He watched her shoulders droop. “I liked that you rescued me.”
“Then let me rescue you from this dress right now.” He brushed his hand down her arm. “I’ll leave you to take care of the rest.”
She gave a tentative nod and then turned. He began working his way down the buttons of the dress. “I just want to know that I’ll have choices. You saw Eliza. Isabella’s different but…” She stopped. “They make all the decisions. They take all the risks. I want to know that I am capable too. But I need room to make choices, mistakes, if I’m ever going to learn how.”
He removed her bodice and began working on her skirt. Brandon’s chest was tight with emotion. “You are capable of great compassion. More than I have ever seen. It humbles me.”
She turned toward him then, her gaze colliding with his. “Compassion does not give anyone control.”
“Not true,” he answered as he found himself sinking to his knees. She was still in her corset and her petticoats, but he pressed his forehead to her stomach. “Do you know what I would do, what I would give to keep you at my side? You have immense control over me.”
She gasped, even as her hands curled into his hair. “I didn’t think you cared for me like that. I thought I was just a means to an end.”
He held either side of her waist, as he tilted his head back to look at her. “Emily.” Her name came out rough. “I did not race to your rescue twice because I don’t care. I…” He was revealing too much.
The words were liable to start an avalanche of others.
And then he’d be begging her forgiveness for being so like his father. And she’d surely reject him after she knew what he’d put her family through.
She already suspected he was only serving himself. It’s why she felt so out of control. If he told her…Emily might very well leave him.
She ran her hands through his hair, cradling the base of his skull. “That does change things.”
“How?” he asked very quietly as he held his breath.
Emily lightly massaged his scalp. “I accept your proposal.”
Relief made him weak as he leaned his forehead against her stomach again. “Excellent.”
“But I have some conditions.”
He didn’t move. “Such as.”
“If you want to marry on the boat, I’ll concede but we need to have another ceremony with my sisters.”
“Done,” he answered, wrapping his arms about her waist. “What else?”
“I’ll have a say in the business and money that is my own. Also, each child we have must have an inheritance set aside at birth.”
That surprised him. He titled his head back. “You want control of the business?”
“I want to be part of it. To understand it.” She slid her hands to his cheeks. “I was left penniless and my sisters kept us from starving but…” She shook her head. “We should have had access to money. I’ll never be in that situation again and neither will any of my future daughters. They need choices.”
His throat closed and he swallowed a lump.
How had he not realized this? She’d been at the mercy of this world and he’d been taking more choices from her from the moment he’d walked into her life. “I concede.”
He understood her need. He’d been working for years to get his life back. And he’d hold his end of the bargain. But she should know how he’d taken advantage of this situation.
He should tell her the truth.
But he just couldn’t.
Chapter Eleven
Emily woke to sunshine streaming in through a porthole.
While the boat rocked, it was a slight movement that was far gentler than when she’d gone to bed.
She stood and glanced out the tiny window, expecting to see ocean. Instead, another ship blocked her view. Were they in port?
She’d have to wait to find out. She wore one of Brandon’s shirts, which only fell to mid-thigh, her legs entirely bare.
A soft knock sounded at the door. “Emily?” Brandon’s voice filled the cabin.
“Yes?” she turned.
“I’ve brought a dress for you.”
“Where are we?” she asked as she crossed the room.
“Just south of Harwich,” he answered as she opened the door a crack.
She must look a fright. She’d barely even braided her hair before collapsing into the bed. She could feel several lose strands about her face.
His gaze skimmed down her length, lingering on her legs. “Would you like someone to help you dress?”
Heat flamed in her cheeks. “No, thank you. Aunt Mildred can help me if it comes to that.”
He shook his head. “This ship is part of our fleet. You’re safe here and you needn’t call her your aunt while on board.”
Emily smiled at that. “I do believe her name is Caroline. She mentioned it once. But I have very little memory of the real Aunt Mildred, so it doesn’t matter.”
“It will.” He answered, looking away from her as he cleared his throat. “And I can help you dress, love. I’m about to be your husband.”
“Oh,” she said, opening the door a bit wider. “Husbands don’t really attend to their wives’ garments, do they?”
“Certainly,” he answered with a smile. “You’d be surprised at the intimacy of matrimony.”
“I suppose I will,” she answered, frowning. “My father was gone a great deal, which meant I didn’t witness my parents’ relationship all that much.”
“He insisted on conducting expansions himself.” Brandon said as he turned away from her. “But I do believe that Eliza and Menace are going to conduct the next business trip together.” He smiled over his shoulder. “I shall give you privacy while you put on your shift.”
She turned too, wishing there was a screen at least. But she quickly pulled his shirt over her head and pulled on her shift. Then she sat to
