Lisa hesitated, and then blurted, “I do not want a husband who is forced to marry me and will resent me for the rest of time because of it. And I do not want Robert if he will spend our entire married life doubting me and waiting for me to betray him with another. I could not bear it.”

“Oh, Lisa,” Christiana said sympathetically and left her own chair to move to the sofa where she sat to hug her. “We understand, dear.”

“The hell we do,” Suzette groused. “The idiots love each other. Anyone can see that. But they are never going to get together at this rate.”

Daniel chuckled at her dissatisfied words and sank to sit on the arm of the chair she was in and slip his arm around her shoulders. “You are such a romantic, my love.”

Lisa stared at them with disbelief as Daniel pressed a kiss to Suzette’s forehead. What her sister had said hadn’t sounded the least bit like the words of a romantic to her. What was the man thinking?

“What do you want to do?” Richard asked quietly, drawing her gaze to him as he followed Christiana to the sofa and settled on her other side.

“I do not know,” she admitted wearily. “I wish he loved me.”

“He does,” Suzette said with exasperation.

“Love involves trust, Suzette,” Lisa said solemnly. “And I don’t think Robert can trust, or therefore love, anyone until he gets over his childhood.”

“But—”

“Do you trust Daniel?” she asked quickly.

“Of course,” Suzette answered with amazement.

Lisa nodded. “And does he trust you?”

“Yes,” Suzette said without doubt and Daniel hugged her, murmuring, “With my life.”

Lisa ignored Daniel and met Suzette’s gaze. “Well, how happy would you be if Daniel was always watching you out of the corner of his eye, expecting you to betray him in some way?”

Suzette scowled at the very idea and then sank back in her seat with a sighed, “Right.”

“Lisa,” Christiana said tentatively, drawing her gaze. “I understand that you might not wish to marry him the way things stand. But you could be with child now. And surely that child deserves—”

“If I am with child I will marry,” she said simply. “But until I know one way or the other . . .” She shrugged and stood up. “I am ever so weary. I think I shall go to bed. Good night.”

The room was silent as she left, but she heard the murmur of their concerned voices begin as soon as she closed the door. They would fret over her now, but there was nothing she could do about that. She would not marry Robert. Tonight had been beautiful, an experience she would never forget. But she was not going to spend her life with a man who didn’t trust her and resented her.