Oh good she didn't have to spell it out completely for him, although she had hoped he'd seem a little less hesitant and startled by the idea. Then again if he'd been unaware of his feelings all this time then one couldn't expect him to be anything but surprised. "In what way would it not be?" Unless the two had a secret and masterfully disguised burning hatred for each other then she couldn't think of a single reason why their union wouldn't be prudent, successful, and highly advantageous for all involved. Best of all Tatiana would finally be her daughter in name and law.

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Of course, his mother would like to see them married, wouldn't she? She'd always been so fond of Tatiana—and at time so obvious about it that he'd felt jealous—that the thought of sending her away to some second-best probably seemed absurd. At least with him she would have easy access to them both; it would be as if nothing had changed, except Tatiana would bear the Macnair name.

But perhaps that was what he feared the most: that nothing really would change, and that Tatiana would come to realize that most men visited their bedchambers more than to simply reproduce. Of course, that could be passed off as them being raised as cousins...

But, instead, he offered another explanation. "Would it not look bad to try and steal her away from Mr. Macmillan? Do you think she would think I was... overstepping?" Or would she be pleased to think that he desired her? Women had funny ways of thinking, so he couldn't be sure.

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"It's not uncommon for people to realize their true feelings for someone because there's a sudden risk of losing them forever. It's also not unheard of for a lady to encourage the attentions of a gentleman to make the object of her affection jealous and thus spur him into action." Not that she could say for sure that's what was going on here and honestly it was probably too much of a romance cliché for Tatty at least but she'd have to crazy to choose Macmillan over Valerian. "And besides, he hasn't proposed yet, has he? Nor has he asked for permission to do so. It might seem underhanded but there is no contract between them and the stakes are higher than a little passing gossip - it's the rest of your lives."

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"And do you have any reason to believe Tatiana would prefer me to Mr. Macmillan?" Perhaps it was his... inclinations that made him blind to whatever his mother seemed to see, but Valerian had never noticed Tatiana regard him with anything more than brotherly affection, and even that was distant and often rooted in teasing him about a variety of things.

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What sort of an inane question was that? Certainly one beneath his intelligence level. "Do you mean to insult your cousin's intelligence or your own with that question?"

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The following 2 users Like Mariana Macnair's post:2 users Like Mariana Macnair's post
   Fortitude Greengrass, Valerian Macnair

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Valerian rolled his eyes so hard they might have well rolled back into his head. "Neither, I assure you. I only meant that Tatiana might find the prospect of marrying me - well, odd." He was not attracted to Tatiana as a man ought to be to his wife, but that was less a matter of her personal attractiveness and more a matter of the type of people he typically found himself attracted to. "I don't think I've ever considered what Tatiana might wish to gain out of a marriage." In his case it was simple: he desired a woman capable of taking on the conventional role of wife and socialite, with a strong enough mind and a pleasant enough demeanor to put up with her; beyond that, however, he was less concerned of other things.

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"Macmillan has nothing that you don't yourself have, and then some." The only possible one-up she could think of that Macmillan might have was his career. Being a healer was nothing to sniff at but a Ministerial career admittedly came with influence, power, and a lot more opportunity for a share of it. Unless one was Hospital Director, the only real influence one had was over invalids, outside the hospital it might garner some respect to be head of a ward but not in the same way as being head of a Ministry department did. She was quite sure that sort of thing mattered to Tatiana but was it more important to her than marrying an heir? "If it is 'odd', as you put it, Tatiana is far too intelligent to let it inconvenience her for long."

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Valerian tilted his head back and forth, considering. What did he have to lose from marrying Tatiana? The chance to choose a bride outside the family? It wasn't as though he was actively looking forward to seeking a wife; that could be considered more a plus than a negative, really.

"So you think I ought to propose to Tatiana." This was a statement, not a question. He took a deep breath, then released it. "I shall consider it."

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The following 1 user Likes Valerian Macnair's post:1 user Likes Valerian Macnair's post
   Mariana Macnair

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She hadn't been thinking a proposal necessarily, simply a clear and concise expression of interest that could lead to an engagement, she thought that ought to be enough to keep Tatiana from making a mistake with Macmillan. However she wasn't going to talk him out of it if that's what he was thinking, a proposal was even better. "Mind you don't take too long about it. He who hesitates is lost."

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