Suzanna Medeiros by Lady Hathaway's Indecent Proposal Page B

the man’s heir.
    “Given how important Hathaway’s wealth was to you and your parents, surely you don’t expect me to believe provisions for your future weren’t made before your marriage.”
    She didn’t react to the sarcasm in his tone. “I won’t need to resort to begging in the street. But no one imagined I wouldn’t provide my husband with an heir, so the settlement outlined for that eventuality is a small one.” She hesitated and her eyes slid away from his before she continued. “I have spoken to our solicitor and he informs me that in cases where the widow is still of childbearing years, it is customary to wait a few months to ensure there is no heir on the way.”
    He couldn’t stop his gaze from moving to her abdomen, but given the loose fit of her gown, it was impossible to see if it concealed a small bump. The wave of bitterness that rose at her words caught him off guard.
    “I fail to see what this has to do with me.”
    He started to stand, but she reached across the small space that separated them and laid a hand on his knee. Her touch froze him to the spot and his awareness of the intimacy of their current situation intensified.
    She moved back and clasped her hands sedately in her lap, but she hadn’t been quick enough to keep him from seeing the telltale tremble in her fingers. “I am not with child,” she said as though nothing of import had just happened, “but I am hoping that will not be the case for long.”
    His mind was still on the unwanted rush of desire her touch had elicited, and so it took him several seconds before he realized what she was suggesting. Air rushed out of his lungs as the full implication of her words hit him. Why she’d summoned him here so early when no one would be about in the street to see his arrival. Why she’d closed the door to make sure the servants wouldn’t overhear their conversation.
    He welcomed the anger that rose swiftly within him, but he refused to let her see it. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing she could command more than polite curiosity from him.
    “I am afraid I still do not know what any of this has to do with me. I am sure your solicitor would be able to advise you much better than I.”
    A hint of frustration crossed her face before she masked it. Despite her attempt to appear detached and businesslike, the revealing expression told him she was more emotionally invested in their conversation than she wanted him to know.
    “You were never one to be so obtuse, Andrew.”
    “You will excuse me, Lady Hathaway, if I ask for some of that bluntness you promised me.”
    Her control was slipping, for this time he clearly saw her wince when he’d used her title. The narrowing of her eyes was minute, but she hadn’t been able to hide it. She didn’t speak for several long moments, long enough for him to think he had won. He was surprised, therefore, when she straightened, drew back her shoulders and met his gaze squarely.
    “I want to have a child and I would like you to be the father of that child.”
    Disbelief almost robbed him of words. When he opened his mouth to tell her exactly what he thought of her proposal, she continued, forestalling him.
    “I am under no illusion that we can continue our former relationship. I will make no demands of you and no one will know the child is yours.”
    Disappointment tinged the anger burning within him as she spoke. The deceitful, conniving woman sitting before him now, the one who would blithely make plans to defraud the heir to her husband’s estate of his rightful inheritance, bore no resemblance whatsoever to the woman he’d once known and loved.
    And with that realization came the certainty that he was well and truly free of the hold she had once held over him.
    He started to refuse, but something held him back. He might no longer love Miranda, but he couldn’t deny that he was still very attracted to her. And despite everything, this new woman sitting before him was a