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“It is about our partnership.”

“Partnership. Is that what we shall be calling this?”

“For now, yes. It is not quite a courtship, and we are not engaged, let alone married. Therefore, a partnership seems to be the preferable name for it.”

“Very well, I can do that. Is that all?”

“Of course not.” She laughed softly. “What I mean to say is that I have decided on a question to ask you.”

“You can ask me anything. I am more than willing to answer.”

“What do you want out of our time together?”

“That depends entirely on what you want. I am the one that has caused this, and so giving you the freedom to choose what we have is the least I can do.”

“Well, if anything, I caused all of this, but if I am given the choice, I must admit that I would prefer a marriage of convenience. I do not want to fall in love with you and be completely enamored with each other forever. It is not what I have ever wanted. I never saw myself as a wife, and now that I must be one, I want it to be as far from what is considered a match as possible.”

She wanted him to agree, but the smallest part of her couldn’t help but want the opposite. She couldn’t help but wonder what he would say if he had wanted her to love him, even if she knew it was ridiculous and unrealistic and not even what she wanted herself. She did not love him, and she did not want to love him, so she would refuse to. It was that easy.

“Very well, if that is what you want. We will be friends and never anything more. This will be a serious partnership, one with no feelings at all, almost as if it were a business transaction. Given our circumstances, it might be the best option that we have.”

Diana smiled and tried to ignore the small flicker of disappointment within her. She had no reason to be surprised; he had agreed with everything she had said since they had met,only ever disagreeing to tease her, and she found that she had quite liked it even if she had found it incredibly irritating at first.

“I also want you to spend some time with my sister,” she said quickly.

“Yes, you mentioned that. Has she warmed up to me at all yet?”

“A little, yes. She says that she trusts my judgment, and so if I am sure about you, then she will be too, but it cannot hurt for the two of you to at least find some common ground.”

“I have already offered to stand beside her should she ever wish to engage in scholarly topics with gentlemen again. I refuse to believe that they would say anything against her with me present.”

“I do not know that she would accept that. She is quite positive that she will eventually make her own way, with no need for a man to do it for her.”

“I wish she could see that I would be doing nothing for her.”

“But that is not the case. You would be frightening the other gentlemen into respecting her, which is not how we like to be. We like to command respect ourselves instead of relying on gentlemen to do it for us.”

“It is not a reliance, it is help. I understand that it has been the two of you for a long time, but it is clear to me that you and yoursister believe that you do not need anyone. If you only look, then you shall see that there are people willing to be there for you.”

“Are you one of those people?”

“I could be if you could find a way to let me.”

Once more she was too close to him, and once more she refused to change that.

“Let me show you how good it could be,” he said quietly.

She could not help but nod.

CHAPTER 7

All her life, Diana had dreamed that her father might one day become an upstanding member of society, one that would attend social events and laugh and joke like the other gentlemen.

She thought that, surely, if he could simply play the part, then the rest would follow suit and her life would become easier. This did not happen, of course, until the announcement of her engagement to the Duke.

“Where is he?” she asked Samantha, who was wandering aimlessly for what appeared to be the first time in her life.

“The Duke?” Samantha replied, only half listening to her. “I should think he is in his own residence. Why? Are you waiting for him? I did not know that he would be calling on you today.”