“I’m not sure I know what you mean.” If the woman was hinting that Delaney sleep with him, well, that was kind of an icky thing for a grandmother to suggest.
“I’m not sure I do either. And if I knew what it was going to take, I’d tell you.” She sat back and sighed. “What I do know is men are simple creatures. They like to be complimented. To feel powerful. And, especially important, to feel useful.”
Delaney nodded. “I appreciate your advice. I will do my best.” Not really. But what else was she going to say? Hey, I’m just hiding out from the mob, so don’t get your hopes up. “Thirty days isn’t a long time.”
Elenora nodded thoughtfully. “Then perhaps more incentive is needed. Get him to propose and set a date for the wedding before that time is up and you’ll have your sweet shop. I’ll finance everything you need from the building to the supplies, right down to the pretty little boxes with your name on them, if that’s what you want.”
Boxes with her name on them. Delaney’s heart stuttered at the offer. But it meant manipulating Hugh into marrying her. She forced herself to smile, even though the thought of using another person that way made her a little ill. “That’s a very generous offer, Mrs. Ellingham.”
“So you’ll think about it?”
“Yes.” It was probably all she’d think about. Her dream was being dangled in front of her like a sugar-crusted carrot.
“Excellent. Let’s finish our tea, shall we?”
Hugh shook his head. “She can’t stay here.”
“Ready to give up the daylight hours, are you?” Stanhill took a seat on one of the lab’s metal stools.
“No.” Hugh paced in front of his work table, the lunch Stanhill had brought down completely ignored. “But that woman is…bothering me.”
“You mean the way she forced you to kiss her.”
“She didn’t make me—” Hugh frowned. “That was merely an experiment to see if there was anything there.”
Stanhill’s small grin was infuriating. “I’d ask what the conclusion was, but I can see that for myself.”
“It was nothing. It meant nothing.” It had meant too much.
“You’re a horrifically bad liar, you know that?”
Hugh slumped against the counter. “I can’t think, I can’t work…it’s awful.”
“Is it really all that bad? Maybe she’s the one. Why is that such a ghastly thing?”
Hugh glared at him. “You know why.”
“And you know from the research you’ve done that Juliette’s failure to survive the transformation was a rare occurrence.”
Hugh spat out the next thing he could think of. “Women are fickle.”
“That’s Sebastian’s story, not yours.”
“Then what if I’m the one who changes my mind?”
“Like Julian? You’re much more mature when it comes to relationships than your brother. Stop making excuses.” Stanhill shook his head. “You enjoy spending time with her?”
“Yes,” he groused. Stanhill’s questions had a pretty clear path.
“And you get along well?”
“Yes.” They did. He’d yet to find an irritating thing about her, although it was early days yet.
“Then have a go at it. See what happens. It may come to nothing.”
“And it may lead to…something.” And the possibility of that something was unsettling. Hugh started pacing again. “She came here to get married, don’t forget that.”
“But she didn’t exactly arrive with a wedding dress packed, did she?” Stanhill sighed. “Didi is a rotten piece of work for setting this whole thing up. I know she means well, but—”
“And that’s another thing.” Hugh spun around. “Who knows what that woman is putting into Annabelle’s head at this very moment?” Why couldn’t his grandmother just stay out of his life? Of course, then he’d never have met Annabelle. But oh, he’d pay for it the rest of his life if things went the way Didi wanted. Which they would not.
Stanhill shrugged one shoulder. “Undoubtedly she’s singing your praises and urging the woman to make an honest man of you, but Annabelle strikes me as a woman with her own mind. Don’t you think?”
Hugh raked a hand through his hair. Stanhill had finally said something that made sense. “She does.”
“Then set aside the concerns about her surviving the transition to vampire and tell me why do you think this—she—is bothering you so much?”
Hugh looked at the far wall of equipment. “Can you see yourself sharing your life with a woman after all these years alone?” Even as he spoke the words, he knew that wasn’t the real reason commitment eluded him. Yes, he enjoyed his time alone and loathed any thought of giving it up, but that was only a small part of what worried him. There was no putting aside the fact that Annabelle would have to face death if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. It was too much to ask.