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Authors: Noelle Marchand
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have figured out how to handle her. My plan is to try to get the woman on our side in this. We’ll thank her for bringing this to our attention, assure her of our intentions to see you two married and ask her to help.”
“I think she’s done quite enough to help,” Lorelei scoffed, feeling her shock give way to anger at the situation. “What else could Mrs. Greene do?”
“Amelia has been a friend of mine for ten years,” Caroline said. “I think if I appeal to her sense of decency, she’ll help us preserve your reputations by staunching any negative gossip and correcting it with our own messages. From what Richard has told me of his confrontation with her, I believe her concern is to see that the proper thing is done. If the two of you marry, that should satisfy her.”
Sean shook his head. “Good luck with that. She doesn’t exactly love the O’Briens.”
“I think she’ll do this favor for me.”
“So you want him to propose in six weeks if Mrs. Greene is merciful. I suppose you expect us to fall in love in six weeks, as well.” Lorelei shook her head at the hopelessness of their predicament.
“I expect you to try,” her father replied. “Whether you do or not should be between you and only you. I want the town to think this is a perfectly normal romance. There will be fewer questions that way.” He glanced at Sean. “Do I have your word on that?”
“Before I agree to anything, I have a few questions of my own.” Sean shot to his feet and began to pace. “How could people think our courtship is normal when Lorelei was supposed to marry my best friend less than two weeks ago? People might think we’d been carrying on behind his back.”
“Your dislike for each other has been rather apparent the past few years. I doubt anyone would believe that.”
Sean crossed his arms. “Then why would they believe these silly rumors?”
“They aren’t rumors,” Caroline answered gently. “We’re looking at the facts here. Y’all did spend days alone together in the wilderness.”
Mr. Wilkins picked up where his wife left off. “Sean, the two of you could let all of this come to light. If you’re right and no one believes the allegation, your reputations might weather the storm. If people do believe it, you’ll still end up married because the town would see to that. The only difference is that you’d also be publicly disgraced. My wife and I would like to spare you that, but it means you’ll have to cooperate. Will you let us help you?”
Sean met Lorelei’s gaze for a long moment. She watched his emotions battle in his eyes until defeat won out. He gave a short nod. Lorelei’s fingers bit into her palms. “You’re really agreeing to this?”
“I don’t want this any more than you do, but it looks like there is no choice.”
For him to be that…fatalistic about even the thought of marrying her hurt more than she’d ever admit. She shook her head. “With a proposal like that, how can I say no?”
He sank onto the settee beside her. “I didn’t mean for it to sound that way, Lorelei. It’s just that this is so much bigger than us. It isn’t only my reputation I have to consider—any gossip that’s spread about me would reflect badly on my family, too. I can’t do that to Ellie or Kate, not when it’s my fault for letting this situation occur. I knew the moment Miss Elmira went missing that this had the potential to blow up in our faces. I’d like to control the explosion however I can.”
She forced herself to calm her rapid breathing as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Sean was agreeing to marry her. For so many years, she’d longed for a moment like this between them—now she deplored it. It didn’t mean that he loved her. It simply meant that he was doing his duty. Logically, it was the best option. Emotionally—it just felt plain awful. At least she didn’t love him anymore. That would have sealed the hopelessness of her fate.
A wry smile
“I think she’s done quite enough to help,” Lorelei scoffed, feeling her shock give way to anger at the situation. “What else could Mrs. Greene do?”
“Amelia has been a friend of mine for ten years,” Caroline said. “I think if I appeal to her sense of decency, she’ll help us preserve your reputations by staunching any negative gossip and correcting it with our own messages. From what Richard has told me of his confrontation with her, I believe her concern is to see that the proper thing is done. If the two of you marry, that should satisfy her.”
Sean shook his head. “Good luck with that. She doesn’t exactly love the O’Briens.”
“I think she’ll do this favor for me.”
“So you want him to propose in six weeks if Mrs. Greene is merciful. I suppose you expect us to fall in love in six weeks, as well.” Lorelei shook her head at the hopelessness of their predicament.
“I expect you to try,” her father replied. “Whether you do or not should be between you and only you. I want the town to think this is a perfectly normal romance. There will be fewer questions that way.” He glanced at Sean. “Do I have your word on that?”
“Before I agree to anything, I have a few questions of my own.” Sean shot to his feet and began to pace. “How could people think our courtship is normal when Lorelei was supposed to marry my best friend less than two weeks ago? People might think we’d been carrying on behind his back.”
“Your dislike for each other has been rather apparent the past few years. I doubt anyone would believe that.”
Sean crossed his arms. “Then why would they believe these silly rumors?”
“They aren’t rumors,” Caroline answered gently. “We’re looking at the facts here. Y’all did spend days alone together in the wilderness.”
Mr. Wilkins picked up where his wife left off. “Sean, the two of you could let all of this come to light. If you’re right and no one believes the allegation, your reputations might weather the storm. If people do believe it, you’ll still end up married because the town would see to that. The only difference is that you’d also be publicly disgraced. My wife and I would like to spare you that, but it means you’ll have to cooperate. Will you let us help you?”
Sean met Lorelei’s gaze for a long moment. She watched his emotions battle in his eyes until defeat won out. He gave a short nod. Lorelei’s fingers bit into her palms. “You’re really agreeing to this?”
“I don’t want this any more than you do, but it looks like there is no choice.”
For him to be that…fatalistic about even the thought of marrying her hurt more than she’d ever admit. She shook her head. “With a proposal like that, how can I say no?”
He sank onto the settee beside her. “I didn’t mean for it to sound that way, Lorelei. It’s just that this is so much bigger than us. It isn’t only my reputation I have to consider—any gossip that’s spread about me would reflect badly on my family, too. I can’t do that to Ellie or Kate, not when it’s my fault for letting this situation occur. I knew the moment Miss Elmira went missing that this had the potential to blow up in our faces. I’d like to control the explosion however I can.”
She forced herself to calm her rapid breathing as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Sean was agreeing to marry her. For so many years, she’d longed for a moment like this between them—now she deplored it. It didn’t mean that he loved her. It simply meant that he was doing his duty. Logically, it was the best option. Emotionally—it just felt plain awful. At least she didn’t love him anymore. That would have sealed the hopelessness of her fate.
A wry smile
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