For the Love of the Viscount by Callie Hutton

Author:Callie Hutton [Hutton, Callie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-03-16T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Elise turned to him, her mouth agape. “Married!” He was afraid after all their activities not drawing any attention, her outburst would be the one that would have her family—particularly her father—pounding on the door. Of course what her father would demand was precisely what he’d just suggested.

“Yes. You know, that ceremony performed in front of witnesses where one pledges his troth to another?” Somehow it didn’t appear that Elise found his flippant remarks humorous. “Why not?”

“Not only do I not believe you just said I think we should get married, but I’m finding it hard to understand why you think I should agree with you.”

“I think we would rub along quite well.” In fact, even though he’d blurted it out, the more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed to be. He would undoubtedly enjoy climbing into bed every night with Elise. She certainly showed a great deal of enthusiasm and adventure. And even though he had his brother and nephew to inherit, maybe he could have a son of his own.

The thought was warming. He could have a son whom he would never abandon, either from running away or by killing himself.

“How very ton of you,” she sniffed.

He frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Rubbing along together is no reason for us to get married.”

“Well, maybe the fact that we we’re sitting in your bed naked as the day we were born might be.”

“I thought we agreed we would be lovers. Have an affair?”

“I never agreed to that.”

“Well, you’re sitting here, aren’t you?

“This isn’t an affair.”

“What is it?”

Simon took a deep breath. This was getting them nowhere. He had to make Elise understand that they could not have an affair and she maintain her reputation. No matter how hard one tried, those things were always discovered and word would spread like a wild fire.

He took her hand, which she reluctantly allowed. “It is my duty and responsibility to marry you after what happened.” What the devil was wrong now? She stiffened like a board and the look she cast him would scare the devil himself. “What?”

“I do not want to be anyone’s responsibility or duty. I want to be a free woman, who makes my own decisions and suffers whatever consequences, myself.”

Losing his patience with the way the conversation was going, he jumped from the bed and tugged on his breeches. When he noticed the look on her face as she regarded him, he almost pulled them off and climbed back into bed with her. That would never do. They had to get this settled.

“Even if we managed to avoid discovery—which, given the gossips in the ton seems impossible to me—there is always the chance of creating a child—“

He held up his hand as Elise opened her mouth to speak. “The methods available are not foolproof. There is more than one child in the ton carrying the name of a man other than his true father.”

Elise shook her head. “We appear to be at a standstill. I

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