Page 32 of Miss Hawthorne’s Unlikely Husband (The Troublemakers Trilogy #3)

“I’m so sorry.” She unfolded his arms and embraced him tightly. She didn’t care if anyone saw. He tensed for a moment then hugged her back, laying his cheek against her head with a sigh.

“Don’t apologize, àirén,” he murmured softly. “I expected it.”

She lifted her head to meet his gaze. “You did, didn’t you?”

He hummed and brushed the hair at her temple with the back of his fingers. “And I couldn’t ask for a fiercer champion than you.”

“I meant every word of it.”

“I know you did.” He showed her the flowers. “These are for you.”

She took the bouquet, observing his floral choices with a growing smile; fiery tulips, irises and heliotrope.

The meaning behind them wasn’t lost on Elodia: passion, trust and devotion, respectively.

She’d asked him to call on her and he’d done so on time with a bouquet that meant so much more than red roses.

“How did I do?” he asked.

“Very well. Although it’s not at all surprising.”

He smiled and nodded. “Yes, I would have brought you lilies as I know they are your favorite, but none of them seemed to fit the occasion.”

“My favorite are the orange ones.”

“I know, but I thought it would be rather bad form to give you a bouquet of flowers which announced ‘deep hatred’.”

“Very wise of you.”

“I’ll save that for our anniversary when we’ve begun to thoroughly vex one another.” He winked at her and she couldn’t help but giggle. It was good to know Richard wasn’t giving up despite her father’s clear objections.

“Are you leaving now?” she asked, holding the fragrant bundle to her chest.

“Yes, I think it’s best,” he replied, resting his hand on her shoulder. He glanced at the upper floor for a moment, a somber expression on his face.

“But you won’t stay away.”

His eyes flicked back down to hers and he smiled before cupping her face in one hand, his thumb brushing lightly over her cheek. “Not from you, sweetheart.”

“I’m going to marry you. Don’t give up on me.”

He lifted an imperious eyebrow, “You think I’m that easily deterred?”

She shook her head and he pressed a kiss to her brow.

She went up on her toes for more, another kiss like he’d given her the day before, but he pressed his forehead to hers instead, keeping her in place and no doubt out of more trouble.

It was probably best, even if his breath left her lips tingling.

“I’ll see you later,” he murmured.

Later. And soon , she promised herself.

*

Thornfield House, London

Richard opted to walk back home instead of taking his carriage.

It was a short enough distance and he needed the time to sort out his thoughts before he returned home.

He was engaged to the most wonderful person.

A young woman of beauty, intelligence, passion and integrity who loved him enormously.

In choosing him for her husband, however, she had gone in direct opposition to her father.

Melbroke’s reaction to Richard’s suit was disappointing to be certain, but he couldn’t pretend to be surprised.

The man had been a viscount for over a decade at this point and there was no way it hadn’t had an effect on him.

It served as a sobering reminder, one was either a member of the nobility or not.

It didn’t matter how friendly they were to your face, or how much they praised you or admired you.

In the end, if you didn’t have a title, you were nothing in their eyes.

Elodia had been unexpectedly fierce. He’d known she wouldn’t stay quiet but he’d never fully witnessed how cutting her tongue could be when unleashed.

Listening to her defend him had gone a long way to softening the sting of Melbroke’s slanderous words but the issue still remained.

No matter how angry Elodia was, Melbroke was still her father, a man she loved deeply.

Their bond was rare and precious but it could be easily broken.

Melbroke was stubborn and fierce and Elodia was nothing if not her father’s daughter.

He reached Thornfield house faster than he’d expected, his long legs eating up the distance as he chewed over the current issue.

He loved Elodia and he had no intention of letting her go, but he would have to keep her from burning bridges with her father.

He entered through the front door and immediately noticed the unusual scent of mint and talc.

Mrs. Theo was here.

“Is that you, Thornfield?” The old woman’s voice called out, and he couldn’t help the smile it brought to his face. The cantankerous old woman reminded him so much of his grandmother. Her sharp tongue and warm smile had brought an unexpected comfort over the past year.

“Is that my mistress?” he called out, before walking into the sitting room. His elderly ‘mistress’, as he called her, was sitting on the sofa while A’wei served her tea. When she saw him, however, there was none of her typical fondness. No, her lined face was stern, almost cold.

A’wei glanced up at him with an anxious expression before standing. “Gēgē, Mrs. Burghley Harrison is here with a question for you.”

