Page 10 of The Lady’s Sweet Revenge (Safely in Scotland #3)

Her chair paused in its motion for a moment. She felt Reese stand upright rather than where he’d been hunched to reach the chair. What had she said that had surprised such a reaction from him?

“And of course, I will need to find another man who is not put off by freckles. Do you think there may be more of you, Lord Breckenridge?”

She shifted to the side so she might look over her shoulder at him. He was smiling.

“I think you’ll find many a man is not so put off by them. Especially not when the nose they are on belongs to a lovely woman.”

Was he flirting with her?

She supposed she should use the opportunity to sharpen her skills of flirtation as well, but for the life of her she couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Promise me you will not accept the first buck who proposes,” he said.

She’d told him she planned to do just that, but now days later she saw how rash that might be. Still she wanted to marry.

She frowned. “I’ll not accept an offer only to accept. But if the first buck who proposes meets my criteria, then I don’t care much for the order in which I’m asked.”

“And what is your criteria?” he asked as she assumed he would. She also knew if she said she wasn’t willing to discuss it, he would let it lie. As any well-mannered gentleman would. But she wanted to tell him. If only so she might know if her demands were too unreasonable.

“First, he must have a sense of humor. Not just fake charm as to laugh at my jests, but he must be able to make me laugh as well. I don’t wish to spend my life unamused.”

“Ah, should he wear a tasseled hat like a court jester?”

She shook her head. “There is a difference between being silly and being witty, and you well know it, my lord.”

“You think I know the difference because I, myself, am witty? Gracious. Have I unwittingly met one of your criterium?”

She laughed as he’d, no doubt, intended. She found flirting to be easier than she’d expected. Perhaps that was because of her partner.

“Breathe easy, my lord. It is but one of the criteria, you are in no danger.”

“Very well, then let’s hear the rest of the list.”

She swallowed for fear that telling him the rest of the list would not put his mind at ease. But there was one thing on her list she knew would disbar him from the competition.

“I would like a man who is kind,” she said.

“If you’ll recall, I did carry you to the safety of my home and care for you. I would say that’s not just kind, but gallant as well. Is being gallant on the list?”

“Gallant is not on the list.” Though she silently added it for it was a nice attribute indeed. “I would point out that you didn’t care for me yourself, but had others do it for you.”

He made a disgruntled sound behind her.

“I’ve read to ye. I carried you down to breakfast this very morning and secured a chair so ye might take the air. That took some care, I think.”

“All right. You are kind. Two things on the list.”

“And gallant would be a third,” he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear. She wouldn’t admit she’d added it.

“Patience,” she blurted out because it was important and he obviously had none.

“Hmm…” He pondered for a few seconds. “I have my moments of patience, but would not say I am a very patient person in general.”

“I have little to no patience, therefore the man I marry will need to have enough for both of us.”

“Like charm and humor, I would debate that patience should nay be confused with level-headedness. For I’m quite level-headed and I believe, given the way you were able to calmly escape the clutches of a ship full of marauders, you are very level-headed as well.”

“It may be true that patience could be exchanged evenly with level-headedness as I’m not sure what benefit true patience gets one.”

“Unless ye plan to sit in silence for great lengths of time, or you become tedious, I agree. I don’t see that patience would be such a desirable trait.”

“I’m not willing to remove it from my list, but will take your points under advisement.”

He parked the chair next to a bench and took a seat. She looked around noticing the bird flitting about. But before she had the chance to grow weary of the silence, he spoke again.

“What else is on the list?” he asked as if the silence was bothering him as well.

“He must enjoy living in the country, for I prefer it.”

“You do?” He tilted his head as if surprised.

“Yes. While our country home in Lancashire is not as vast as your castle in Scotland, it provides peace and quiet the city doesn’t afford.”

He laughed.

“What is wrong with wanting peace and quiet?” she pushed.

“Nothing at all, but I’m having trouble aligning the words peace and quiet with the picture you painted of you and your brothers. It sounded like a great deal of chaos and noise.”

He had her there, still she refused to let him know.

“All the more reason I crave it now.” That wasn’t exactly true. She rather disliked quiet. Her mind seemed to fill the silence with thoughts of things she should have done or not done.

“It’s never quiet here,” he said. “Not with the sea constantly flinging itself against the cliffs creating a constant hum.”

“I’ve noticed. But I don’t see the ocean.”

“It is that way,” he pointed. “And then down many flights of stairs to get to the shore. We won’t be descending them today.”

She nodded. “I find the vibrations through the stone calming.”

“I see,” he said, not agreeing or disagreeing with her. She waited but he said nothing else on the matter so she delivered the final and perhaps the most important item on the list.

“I want a father for my children.”

“I believe any man ye choose would be happy to provide children.”

Seeming unsettled, he stood and began pushing the chair again. It was yet again one of those improper things. They surely shouldn’t speak of children and definitely not how a man might want to get his wife with child.

She might have let it go, but she shook her head.

“No. I don’t just want a man to sire children.

I want a man who will be a real father. Like my own father.

The duke did not leave us in our nursery, only calling upon the heir when needed.

But he loves all of us. Many times he would be out in the fields playing next to us.

I want that love for my children as well. ”

“So it is revealed. Your list was somewhat sensible, but now you speak of a love match.”

She let out an annoyed sigh and tried to twist to look at him, but he was looking away. She let out a sigh.

“Of course, the first mention of emotions and the man begins to cast stones. I am not a silly girl, my lord. I understand finding a match is difficult enough and that demanding love be involved is a fantasy. Requiring love would diminish my chances to nothing, I would think. No, I do not require love between me and my husband, but friendship and respect. What I hope is that he would love his children, for it seems the simplest thing to do.”

Reese had stopped pushing the chair and after a long silence he cleared his throat. “I don’t think you have noticed the flowers over here at all. I’ll take you closer.”

She didn’t know what she had said that had rattled the earl, but it was clear enough she had. Perhaps the man realized he had more attributes on her list than first thought.

Not that it mattered, for his proposal had been wrought by duty and honor rather than any real desire to take her as his wife. Lord Breckenridge might meet all the criteria she’d wished for, but there was another she’d not mentioned for it was most important.

The man she married would want to do so, and it was clear Reese did not.