Passion and Propriety (Hearts of Honour Book 1) (23 page)

“Hannah. How do you do?” Stepping forward, he offered her the bouquet he’d retrieved from the sideboard.

“William . . . how lovely.” The sight of her bringing the roses to her face and inhaling their perfume was worth all the bother the blooms had caused him. “I’ll just have Mrs Turner place these in a vase.”

When she returned, William took her hand in his. Bowing low, he closed the distance between her fingers and his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles. It was a forward gesture, but considering the limitations he’d placed on their relationship, he deemed it allowable. Her gasp of surprise justified the action . . . or so he hoped. Realising he might have offended her, his gaze shot to her face, but Hannah’s shy smile reassured him. With their hands linked, he directed her to sit beside him on the only available seat that would comfortably fit two.

“How did it go with my father?”

“Surprisingly well considering how ill-prepared I was to discuss my
faith
.” He eyed her pointedly.

“Oh . . .” She had the decency to look uncomfortable. “I had to convince him we believed the curse could be broken.”

“Otherwise your father would think I’m a monster for marrying you. I understand—”
 

“But a little warning would have been appreciated?” They shared a rueful smile. “What happens now?”
 

“Now I get down on one knee.” He sighed. “Or I would, but between my right leg and my left arm, I am not sure I would be able to get back up again.”

“There’s no need,” she quickly assured him. “As you’ve said, ours is to be a marriage of convenience. I don’t expect a formal proposal.”

William’s expression sobered. “Well, I do.”

Taking her hands in his, as best his left hand would allow, he turned in the seat to face her. “Miss Hannah Foster. Would you do me the exceeding honour of agreeing to become my wife?”

“I would,” Hannah replied without hesitation, and his shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank you, William, for everything.”

For a long moment, neither of them spoke, their gazes locked.

With a reluctant sigh, William glanced towards the closed door to the sitting room. “I suppose we should tell your family, or have you informed your sisters already?”

“Naomi suspects, but I haven’t said anything to Rachel yet. She was terribly upset after Mr Trowbridge’s visit, and I didn’t want to give her false hope in case you changed your mind.”

“There was no possibility of that happening.”

“You’re certain about all of this?”

He eyed her warily. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I’m not viscountess material.”

Hannah’s answer was not what he’d been expecting, and he exhaled as she continued.

“We both know if circumstances had been different, you would have chosen someone younger, prettier, and from a far more elevated family than mine.”

“I’m satisfied with my choice.” If they were going to venture down the path of “could haves and would haves” William feared he would come off the loser. How many intelligent, capable, and decidedly lovely young ladies—of whom he counted Hannah a prime example—would willingly choose a battle-scarred warrior with only two fully working limbs, let alone a
cursed
one?

“If you’re absolutely sure,” she said. “I’ll do my best to live up to expectations.”

Expectations be damned
, William thought but kept the view to himself. “You’ll do admirably, Hannah,” he said. Now that he had permission to use her name, he found he was inclined to say it often. “You’ve already proven yourself a worthy helpmeet. Not that I expect you to be burdened by estate matters once you’re my wife, of course. But I do look forward to the company of a sensible conversationalist.”

Hannah’s smile was hesitant, and William wished he could compliment her on its appeal. But he had promised their union would be purely platonic and didn’t want to alarm her with evidence of his very physical attraction.

“Shall we invite your family in?”

“There’s one more thing,” she said, colour rising to her cheeks, and he eyed her curiously. “I understand if you would rather not . . . and I do realise this is a rather impertinent request considering the circumstances surrounding our betrothal . . . and I certainly have no desire to offend you . . . nor do I wish for you to think of me as excessively forward, but—”

“Hannah.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Just say what you need to say.”

Still she hesitated, and he suspected he knew what was bothering her.

“If it’s about the girls’ dowries or your own position, you needn’t worry. I’ve decided on ten thousand pounds each for your sisters, which will give them a yearly income of five hundred pounds. For you, I’ll arrange a marriage settlement of one hundred thousand pounds.” Ignoring her splutter, he continued. “If anything happens to me, without an heir, the Blackthorn estate will return to the Crown. You’ll inherit my personal wealth, but I don’t want you to have to wait for my death to be financially independent.”

Hannah might blame herself for their predicament, but William believed she was being forced to pay an excessive price for saving his life.

“Is that what you were wondering about?” he asked when she continued to stare at him with her mouth agape.

“One hundred thousand pounds!” she said, her eyes like saucers. “I was only going to ask for a kiss . . . because I’m to be married—not properly, of course—and I’ve never been kissed. I just wanted to know what it felt like, but I see it was terribly wrong of me to ask for another thing in the face of your extraordinary generosity.”

It was William’s turn to be rendered speechless, his ability to respond only returning when Hannah dropped her gaze and attempted to pull her hands from his.

“I would gladly kiss you,” he blurted before scrambling to find a more suitable response. “
Because
it is generally allowed that a gentleman may share a kiss with his betrothed.”

Hannah’s shoulders sagged in what he hoped was relief. “I was worried you were offended by my request.”

“Not at all,” William said, deciding to act quickly in case she changed her mind. Closing the distance between them, he brought their mouths into alignment and pressed his lips to hers. It was Hannah’s first kiss, and he wanted to do it justice. But it was his first kiss also.

Her eyes remained open, and she kept perfectly still. Finding the angle a little awkward and not quite knowing what to do about their noses, William tilted his head. That seemed to work better, and he brushed his lips slowly over hers. They were warm, soft, wonderfully pliable, and he was forced to stifle a moan at the exquisite sensation touching them aroused. He certainly didn’t want to frighten or insult her, but neither was he ready to stop. He just hoped the kiss was living up to whatever expectations Hannah might have held.

