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Despite herself, Cordelia smiled. His answering grin was so wickedly familiar that her heart fluttered.
“Besides," he continued, “your entire family is at home. It took every skill I possess as a rogue to sneak up those climbing trellises to your bedchamber. I nearly broke my neck twice, but I was committed to the endeavor.”
Cordelia stared at him in horror. Then she looked toward the open balcony doors. “Good heavens! You could have fallen!”
“At one particularly disagreeable moment, I was quite certain I would.”
“George!”
“Fortunately, I have discovered that the prospect of marrying you is a remarkable incentive to remain alive.”
Her heart stumbled. “Marrying me? Still?”
He took both her hands in his. “We have very little time to waste, my love. There is an elopement to get underway.”
Cordelia could only stare at him. “What?”
“We are eloping.”
“Eloping?”
"To Gretna Green," he announced with an expression of such cheerful satisfaction that she wondered whether she was still dreaming.
“By the time my father and yours discover what we have done, we shall be wed and might even have a child in the oven.”
A strange roaring filled her ears. She blinked several times. “Elope?”
“You are reminding me of Horatio in this moment. But yes, my sweet, elope.”
“But...the scandal...”
“Ah, yes. The scandal.” George considered the matter with an air of exaggerated thoughtfulness. “It might be rather considerable if society learns of it. Some will undoubtedly think us outrageous, while others might find the entire affair wonderfully romantic. Personally, I am inclined toward the latter opinion.”
“George, you cannot possibly be serious.”
“I have never been more serious about anything in my life.” His expression softened. “I have no intention of marrying the viscountess. None whatsoever. I have already made my choice, and that choice is you.”
Tears gathered in her eyes again.
He lifted her hands and kissed her knuckles. “However, if you would prefer that I call upon your father tomorrow and formally request your hand, I shall do precisely that. I will court you before the whole of London, take you to every ball and assembly, and make no secret of my intentions. To the devil with anyone who objects.”
Cordelia searched his face. She knew what such a course would mean. The scandal involving Lady Bramwell had already spread through society, and George's decision to court another woman would only encourage further speculation. Her family would be subjected to endless scrutiny, and every scandal sheet in London would delight in discussing why Viscount Templeton had chosen to pursue Miss Cordelia Maubry rather than the widow he had supposedly compromised.
Their names would be printed together day after day, and she could well imagine how mercilessly the ton would dissect every appearance they made.
George knew it too.
He was offering her a way to escape the worst of it, even if doing so meant defying his father and setting aside every expectation society placed upon him. He was offering her the future they had dreamed of, without asking her to endure weeks of uncertainty while others attempted to tear them apart.
Her heart swelled with love. “An elopement,” she whispered.
George watched her patiently. She slipped a hand around his nape and drew him closer. “I will elope with you.”
His smile was so radiant that she felt it all the way to her toes. “Excellent.”
He kissed her soundly. “Now, let me help you into your finest dress, and then we shall leave.”
Cordelia laughed against his mouth. “My finest dress?”
