where you are concerned, Jeremy Vance. Though…”

“What?”

“You’re right, of course,” she said regretfully. “Practically speaking, my father’s fortune could not have maintained this place for many years. If your father had left his money elsewhere, realistically you would have to have sold Vance Park as soon as you inherited it.”

“Don’t let’s be realistic,” he said swiftly. “Instead, tell me some more about how you would have supported your penniless young husband.”

It was Emmeline’s turn to smile. “I would have doted on you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I would have spoiled you and hung off your every word.”

“You could still do that,” he said quickly, “if the inclination took you.”

“And of course, I never would have even considered Humphrey.”

“How can you even think of mentioning him right now?” he said, sounding annoyed.

“It would have been a terrible scandal, wouldn’t it?” she whispered, laying a hand against his cheek.

“If we had eloped?” he asked, his expression of irritation fading.

“Yes.”

He nodded. “But then, we were already acquainted with scandal, you and I.” His smile faded and he said suddenly with feeling, “I wish to God I’d had the guts to do it.”

“To elope? So do I.” Her eyes turned dreamy, and he rolled her onto her back, lowering his face to hers.

“Except,” she said suddenly, putting a finger to his lips. He drew back to look at her. “We would not have Teddy. So, we can’t really regret that we did not marry young, can we?”

He blinked. “Yes, I suppose that is true.”

“What you probably should have done,” Emmeline continued musingly, “was approach me with that indecent proposal of yours. I, well, I probably would have not been able to resist you,” she admitted shamefacedly.

“Emmeline!” he said in a raspy voice.

“Well, you already know you had only to crook a finger at me, and I would follow you,” she said guiltily. “I had no dignity at all where you were concerned, as evidenced by that conservatory incident.”

“Emmeline,” he groaned, tightening his grip about her. “Don’t tell me that, for lord’s sake. I’ll be crooking my finger at you all hours of the day.” She laughed.

“I thought about making you my mistress a disgusting amount,” he confessed rawly. “I even told Atherton I wanted to approach your father about it at the time.”

Her mouth fell open. “Did you really?”

“Yes, so you see, I really was an absolute bastard with no scruples and precious few morals left to me.”

“But you did not approach him,” she pointed out gently as she tried to imagine how her father would have reacted. He would have been flabbergasted, she thought and almost burst out laughing.

“Only because I knew he would never agree to it. I looked into his reputation and realized such a thing would not fly with him, more’s the pity.”