4th Time Lucky

Rules of Engagement

She held both hands out in front of her, creating a pitiful shield to give both of them space.

"We can't," she panted.

Edgar looked briefly lost. Why did they stop? His body language screamed: Come back, come back.

"We can't," she said louder. Clearer. Katherine stood up straight and took a deep breath. She lowered her hands and prayed she could hold it together. "It's our first date and we've broken almost every rule in proper courting before lunch. It's my fault, I'll take the blame."

What on earth possessed her to go straight for a kiss? Was she losing her mind?

Edgar has the decency to look chastised. He looked at the ground and put his hands in his pockets. They couldn't be trusted not to reach out again.

"I'm sorry," he said. "If anyone were to have seen... your reputation..."

"My reputation? I was worried about yours!"

"Why mine?"

They stared at each other, their faces blank with confusion, before dissolving into laughter.

"This is ridiculous," she said. "I really enjoyed our time together. I always do. And... oh damn everything, I like you."

Edgar's laughter immediately died and his face turned pink. He asked quietly, "what?" But Katherine was on a roll -

"And it doesn't matter. It. Doesn't. Matter! We can have fun and like each other as much as we want, but it's not like we can go any further. Our titles - your title - is too high above mine. The emperor would need to approve. Your family would need to approve. You could lose your right to inherit anything if you chose the wrong woman. If you chose me."

And then she had to stop talking, because he was right there. It felt as though she had blinked and he was right within kissing distance again. Her mouth turned dry and her words sank into her shoes.

"So what?" he asked gently.

Katherine opened and closed her mouth a few times before finding her voice again. She stared intently at his shoulder so his dark dreamy eyes weren't as distracting. "So it can't work out."

"But what if it does?"

"But it won't."

"Why not? The emperor is my friend. I've already been running the family business and my only sibling is married, off on the other side of the country. We can make it work." He dared to reach forward and pull her hand away from her chest, the place it tended to wander under stress. Unconsciously, she breathed a little deeper.

"We don't have time."

"We have all the time we want."

He squeezed her hand, and Katherine looked down at their hands joined together. She did some calculating.

"We have two months."

His eyebrows raised. "Two months to... what? Is there a doomsday clock I'm not aware of?"

Katherine knew he was trying to tease her to help her relax, but it only made knots appear in her stomach. "I need to be engaged in two months at least. Marriage preferred."

He stuttered a bit and finally settled on: "Why?"

"My uncle is coming. The second my debut was announced, he realized that I knew about the stipulation in the will, and he's going to try and claim the estate as a full heir. He's coming to contest my ownership of the estate. The soonest he can get here from his lands near the Deton border is four weeks, but I'd bet it'll be six."