His face softened. "Then I hope you will never put it down merely to please me."
She laughed, though her eyes were bright. James offered his hand, and she took it. He raised her roughened fingers to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss against them.
"May I come tomorrow?" he asked. "There is something I should like to discuss with you and your father."
Emma glanced toward Samuel, who had very deliberately returned to his anvil. "What sort of discussion?"
James smiled faintly. "One that concerns our future, if you are willing to consider sharing it."
Emma held his gaze. "Then come tomorrow, James. But before I answer you, there is one promise I need you to make."
Emma held James's hand, her expression gentle but unwavering. "Promise me that if we marry, I will never have to ask permission to remain myself."
James glanced toward the forge, where Samuel Carter stood quietly beside the anvil. "You have my word," he answered.
Emma shook her head. "I need more than words spoken because you are afraid of losing me."
He considered this without taking offense. "Then tomorrow we shall discuss precisely what our future would look like. You may tell me what you need, and I shall tell you what I can honestly promise."
She smiled. "That is a beginning."
The following afternoon, James returned to the forge and sat with Emma and her father at their modest kitchen table. He explained that he wished to marry Emma, but would not expect her to abandon the family business.
Samuel studied him over his spectacles. "My daughter has spent years learning a trade. Marriage ought not to make those years disappear."
"I agree," James replied. "I have asked my solicitor to prepare a settlement securing property and income for Emma's separate use. She will have independent legal advice before anything is signed."
Emma reached beneath the table and squeezed her father's hand. "And the forge?" she asked.
"It remains yours and your father's business. If you choose to work here, I shall be proud to know where to find you."
Samuel's stern expression softened. "Then perhaps you are sensible enough to marry her after all."
Emma laughed. James turned toward her. "Will you, Emma?"
She looked at the man who had learned that authority was not the same as wisdom, and that love could not be commanded.