A little encouragement would have been appreciated.

To his relief, her lips parted slightly, and he risked deepening the kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed, and he was optimistic it indicated enjoyment on her part. When she tentatively moved her mouth in response to his, William’s confidence grew.

Not wanting to miss a single moment of this unprecedented event, he tried to keep his eyes open, but he felt them closing of their own accord. To his surprise, the absence of sight heightened the sensation tenfold. Emboldened, he took the greater risk of releasing her hands and bringing his arms around her back to gently embrace her. Hannah’s body tensed beneath the featherlight pressure of his touch, and he wondered if he should withdraw. But then she relaxed, and he drew her closer.

Slowly, hesitantly, she ran her fingers up his chest and across his shoulders before circling her arms around his neck. Ill-prepared for the onslaught of desire that overtook him when their bodies came into contact, William released the moan he’d been stifling. Hannah responded in kind, her soft whimper music to his ears. They brushed their lips against one another’s repeatedly, tasting, caressing, and most definitely arousing. Realising how close he was to losing complete control, William’s good sense reasserted itself, and he reluctantly broke their connection. Opening his eyes, he saw Hannah’s doe-like expression. Her lips were still parted, and unable to resist, he leaned in to taste her mouth once more.

“Oh, my,” she whispered, when he sat back.

Oh my, indeed,
William silently agreed.

Chapter 20

Transition

Hannah stared at William in shock, mortification quickly replacing her sense of wonder.

What must he think of her?

She had practically plastered herself against his body. If the kiss had gone on any longer, Hannah feared she would have climbed onto his lap. To make matters worse,
she
hadn’t been the one to end it,
he
had.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered at the same time he said, “Please, forgive me.”

“Why are
you
apologising?” they said in unison.

William’s arms were still around her waist and Hannah’s hands upon his shoulders, but at a knock at the door they sprang apart.

“It’s gone awfully quiet in there. May we come in?” Hannah’s father asked as he popped his head around the door.

“Of course.” Hannah shot to her feet. “William and I were just, er . . . finalising the details of our agreement. We have an announcement to make.”

“Whatever could it be?” Naomi pursed her lips, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Hannah glared at her sister before glancing at William. His expression was unreadable, his hair dishevelled as a result of her
fingers running through it.

“Your sister has agreed to become my wife,” he said, and Hannah almost collapsed with relief. After her outrageous display, she wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d reneged on his offer.

Hannah had never felt desire before, well, certainly not to that degree. In hindsight, she realised the feeling had been awakening within her from the moment she’d begun caring for William. While her innocence was unfeigned, that didn’t mean she was ignorant of what occurred between a husband and wife. She’d been warned physical intimacy was a significant part of a marital relationship, she just hadn’t
expected her first experience of it to be so overwhelming.

Unfortunately, she had no time to consider her response to William’s kiss, as his announcement had taken effect. Her father appeared cautiously pleased and Naomi wary, but Rachel’s reaction was a different matter altogether.
 

“Hannah, you can’t . . . you
mustn’t
.” She turned to address William directly.
“Papa told me you’ve paid off his debt to Mr Trowbridge, for which I will be eternally grateful, but you cannot marry my sister. She’ll die!”

“Rachel!” Naomi and her father exclaimed in unison.

“I won’t die. I’ll be fine, I promise.” Hannah shot William an apologetic glance.

“Didn’t you listen to my sermon on Sunday?” the vicar asked. “Lord Blackthorn is well on the way to breaking the Blackthorn Curse, if he hasn’t done so already. There’s nothing to fear.”

“But what if you’re wrong?” Rachel asked, gesturing wildly. “You said God would heal Mama, and he didn’t. I can’t lose Hannah, too.” With a sob, she ran from the room and her footsteps pounded on the stairs.

“Well, that went well.” Naomi broke the stunned silence. “I’d better go after her.”
 

Mortified by Rachel’s display, Hannah could barely face William. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

“Your sister’s concern is perfectly understandable.” A muscle in his jaw flickered, and Hannah’s heart fell. A faint hope had resided within her that their marriage could be genuine and she would experience motherhood. But it was obvious any chance of convincing him to take the risk was unlikely.

“I’d best go.” She glanced towards the door.

“Of course.” William nodded. “I’ll have the banns posted and an announcement put in the papers in the next few days, but we’ll need to decide on a date.” Addressing Hannah’s father, he continued. “Sir, would you and your daughter be available to come for dinner later this week? Her younger sisters also . . . if they’re so inclined.”

Leaving William and her father to make arrangements, Hannah excused herself. To her relief Rachel had calmed, though her red and puffy eyes told the tale of her distress. “I should have let you know of William’s intentions before he arrived,” Hannah said, coming to sit beside her on the bed.

Throwing her arms around her eldest sister, Rachel began to sob anew. “I can’t bear the thought of you putting yourself at risk. At least tell me the two of you have formed an attachment.”

Hannah opened her mouth to berate Rachel’s impudence then snapped it shut. She’d spent so many years trying to fill in for their mother that sometimes she forgot to just be the girls’ sister.

“It’s a fair question,” Naomi said from the doorway. “We’d feel much better knowing there are tender feelings between the two of you despite the fact he’s marrying you to prevent a scandal.”

Hannah gulped. She’d considered revealing to her sisters that her marriage to William was to be one of convenience. But she feared Rachel was yet to outgrow the need to inform her friends of every aspect of her existence, and that Naomi wouldn’t understand.