Chapter Thirteen
Mattie stared at him. Her heart began to beat fast. Marry Edward. Her imagination took flight, giving her a glimpse of the future: a home, a family, a husband she could love, could laugh with.
But Edward didn’t look as if he had the same, happy vision that she did. There was no smile on his face. The line of his jaw was grim.
Mattie’s joy began to seep away. “Why?”
“Because, uh . . .”
She remembered what Cecy had said when Edward first arrived: that he wasn’t looking for a wife. Suddenly, she understood. “You feel you ought to, because of what we’ve done?”
His cheeks reddened. “Yes.”
Mattie looked down at the floor. Stupidly, she felt as if she might cry. “No, thank you.”
“But, Mattie—”
“Have a good journey to London,” she said briskly and turned away from him, hu
