She clutched the fabric of his shirt. Her heart was racing too fast, her hands shaking, and her eyes…
Oh drat. She squeezed them shut, willing away the tears.
It was the shock of it all, that was all.
His hands on her back were so large and so warm. So rough she could feel his callouses through the thin material of her dress.
When her breathing started to slow, he pulled back to look down at her and the threat of tears started all over again at the tenderness she saw there. His dark eyes were filled with a warmth she’d never seen before.
A warmth that wasn’t friendship and wasn’t familial—and yet it made her feel loved.
Ridiculous, obviously. But it helped to soothe her all the same.
“I’ll have Mrs. Tate ready a room for you,” he said.
She gulped, wanting to protest but knowing she’d lost this argument.
She bit her lip as she tried to resign herself to this new reality. “My family will be worried when I do not return.”
He eyed her steadily and she wondered if he knew that she was lying. There was every chance no one would even notice.
“We can send word that you are well.”
She frowned. “You wish me to tell them that I am well. That I am merely staying at a strange man’s home. Nothing to worry about.”
His lips twitched at her sarcasm. “I’d thought perhaps we could lie. Tell them you decided to stay at the school for the night.”
She nodded slowly. “I could say that I went there to see friends and lost track of time, perhaps.” Her voice trailed off. The details of her lie didn’t really matter. Her stepmother would likely be pleased to have her out of the house for a while and her father…
Well, she wasn’t even sure he knew she’d been staying with them.
She sighed. “Very well. I suppose I will have to talk to Miss Grayson tomorrow. Let her know what is happening so she can lie on my behalf should anyone ask.”
He nodded. “I’ll go with you.”
She wanted to argue but the truth was, she wasn’t certain she’d feel safe without him at her side.
“Come,” he said. “Let us get you situated so you can rest.”
She nodded, letting him lead her toward the door. She stopped as the biggest fear of all had her worrying her lower lip. “What will we say if anyone discovers that I’ve been staying here…with you?”
He eyed her for a long moment, and when he spoke his voice was low and even. “If that happens, we will just have to wed.”
9
The moment the words came out of his mouth, he knew it was a mistake.
Or rather, he knew that it was a mistake to say it aloud.
He also realized at the same exact time, that it was a mistake to say it aloud because…he meant it. He would marry her if it meant keeping her and her reputation safe. He stared at her blankly as the realization hit home.
He wasn’t certain who was more horrified.
She broke the silence with a wail. “I cannot marry you.”
Well then. It seemed Delilah was definitely the more horrified of the two.
“Then let us hope it does not come to that,” he said, hoping to end the discussion.
But she continued to gape at him in horror. “I cannot marry you,” she said again, changing the emphasis as though he might not have understood.
“Yes, you have said that already.” He kept his voice low and even. This conversation had to end. Now. He wasn’t an overly proud man. He’d never deluded himself into thinking he was so devastatingly handsome to those of the fairer sex. He knew he had none of the charm and manners that a young woman like Delilah expected. He’d been out of society too long to remember all that was proper and pleasing to a lady. And yet…
“I cannot marry you.” She was shaking her head now and looked frighteningly close to tears at the thought.
“Yes,” he said. “You have made this very clear.”
His pride stung. He could admit it. He’d never actually proposed to a lady before—in fact, up until tonight, he’d assumed he’d continue his life as a bachelor quite contentedly. From the moment he’d opted to live outside society and pursue justice instead of the life of a gentleman, he’d understood that he was likely not fit to marry. At least not a lady of the ton.
It was a lonely life he’d chosen, and he had no qualms with that. There were moments, of course, on long and lonely assignments, when perhaps he’d considered what it would be to have a partner to come home to, but even in those fantasies he’d known better than to imagine some society darling. No, what he needed was a helpmate. A woman with skills and prowess of her own. Someone strong who could face the dangers that came with his line of work.
Someone he wouldn’t have to worry about.
“I just...I meant to say…” She shook her head, apparently now too horrified to piece words together. Which was for the best as he had an inkling what she was about to say.
Again.
Sure enough… “I cannot—”
“Marry me. Yes, I understand that very well, Miss Clemmons. Your point has been made.” But you might not have a choice.
He did not say that, of course.
The poor girl was only just now recovering from her earlier shock. Her life had gone through an epic upheaval, and he couldn’t expect her to now understand and comprehend the fact that her life plans, such as they were, may have been forever altered.
“But I might have to,” she said, a high, breathless note in her voice hinting at hysteria. “That’s what you mean to say. I might have to marry you or risk total ruin.”
He studied her with increasing alarm.
She’d clearly been in shock earlier, just after the accident. That had been expected. Her life had been in
