The maid blinked. "Miss?"
"Tell him I died peacefully."
"You are standing in front of me."
"Yes, it is a miracle."
When she entered the drawing room, Julian was by the fireplace. He turned. "You are alive."
"Disappointing, I know."
"I had hoped the newspapers were wrong."
"About what?"
"That you have a sense of humor."
She stared. He smiled.
"Sit."
She did. "I came to make a proposal."
"If you say marriage, I am leaving."
"Then I shall say something else."
She waited.
"I want six weeks."
"For what?"
"To know you."
She frowned. "Why?"
"Because I refuse to marry a stranger."
"That is sensible."
"I have not always been sensible."
"No, I noticed."
He smiled. "If after six weeks you want nothing to do with me, I will release you from the promise. And if I do, I will ask you properly."
She studied him. "What happens if you decide you do not want me?"
"Then I will tell you without blaming you."
"Without blaming me." She considered it. "And what exactly are we doing during these six weeks?"
"Living."
"That sounds vague."
"Then let us make it simple. Come to Bellamy House. Meet the people who live there. See the estate. See me when I am not performing for society."
"You perform?"
"Everyone does."
"Do you always answer questions with another question?"
"Only when I am nervous."
She blinked. "You are nervous?"
"Yes."
That surprised her. The Duke of Bellamy looked nervous. She almost laughed. "Why?"
"Because you are the first woman I have met in years who seems entirely unimpressed by me."
"I am impressed by your ability to get a bird to decorate you."
He laughed. She smiled.