He had a horrible feeling he was about to be cut loose again. “Alright.”

“Are you playing with my niece?” she asked with no preamble.

Was she going to take the same line as her great nephew? That would be harder to stomach. “I beg your pardon?”

“Miss Elodia Hawthorne, my great great niece, are you playing a farce with her?” she repeated, thumping her cane on the parquet floor, every work crisp with temper.

“I am not,” he replied.

“A maid said she saw you kissing her in the garden.”

“You kissed Ellie?” A’wei gasped, her eyes wide with surprise but not dismay.

“In broad daylight,” Aunt Theo added.

He took a seat and met Aunt Theo’s eyes squarely. “I did kiss your niece.”

She frowned, “Eh, so you admit it?”

“I did kiss your niece, after I asked her to marry me and she accepted me.” There was nothing to be ashamed of. He had been perhaps a bit impolitic, but in the end, he regretted nothing.

“You are engaged to Ellie?” A’wei asked, leaning forward eagerly.

He spared her a glance. “I am.”

“Does her father know?” Aunt Theo asked. Yes, she would have focused on that.

“He does now.” For better or worse.

“And how did that go?” she asked wryly, as if she already knew the answer.

“Not well based on what I heard,” he replied, leaning back in the chair and crossing his legs.

“Ah.”

“Is that your only reason for coming to see me?” he asked.

“Well, it was. But your sister makes a suspiciously divine cup of tea, so seeing as I don’t have to box your ears, I have decided to stay a bit longer.”

“I am gratified to hear it.” He moved to sit beside her and took one of her gnarled hands in his. “I taught her everything she knows,” he told her in a low voice.

“Will you take some tea, gēgē?” A’wei asked.

“Yes,” He paused for a moment before continuing his conversation with Aunt Theo. “You don’t seem that shocked.”

“Because I’m not shocked. I suspected she was sweet on you for some time now. You are the one I was less certain of.”

“You appear to be the only one.” He accepted the cup A’wei handed him and gave her a small smile.

“How interesting.” Her eyebrows shot up.

The conversation wasn’t giving him any real indication of how she felt about him as a member of her family, and at this point, he needed to know. Even if it was painful. “I… I take it that you do not object to our marriage.”

She nearly spat out her tea before turning towards him. “Why on earth would I object to you marrying my niece?”

“I can think of two reasons,” he replied evenly.

“You think I am like my nephew?” she asked with something like offense on her face.

“Not exactly, but I expected some pushback from you.”

She sighed and set down her teacup and saucer. “I suppose if I didn’t know you as I do, I would have objected more.”

“It didn’t stop him.”

She nodded with a wry smile. “He doesn’t know you as well as you imagine he does. Everyone has their blind spots and Elodia is his. He’s entitled to that, I suppose; she is his child.”

“I don’t begrudge him his misgivings.”

“Oh, don’t stand on ceremony, boy, you can begrudge him a little.

He’s become a bit more snobbish with age.

When he was younger, he wouldn’t have batted an eye at you.

But now I think he’s settled into his role as viscount with all that comes with it.

He doesn’t see you as his equal but I think a part of him knows it is not an objective opinion, especially when it comes to Elodia. ”

“Meaning?”

She sighed wearily and Richard took her teacup and set it down for her.

“I don’t know if I can speak for him, but I believe when her mother died, he…

he very nearly followed her. Her passing was so unexpected and happened so quickly that he had no time to prepare himself.

It took some time for him to come to terms with staying on without her, and a good amount of that calculation was Ellie.

Whether she knows it or not, he survived because of her.

She has been his rock instead of the other way around and you have neatly snatched her away with no notice. ”

He knew that. He’d known it before she said it but it was gratifying to hear it said by someone who knew the viscount well. “I didn’t act alone. She had something to do with it.”

“I can believe that,” she said with a chuckle.

“There is another point of concern. Mrs. Thompson here married Sterling’s son, but that elevated her position without diminishing his.

Irrespective of my regard for you as a person, Thornfield, even I can acknowledge that for all your wealth and many other fine attributes, Elodia could likely face more difficulty as your wife than as her father’s daughter.

It isn’t fair, but it is a fact, and considering who her mother was, it is something Melbroke is keenly aware of. ”

“You think he’s more afraid for her than angry at me?” Richard asked.

She nodded. “I think he’s scared stiff.”