James bowed and departed, shutting the door quietly behind him.
‘Well?’ Amanda asked as she poured both teas and added a splash of milk to her own.
Dominic took the cup from his sister and placed it on the side table. ‘It seems your lady’s maid was wrong. Miss Regan was not enamoured with me. I asked her to marry me and she said no. Even after I offered her everything—a new life, one where she would never have to work again, where she could live in luxury rather than those tiny two rooms above her shop—she still said no and all but threw my proposal of marriage in my face.’
Amanda’s eyebrows knitted tighter together and she frowned at Dominic. ‘So, what exactly did you say to her?’
‘I’ve just told you. I asked her to marry me.’
‘And?’
He shook his head. What more did she need to know?
‘What else did you say?’
‘I don’t remember the exact words, but I promised her everything, offered her everything, but she said no.’
‘Did you tell her you loved her?’
‘What?’ He nodded, then shook his head. ‘Yes...no. I don’t remember, but surely that was implied anyway. After all, I was offering to marry her.’
Amanda picked up her cup, took a sip and looked at him over the rim. ‘If what you’ve told me is correct, it sounds to me more like you were offering her your homes and your money, not your love.’
He picked up his own teacup, then returned it to the side table. ‘It hardly matters, does it? I asked her to marry me, she said no, that’s the end of the matter.’
Amanda took another sip of her tea, put the cup back on the table, and sat up straighter, staring firmly at him, as if he was a child in need of instruction. One would think she was the elder sibling about to explain the ways of the world to her younger, less knowledgeable brother.
‘I’ve only known Nellie Regan for a short while, but I think I got to know her quite well while she was doing my hair. And there’s a few things you should realise.’
Dominic sighed in exasperation. It seemed now that his sister was being courted by a duke’s son she had assumed the role of family matriarch.
‘Even in that short time I could tell she is an independent woman and proud of the life she has made for herself,’ Amanda continued, ignoring his loud sigh. ‘But when you proposed to her, it sounds as though you forgot all about that. You effectively insulted her life by assuming she wanted to be taken away from it. That this is what she wants.’ She raised her hands and looked around, to indicate the surrounding drawing room and Lockhart Estate. ‘And you’re surprised that she rejected you?’
‘Well, surely she could see the advantages of living here.’ He followed her example and waved his arm around to encompass the large, elegantly furnished drawing room, the even larger house, which was one of the biggest in Kent, and the extensive lands that surrounded it. ‘And surely she could see how much I was giving up for her. If that’s not an expression of love I don’t know what is. I was prepared to marry an ex-lady’s maid. To give up the possibility of making an advantageous marriage and of elevating the family’s position in society. Instead I was risking our family being further shunned by society. And all because of her. Surely that shows how much I love her.’
Instead of the expected nod of agreement, Amanda’s eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open, before she recovered and quickly shut it. ‘Did you say that to her? Please tell me you didn’t say that to her?’
‘I don’t remember. Yes, I suppose so. Something like that. I wanted her to see how much I was prepared to sacrifice for her. How much I wanted to marry her.’
‘Oh, Dominic. You’re hopeless. You proposed to her by insulting her and the life she had made for herself. Then you went on to further insult her by telling her just how much you were prepared to demean yourself by marrying someone who was once in service. I don’t blame Nellie one little bit for turning you down. You’re a complete snob, Dominic.’
He stared at his sister, too stunned to answer.
It was her time to sigh loudly. ‘You think everyone wants to be rich, everyone wants to be titled, everyone wants to advance their position in society, just because you do. But Nellie wants something different. She’s good at what she does. She’s building up her business and wants to succeed in an area where she excels. She doesn’t care about status and I very much doubt she wants everything handed to her on a platter.’
Dominic needed something stronger than tea if he was to be forced to continue with this infernal discussion. He strode over to the sideboard, poured himself a large brandy from the crystal decanter and took a long, fortifying drink.
‘She made it very clear to me she doesn’t like being treated like a servant, that she expects people to respect her.’ He poured himself another drink and returned to his seat. ‘Well, if she was the wife of a wealthy man, she would never be treated like a servant again. Nor would she be treated like someone in trade. She would get all the respect she deserves.’ Dominic sent his sister a grim smile. He had proven his point.
Instead of accepting that he was right she shook her head slowly, as if surprised by his lack of intelligence. ‘She wants respect for who she is, what she’s achieved, not because of who she’s married to, who her husband is.’
Dominic swirled the brandy round in his glass. ‘Well,
