His smile was the perfect greeting, quiet and sincere. “At last, I find my treasure.”
She would never stop loving the way her stomach flipped when his Scottish-flavored words caressed her ears. “Did you ever lose it?”
“No, I doona think as I did. Though one can never trust a treasure around a pirate.”
She laughed lightly, shaking her head at him. “You’re forgetting that he’s more gentleman than pirate . . . and I’m your stór, no one else’s.”
She’d shocked him. Actually, she’d shocked both of them. Perhaps the negus was stronger than she realized. Not that she minded—it was rather exciting to say such naughty things in such a public place, even if her voice had been much too low for anyone but Colin to hear.
And Colin did hear it. There was no denying the sudden intake of breath or the widening of his pupils. “I doona think I’ve ever heard more pleasing words in my entire life,” he said, keeping his tone casual even as his gaze turned to an alluring smoky gray.
“Does that make you happy, then?”
“More than I could express in a roomful of people. Especially since it so thoroughly echoes the way I feel.”
Warmth bubbled up within her, spreading from her fingertips to her cheeks. Seeing him in his element tonight, surrounded by the works of his father, looked to with respect and listened to with interest, she couldn’t help but feel that no one else could possibly suit her better. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, with its cupid’s bow upper lip and perfectly proportioned lower. She’d studied those lips, drawn and painted them, and explored them with her own.
“Then perhaps you’d like to come by Granville House this week. I may be busy,” she said, licking her own lips with sudden nervousness for what she was about to say, “but my brother should be home. I’m quite certain he’d be happy to speak to you, if you were struck by such a desire.”
“Desire” was the perfect word to describe the almost molten quality of his gaze. He knew exactly what she was implying. A wave of anxiety almost made her lose her nerve, but something in that heated look made her stand her ground. He was silent for a moment, his chest rising and falling in shallow succession, before swallowing and taking a small step closer. “Beatrice, is that truly your wish?”
“Yes.” The single word was breathless, raw in a way that couldn’t be mistaken.
He reached forward and slid his hand beneath hers, bringing it to his lips without ever breaking eye contact. “Allow me to bid you good evening, my lady. I look forward to seeing you again very soon.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Sir Colin Tate, my lord.”
At the butler’s introduction, the earl, seated in an oversized brown leather chair behind the large dark desk, came to his feet, holding a hand out to Colin.
“Come in. Come in. Have a seat, my good man. May I offer you a fine scotch?” Raleigh seemed to be in exceptionally high spirits, not at all the imposing force Colin half expected. It was a bit jarring, actually, especially given the dark and imposing quality of the study. Warm browns and rich reds filled the space from floor to ceiling, relieved only by the uncovered windows at the back of the room.
The butler shut the door behind him, and taking a fortifying breath, Colin nodded. “Yes, thank you.” He settled into one of the chairs facing the massive desk, his spine rigid despite the earl’s greeting. He’d waited all of a day before coming. Amazing he had lasted even that long. The night of the gallery opening, he had been debating how best to move forward.
He could have never imagined Beatrice would be the one to do the job for him. Just like that, looking up into his eyes with her fiery, intimate gaze, suggesting that he speak to her brother. It was as if she had waved a wand, granting his greatest wish.
At the credenza, Raleigh filled two crystal tumblers, then handed one to Colin before taking a seat behind the desk. Taking a hearty swig, he leaned back. “I thought I might see you here this week.”
“Did you?”
“Absolutely. I have eyes, after all,” he said, his lips tipped up in an easy grin. “All right then. Acting on behalf of my absentee father, allow me to ask of you, Sir Colin, what is your business here today?”
Colin’s throat tightened and he cleared it, surprised at the force of his nerves. “I’m here today to request your permission, as well as your blessing, for me to ask for Lady Beatrice’s hand in marriage.”
“As I suspected,” Raleigh said with a nod. “Well, I’ve never done this sort of thing before, but I assume we must first hash through all the proper financial bits and pieces. No, actually, let’s do that second. First, let me say that I’m damn glad to hear of your interest. Especially since I believe we understand each other so well.”
An oddly jovial threat if Colin had ever heard one. He smiled as well as he could manage and nodded in acceptance of the earl’s statement. “Thank you, my lord. And, yes, it is always best to have full understanding of where another stands.”
“And though Beatrice will have the final say as to the acceptance of your offer for marriage, it is my opinion that the two of you will suit quite well. Now, then,” Raleigh said, setting his drink down and sitting up straight in the chair, assuming a more businesslike tone, “on with the monetary part of the arrangement. Beatrice’s dowry has been set at twenty-five thousand pounds. I am aware that you have an estate in Scotland and that you are training to become a barrister. What are your prospects?”
If ever there was a loaded question. Since it probably wasn’t a good idea to start the conversation by saying, “Utterly dreadful,” Colin started with the good news. “The estate is quite stable and brings in around two thousand a year. My brother and sister live there now with my grandmother. I have another year at the Inns of Court, but after that I have every expectation of pursuing a career as King’s Counsel.”
He went on, discussing all of his careful plans that he had spent years developing. He was concise, factual, and clearheaded, wanting to be very sure that Raleigh understood his ambition and character. Raleigh nodded every now and then, allowing him to say his piece.
And then came the part he had been dreading since he got there. Hell, he’d been dreading it since the moment he decided to come to London to find an heiress. Taking a deep, bracing breath, he dove in. “When I arrived in the city, it was with the knowledge that it was time for me to choose a bride. It never occurred to me that Lady Beatrice might be that bride. As far as I could tell, she was—is—above me in almost every way possible.”
The earl cracked a smile, but didn’t interrupt. Colin gathered he agreed with the sentiment. “But then I came to know her, and I discovered her to be the talented, confident, beautiful woman I had always suspected her to be. What I didn’t expect was for her to find something of interest in me. But I believe that she did, and beyond that, I feel that we suit perfectly, in a way I never imagined any woman might. When I am near her, I feel like a better person for it.”
His fingers wrapped around the curved wooden armrest of his chair as he willed himself to speak plainly about his situation. “Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury of choosing a wife based on compatibility and mutual affection alone. This is because my father chose to mortgage the estate against a business loan he procured in hopes of starting a successful engraving business. I was unaware of this decision until a month ago, when his creditors arrived at the estate to inform me that the loan will be due in January.”