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She nodded and headed toward the door. He held it open for her and bellowed, “Chiddick?”

The butler appeared. “Find Mrs. Blackthorn and tell her to make a room ready for Miss Bromwich. She will be staying for tonight. She’ll need hot water to wash, that sort of thing.”

“Mrs. Blackthorn’s already prepared the green room, my lord. If you’ll follow me, Miss Bromwich?”

*

Left alone in the green room, Emily sank down on the bed, giddy with the events of the last hour.

She was being offered marriage to a man who shared her interests, her passion. She had never thought such a thing was possible. And she had the opportunity to work on an exciting project alongside him, to learn from him and hone her skills. And he was offering her a trial marriage, nothing irrevocable, so that they could both walk away if it didn’t work. This was too perfect for words. By the time the project was done, she would be twenty-one and able to claim her inheritance, her independence, so if the marriage didn’t work, she still didn’t need to go home. She could forge her own destiny. I will never need to be subject to Mama’s bullying again.

And he was an earl, not as lofty a title as a marquess perhaps—or heir to a marquess, as the case may be—but still highly sought after. Even her mother couldn’t object to that. If only he had been the one proposing, she might not have refused. Not that she really cared about his title. She would rather be married to a plain mister who shared her passion than a duke who didn’t.

She had listened with some amusement to his listing of his faults. If she believed him, he was a cold-hearted, unfeeling ogre with a foul temper and impossible standards. But his behavior gave the lie to that. He had clearly been anxious for her comfort, and he blushed deliciously when he was embarrassed. Neither of which argued for an unfeeling person. And she could not have failed to notice him petting his dog’s ears or the look of blatant love he showered on the adorable canine. A man incapable of affection? She didn’t think so.

And he was so big, and male! He made her feel—she groped for the description—petite, even feminine. And his intense attention, as if he really saw her, made her feel less invisible.

And even if he was a little gruff and bad tempered, she was used to that. She had lived with Mama’s bad temper all her life. And she sensed his was not due to badness of disposition, but might perhaps be a method of defense? And his dog clearly adored him. If he were of a violent disposition, Kester would shy away from his touch, and he didn’t do that.

She got up to wash and change her clothes. Refreshed, she ventured downstairs, wondering where his study was located. She made her way back to the front entrance to ask the butler, Chiddick. The man was most helpful and led her to a room at the back of the house overlooking a vast expanse of green lawn. And look, I can see the ocean from here. The house is right on the coast! She had never seen the sea before. Her heart gave a yearning leap. She longed to explore.

The room was large and clearly doubled as a library because its walls were lined floor to ceiling with books! In addition to the huge desk beneath the window, there was a bank of glass cabinets in the middle of the room containing a collection of artifacts. Emily was in heaven.