“Father, she is not like that.” Robert crossed his arms. “And I will marry her.”
“You will be making the biggest—”
“Not another word!” Robert exploded. It was the first time he had ever raised his voice to his father. He turned to leave the room.
“Tell her I've cut you off without a farthing!” Castleford yelled. “See if she'll have you then. See if she loves you when you have nothing.”
Robert turned, his eyes narrowing ominously. “Are you telling me that I have been disinherited?” he asked, his voice chillingly soft.
“You're perilously close to it.”
“Have I or have I not?” Robert's tone demanded an answer.
“You may very well be. Do not cross me on this measure.”
“That isn't an answer.”
The marquess leaned forward, his eyes steady on Robert's. “If you were to tell her that marriage to her would almost certainly result in a vast loss of fortune, you would not be lying.”
Robert hated his father in that moment. “I see.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.” And then almost as an afterthought, he added, “Sir.” It was the last time he addressed his father with that title of respect.
Chapter 3
Tap. Tap tap tap.
Victoria slammed awake, sitting bolt upright in the space of a second.
“Victoria!” came the hissed whisper from her window.
“Robert?” She crawled down the bed and peered out.
“I need to talk with you. It's urgent.”
Victoria glanced around the room, quickly judged that the household was fast asleep, and said, “Very well. Come in.”
If Robert thought it was odd that she was inviting him into her room—something she had never before done—he did not mention it. He climbed through the window and sat down on her bed. Oddly he made no attempt to kiss her or pull her into his arms—his usual methods of greeting her when they were alone.
“Robert, what is wrong?”
He didn't say anything at first, just stared out the window at the north star.
She put her hand on his sleeve. “Robert?”
“We must elope,” he said baldly.
“What?”
“I have analyzed the situation from every direction. There is no other solution.”
Victoria touched his arm. He always approached life so scientifically, treating every decision as a problem to be solved. Falling in love with her was probably the only illogical thing he'd ever done in his life, and it made her love him all the more. “What is wrong, Robert?” she asked softly.
“My father has cut me off.”
“Are you certain?”
Robert looked into her eyes, stared into those fabulous blue depths, and then made a decision he wasn't proud of. “Yes,” he said, “I'm certain,” neglecting to mention that his father had only said, “Almost certainly.” But he had to be sure. He didn't think it was possible, but what if Victoria really was more dazzled by the possessions than she was by the man?
“Robert, that is unconscionable. How could a father do such a thing?”
“Victoria, you must listen to me.” He grabbed her hands in his, clutching them with a ferocious intensity. “It doesn't matter. You are more important to me than the money. You are everything.”
“But your birthright…How can I ask you to give that up?”
“It is my choice to make, not yours, and I choose you.”
Victoria felt tears stinging her eyes. She had never dreamed that she might cause Robert to lose so much. And she knew how important the respect of his father was to him. He had worked his whole life to impress him, always trying and always coming up just a little bit short. “You must promise me one thing,” she whispered.
“Anything, Torie. You know I would do anything for you.”
“You must promise me that you will try to make amends with your father after the marriage. I—” She swallowed, hardly able to believe that she was putting a condition on her acceptance of his proposal. “I won't marry you unless you do. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I was the cause of your rift.”
A strange expression crossed Robert's face. “Torie, he is most stubborn. He—”
“I didn't say you have to succeed,” she said quickly. “Just that you have to try.”
Robert lifted her hands to his lips. “Very well, my lady. I give you my vow.”
She offered him a smile that pretended to be stern. “I'm not ‘your lady’ yet.”
Robert only grinned and kissed her hand again. “I would leave with you tonight if I could,” he said, “but I will need a bit of time to amass some funds and supplies. I don't intend to drag you across the countryside with nothing but the clothes on our backs.”
She touched his cheek. “You're such a planner.”
“I don't like leaving anything to chance.”
“I know. It's one of the things I love best about you.” She smiled sheepishly. “I'm forever forgetting things. When my mother was alive she always said that I would forget my head if I weren't in possession of a neck.”
That prompted a smile. Robert said, “I'm glad you have a neck. I'm rather fond of it.”
“Don't be silly,” she said. “I was merely trying to say that it is nice to know that I'll have you to keep my life in order.”
He leaned forward and brushed the gentlest of kisses on her lips. “It's all I want to do. Just keep you happy.”
Victoria looked up at him with damp eyes and curled her face into the crook of his shoulder.