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“Do not mock me,” she flared up at him, her eyes wide and furious. “You know very well what I mean.”

“Of course, I do,” he nodded, taking a seat, and gesturing for her to do the same. “And I also know that you worry too much. But I suppose, mothers always do.”

She frowned again. “Have you no mercy ruining a girl who is already under the scrutiny of the ton?”

He inhaled exasperatedly. “Both you and that thrill seeking scandal sheet know nothing. I have, in fact, proposed to the girl.”

She didn’t seem to have heard him, and she merely continued with her tirade as she had always done because his answer had always been the same. Only, not this time.

“Well, of course, you have because you are so selfish and egotistical that you think of no one else but you, and I honestly do not know when you will?—”

That was when her tirade ended. Her eyes widened, only then realizing what he had said. He could see that frown transform into a straight line on her face then her lips parted in a gasp. Finally, she grasped the full magnitude of his words.

“You… proposed to her?” she asked, her eyes wide with incredulity.

“Yes,” he said simply, eyeing her reaction. He was quite amused although he knew that it must have been quite a shock to her. She probably never thought that she would be hearing something like that from him.

“To a girl who was in a convent?” she asked, obviously for clarification purposes.

“Yes,” he nodded again. “Although for your information, she wasn’t a nun. She was just an oblate which is?—”

“I know what an oblate is,” she interrupted him, still with that incredulous look in her eyes. He doubted that she had heard anything even remotely shocking in her entire life.

“You know, Becky, despite what everyone thinks, I am not a monster,” he said simply, realizing that although his cousin loved him, she shared the opinion the ton had of him.

After all, he was a rake. And that reputation came with quite a few unflattering epithets, but monster was not one of them.

“I never said you were,” she was quick to correct him. “I am merely led by your behavior so far, but now… what happened with this girl… I am shocked.”

“I know,” he confirmed with a nod. “I can assure you that this came as a shock to me as well.”

She hesitated for a moment then asked what was on her mind. “Why is this girl special? Are you… in love with her?”

Now, it was his turn for his eyes to widen in disbelief. He couldn’t resist bursting into roaring laughter. The question was utterly ridiculous to even consider, and yet, she thought it possible. How utterly amusing!

Only once the onslaught of his laughter subsided was he able to provide her with an answer.

“In love? Don’t be ridiculous, Becky.” He tried to explain it in the simplest manner possible. “She was unlucky to get caught with me, and I was careless. And this is the consequence of being careless. It is as simple as that.”

He omitted mentioning the kiss and the fact that he was madly attracted to her and that he yearned to make her his. He had to admit that he wasn’t planning on making her officially his, in the marital sense of the word, but if bedding her had to entail marrying her, he was slowly coming to terms with it. After all, it would not be the first marriage of convenience in the world, nor would it certainly be the last.

“This is unlike you,” she admitted, the shock subsiding but still present.

He chuckled. “You don’t have a very good opinion of me, I see.”

“No, it’s not that,” she shook her head, almost smiling at his comment. “I’m just… stunned that you would even consider marrying. You… of all people.”

He shrugged. “Do not think I have changed my rakish ways, dear Becky. I am merely… adapting myself to the new situation. That is all.”

“You are adapting very well, I must say,” she confessed. “I never thought I would see the day.”

He laughed melodiously, utterly amused by her shock and her genuine reaction to his words. “Yes, I also thought there was a better chance of a hailstorm in July than of me getting married, but here we are.”

She pondered about it for a few more minutes then she smiled. She had suddenly come to terms with it; she had accepted the situation and realized that she loved it. “I think that is splendid news. It was high time you took your life and yourself more seriously.”

“No, no, wait a minute.” He shook his head, lifting his hands to the level of his chest in a mock surrender gesture. “I just told you, this doesn’t mean I’ve changed. I am merely being a goodman, not wanting to have someone else suffer for my own lack of judgment of a situation and how risky it was.”

“Yes, yes,” she smiled back at him. “You may claim that, but this is the first step of you maturing, and I am so glad to bear witness to it.”