paused a moment to consider anything but her own impulsive feelings.
That was the pot calling the kettle black, wasn’t it? He’d gone to her house to apologize for a proposal he’d blurted out in haste, and now they were sitting in a room a hundred miles away, simply because he’d felt intrigued by her sudden disappearance and had developed the urge to follow her.
Perhaps they were more alike than not. “I don’t think you want to leave,” he said slowly, feeling out his opinion of her. “Your home is here. That’s why you went to see your parents, isn’t it? There’s no other reason to come within a county of them, unless you truly wanted to see them.” He was glad he’d never encountered them before. They were really, truly awful. But he did know a bit about wanting to please family, even if his wasn’t nearly as difficult.
She drew away a fraction, enough to tell him he’d set her back up. “I’ll thank you not to make assumptions about me—”
He placed his hand over hers. She yanked her hand away. “You asked me a question,” he said. “Let me answer. If you settle in Dublin, your son will be raised believing I’m his father, because that’s the story we’ve told. He’ll think I don’t give a farthing about him. Whatever happened between you and Finn, it’s probably better if I don’t know. But don’t take Oliver away and make it all but impossible for me to be there for him. My father didn’t give a farthing about me and I don’t wish that on any child. I would do my best for him, if you’d let me.”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t ask that of you. It’s not even reasonable. Who would do that?”
He knew without thinking. “I would.”
Her head tilted slightly as though she was trying to make sense of him. He couldn’t explain his answer, even to himself. “Why?” she asked quietly.
“Let me do what you’ve paid me to do.” And with that, he knew why he’d followed her. His job was not done yet. Ten thousand pounds was a lifetime of being her child’s father. Not a few hours.
For a few, buoyant seconds, she looked like she might agree. Then she tucked her hands into her lap, becoming very small. “You didn’t even know us before last week. Just…take the money. It’s yours. All I ask is that you never reveal the truth.”
There was no going back. His only path forward was in front of him. “It’s not that simple. I can’t have Oliver think I don’t care. I wouldn’t be able to face myself in the mirror.”
Because his mother was right. He couldn’t just walk away as though nothing had happened. He’d made a commitment. By God, he intended to honor it.
Now he knew why his brothers had been so adamant. He hadn’t been man enough to see it.
Elizabeth bit her lower lip. She looked away. “I won’t tell him it’s you, then. It’s not, anyway. You are not responsible. Please, leave us alone.”
He bit back a flippant argument that Oliver did need him. She needed him. The last hour proved it. “But I will know. Don’t you see? I will know I took him from his real father. How could I live with the guilt? A boy needs a father. If you won’t allow it to be Finn—”
“Finn!” she came out of her seat again. “Finn would take him! I can’t…I can’t be separated from my baby. I will die. ” Her voice cracked. Tears glistened in her eyes. “Nicholas has no use for me.”
He well understood the despair born of feeling useless. He hated knowing she felt that way about herself. Not even the threat of one of those tears falling, however, could sway him from his position. He folded his hands on the table. “You can’t leave.”
“Ha.” Her eyes slid away. “Spoken like a man. The law is always in your favor, isn’t it?”
He didn’t have a defense for that. “The thing is,” he said matter-of-factly, so as not to provoke another passionate outburst, “I don’t want you to leave. We must be able to think of a way to keep you here,
That was the pot calling the kettle black, wasn’t it? He’d gone to her house to apologize for a proposal he’d blurted out in haste, and now they were sitting in a room a hundred miles away, simply because he’d felt intrigued by her sudden disappearance and had developed the urge to follow her.
Perhaps they were more alike than not. “I don’t think you want to leave,” he said slowly, feeling out his opinion of her. “Your home is here. That’s why you went to see your parents, isn’t it? There’s no other reason to come within a county of them, unless you truly wanted to see them.” He was glad he’d never encountered them before. They were really, truly awful. But he did know a bit about wanting to please family, even if his wasn’t nearly as difficult.
She drew away a fraction, enough to tell him he’d set her back up. “I’ll thank you not to make assumptions about me—”
He placed his hand over hers. She yanked her hand away. “You asked me a question,” he said. “Let me answer. If you settle in Dublin, your son will be raised believing I’m his father, because that’s the story we’ve told. He’ll think I don’t give a farthing about him. Whatever happened between you and Finn, it’s probably better if I don’t know. But don’t take Oliver away and make it all but impossible for me to be there for him. My father didn’t give a farthing about me and I don’t wish that on any child. I would do my best for him, if you’d let me.”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t ask that of you. It’s not even reasonable. Who would do that?”
He knew without thinking. “I would.”
Her head tilted slightly as though she was trying to make sense of him. He couldn’t explain his answer, even to himself. “Why?” she asked quietly.
“Let me do what you’ve paid me to do.” And with that, he knew why he’d followed her. His job was not done yet. Ten thousand pounds was a lifetime of being her child’s father. Not a few hours.
For a few, buoyant seconds, she looked like she might agree. Then she tucked her hands into her lap, becoming very small. “You didn’t even know us before last week. Just…take the money. It’s yours. All I ask is that you never reveal the truth.”
There was no going back. His only path forward was in front of him. “It’s not that simple. I can’t have Oliver think I don’t care. I wouldn’t be able to face myself in the mirror.”
Because his mother was right. He couldn’t just walk away as though nothing had happened. He’d made a commitment. By God, he intended to honor it.
Now he knew why his brothers had been so adamant. He hadn’t been man enough to see it.
Elizabeth bit her lower lip. She looked away. “I won’t tell him it’s you, then. It’s not, anyway. You are not responsible. Please, leave us alone.”
He bit back a flippant argument that Oliver did need him. She needed him. The last hour proved it. “But I will know. Don’t you see? I will know I took him from his real father. How could I live with the guilt? A boy needs a father. If you won’t allow it to be Finn—”
“Finn!” she came out of her seat again. “Finn would take him! I can’t…I can’t be separated from my baby. I will die. ” Her voice cracked. Tears glistened in her eyes. “Nicholas has no use for me.”
He well understood the despair born of feeling useless. He hated knowing she felt that way about herself. Not even the threat of one of those tears falling, however, could sway him from his position. He folded his hands on the table. “You can’t leave.”
“Ha.” Her eyes slid away. “Spoken like a man. The law is always in your favor, isn’t it?”
He didn’t have a defense for that. “The thing is,” he said matter-of-factly, so as not to provoke another passionate outburst, “I don’t want you to leave. We must be able to think of a way to keep you here,
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