Page 34 of So Wild A Heart

Devin took a sip of coffee and waited for a moment. When his stomach did not rebel, he took another drink. When he had downed the entire cup, he thought perhaps he was ready to deal with Miranda.

“Now…” Devin tried to fix a pleasant smile upon his face, despite the fact that his head was still pounding like thunder. “Miss Upshaw. I am not sure what has brought you to this turnaround, but if you think about it for a moment, you will realize that it is completely unworkable. You and I could never get along. We can’t stay in the same room longer than five minutes without getting into some sort of wrangle. We could not possibly be married.”

“You must know a very different sort of married couple to think that getting along is a requirement of marriage.”

“You despise me!”

“Now that is a trifle harsh. I never said that I despised you,” Miranda said thoughtfully. “I found you arrogant and rather unlikeable, I will admit, but it isn’t a prerequisite of marriage to actually like one’s spouse. I am sure that your feelings toward me are much the same as mine toward you.”

“If that is the case, then one or the other of us will probably be dead before the end of our honeymoon,” Devin commented dryly.

Miranda smiled faintly. “I assure you, my lord, that I am not homicidal. I am also well able to take care of myself.”

“This is absurd.” Devin set aside his empty coffee cup.

“No. I assure you it is not. It is well thought out. I spent all last night going over it. And I can tell you that I rarely come to the wrong conclusion.”

“Speaking of arrogance…” Devin murmured. He settled himself against the edge of his desk, stretching his long legs out in front of him and crossing his arms over his chest, and regarded Miranda with a patient, if somewhat bloodshot, gaze. “All right. Let me hear these well thought-out reasons.”

“As I told you the other night,” Miranda began, “I had begun to realize the advantages of the sort of arranged marriage you offered me. It was not what I had expected in life, so it took a bit to grow accustomed to it. For you, the choice is obvious, however much you may dislike it. I have seen your financial statements, you know, and it is quite clear that you are teetering on the edge of ruin.”

“You have seen my financial statements?” he asked, amazed.

“Your uncle was kind enough to send them to us.”

“How nice of him.”

“Yes, I thought so. At any rate, if you hope to survive, certainly if you want to save your family’s estate, you need to marry into money—and soon. I am your best opportunity. Even a colonial nobody is better than living out your days in debtors’ prison.”

“I won’t go to debtors’ prison.”

“Oh, no, that’s right. You have a sister and mother off whom you can leech.” Miranda ignored Ravenscar’s furious glare. “Still, I scarcely think they can give you the lifestyle you are accustomed to out of their clothes allowance. Do you?”

“There are other options.”

“What? Gambling? Or perhaps you intend to get paid for leading flats into gambling hells? No, I think marriage is the only way to gain the amount you will need. And you have burned your bridges here in England. A wealthy peer has no interest in allying himself to scandal. Isn’t that true? Do you have any other heiresses to choose from?”

“You know I do not.”

“I would say that makes me not only your best hope but your only one.”

“You have such a tactful way of expressing yourself.”

“I thought that you would appreciate blunt speaking. We are, after all, discussing a business arrangement. Isn’t that right? Papa and I would settle a lump sum of money on you—not too great a one, I’m afraid, because of your well-known propensities to, well, spend it quickly. We will pay your outstanding debts, and, of course, you will also have a generous monthly allowance. I will pay for the upkeep of the houses, and Papa and I will take care of the restoration of Darkwater. I understand that the estate is in poor shape, also, and I will, of course, undertake to bring that back into some semblance of repair. I would not be surprised if it actually began to make a profit before too long. I am rather good at that sort of thing, you know.”

“Miss Upshaw.” Devin rose, his eyes narrowed. “While you are making plans for my future, might I remind you that you will not be in control of all this once we are married? When we marry, all your money will be mine. You will not even have the right to hold property. I will be the one to decide about allowances and lump sums. You, my dear, will be in my power.” He moved closer, looming over her, his face grim. “The husband rules in England, and you will do as I say. Had you thought of that in all your little plans? I could lock you up in Darkwater and take off for London to enjoy spending your money.”

His eyes were fierce, his posture menacing, but Miranda held her ground. “Lord Ravenscar, I must tell you that once when I was with Papa buying furs in the wilds, I was face-to-face with a rather large black bear. Your attempt at intimidation pales by comparison.” She sidestepped him and moved away.

“Whatever you may think,” she said calmly, turning around to face him from several feet away, “I am not stupid. Nor is my father. First of all, the bulk of the family fortune belongs to my father. He will pay for what he sees fit as he sees fit. He will pay your debts and restore Darkwater. I can assure you that he will do exactly as he pleases in that regard. You seem to have a misconception that Americans are stupid. Or perhaps it is his friendly manner that fools you. But, believe me, you will never get a penny out of my father other than what he wants to give you. As for my personal fortune, if you think that I would give up the money I have worked to accumulate over the past ten years just for the pleasure of marrying you, you are very much mistaken. Before I marry, my money will be placed in a trust, the trustees of which will be my father, my attorney and Hiram Baldwin. As you might suppose, they will invest it as I order and distribute it as I order. Should you be so foolish as to try to lock me up anywhere—or so lucky as to be able to do so—I think you would shortly find yourself without funds.”

Ravenscar’s eyes flashed, and his body went rigid with fury. “Do you think that you can control me this way? That you can make me dance to your tune because you have money?”

He crossed the space separating them in two quick strides, and his hands clamped around her arms. His eyes blazed down into hers, and he was so close she could feel the heat of his body. His breath rasped in his throat. His intensity and fury were like a tangible force. “No one owns me, least of all you.”

A thrill ran down through Miranda. The truth was, she generally frightened men; there was something exhilarating about facing a man who had no fear of her. She returned his gaze, glare for glare, her body taut.

“You think you are safe because you can set up trusts?” he went on. “Because your father and every other man you know jumps to do as you say? I am not one of them. Perhaps no one bothered to mention that, amid all my faults, there are a few things at which I am skilled. I am a crack shot, Miss Upshaw.”