She stood in stunned silence as he paced back and forth in front of her. She had never seen him behave in such a manner before, and it worried her to see him so agitated.
She was about to reach out and grasp his arm to stop him pacing when he turned to her and grabbed both of her hands in his own. “Georgiana,” he said, “we have known each other for so long, ever since we were children. Each year, sometimes each day, my feelings for you have only grown stronger.
“At first, I admit, what I felt for you was the love of a friend, which quickly deepened into the love a brother might feel for his sister. But, for a long time now—for these past few years in fact—my feelings for you have grown much deeper than even that.
He took a deep breath and went on. “Georgiana, I love you. Not as a friend, or as a brother, but as someone whom I would give anything in the world for the privilege of spending the rest of my life with. I know you so well … how you love horses and reading. I know your favorite author has changed from time to time, but that it is currently the author of Emma. I know you hate pickles and anything that tastes of vinegar.
“More than that, I know how kind and big your heart is, and how much you value your family. I want to be your family. Not as a friend, or even as an honorary brother. I want to protect and treasure your heart for the rest of my life … if you will let me.
“I know you have never thought of me in a romantic light. But, if you could just give me a chance … let me court you, Georgiana. Let me show you how deeply I feel about you.”
Georgiana stood there, looking stunned, throughout his entire speech. The earnestness and intensity with which he spoke proved to her how much it meant to him and was enough to make her eyes water with emotion.
It took her a moment or two to realize he was waiting for an answer but, even then, she wasn’t certain what to say. She was deeply touched, but she still had no romantic feelings for him.
A thought came into her mind she felt might buy her a little more time. “But when I first met Lord Bartlett … you didn’t say anything…”
“As I told you … I want you to be happy more than anything else,” he replied quietly.
His gentle statement touched her heart every bit as much as his confession of love. Still, she had one more thing to say, even though he had already mentioned it. “You know I don’t love you in that way…”
“I know,” he replied, the sadness in his eyes as he released her hands indicating he took her statement as a gentle refusal. “But won’t you give me a chance to change that? I know I still have to ask your uncle for permission to court you, but I would never do so without first getting your permission to approach him.”
Georgiana was not in any hurry to answer, though she knew it must be torture for Ambrose to wait. What do I have to lose? All he is asking for is a chance. I would never have to worry about him leaving me, as Walter did, and I know for a fact he would never believe some ridiculous rumor about me … I might not love him, but I could be content with him…
Slowly, she began to nod her head as she told him, “Yes, you may court me, Ambrose.”
The smile that came over his face was the brightest she had ever seen, bright enough to make her smile just by seeing it. “Thank you, Georgiana!” he exclaimed as he picked up her hands once more and pressed them to his lips. “I promise I will do everything in my power to ensure you never regret it.”
She had to laugh at his eagerness as he dropped her hands and headed for the door. “Wait, where are you going?”
“To ask your uncle’s permission to court you this very minute,” he instantly replied.
“Wait!” she exclaimed, causing him to stop and look at her. Part of her didn’t want Uncle Jonas to know so soon and, though she was certain it was solely because of the suddenness of it all, neither did she want to hurt Ambrose’s feelings.
So, she came up with a reasonable excuse. “We are about to leave for the ball. If you ask him now, it is bound to delay us. Why don’t you wait until afterwards or, better yet, until tomorrow morning? I am certain my uncle will want to ask me a question or two to make sure it is what I wish.”
Ambrose seemed to almost pout at the thought of having to wait, but he returned to her side without complaint, his eyes asking for confirmation she was not changing her mind.
She gave him a comforting smile and was about to assure him she would never go back on her word, when Lucy entered the room.
With a slight curtsy, she announced, “Miss Georgiana, Mr. Rowley, the carriage is ready. Lord and Lady Irvington will be joining you shortly.”
“Shall we?” Ambrose asked, holding out his arm for Georgiana to escort her to the carriage.
“Of course,” she replied as she took it.
“So, where do you want to go first?” he asked.
“Go?”
“Yes, go. Don’t people who are courting often go to places together?” he teased.
“Yes, of course they do. I must admit we already do act a little as though we are courting, in that sense,” she replied thoughtfully.
“It will be different now,” he told her confidently as he helped her inside the carriage. “Besides, there are some things we have never done. How about going rowing together? Or we could go to one of the other theaters to see what is being performed there?”
She felt he wanted to dive headlong into their courtship in his enthusiasm and was about to tell him there was no need for haste when her aunt and uncle arrived at the carriage.
For a moment, she was afraid he would continue talking on the same subject and Uncle Jonas would hear him and question them. But Ambrose seemed to be mindful of her wishes, merely greeting them and starting a conversation about their costumes instead.
If he had happened to take the seat next to her and sat a little closer to her than was strictly necessary, her aunt and uncle seemed to accept it as nothing more than his usual show of support for their niece. After all, they were heading towards Bartlett Manor—a place she had not been to since Walter had left for France.
Her preoccupied mind, no doubt, gave credence to that impression to everyone present. Seeing Bartlett Manor again might be somewhat difficult, but what was consuming her thoughts was the fact she had just agreed to be courted by Ambrose.
On the one hand, what girl wouldn’t love the idea of marrying their best friend, someone they knew they could depend on? And yet, she also felt terrible for giving him what she feared might be false hope.
Surely, if I could have fallen in love with Ambrose, that would have happened already. And what if I let him court me and find that my feelings for him don’t change? Should I let him keep courting me until he asks me to marry him, or do I break his heart by calling off the courtship?