I don't know if anyone will still be reading this, but this chapter just came to me and begged to be written. It feels so good to be back to working on this, though. If you're still reading this despite the years of hiatus, THANK YOU! And if you're a new reader, thank you, too, and welcome!

Just a reminder: In my universe, Sir Hugh and Nathaniel were good friends before and during the events in Nicola and the Viscount.

The big theme of this chapter was inspired by a small tidbit I wrote in Nathaniel and the Orphan, and the desire to write something about Sir Hugh and Eleanor because they deserve some love.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nicola and the Viscount. Meg Cabot does. I do not own Nathaniel Sheridan, either. Which is a bummer.

In Which Sir Hugh Makes Proposals

Sir Hugh Parker knew that Miss Eleanor Sheridan was many things. A beautiful face, a graceful lady, a bright personality, an engaging conversationalist; she was a soft encouragement and a tenacious pillar of support; a loyal friend, a loving daughter, a treasured sister.

A very treasured sister, she was, Sir Hugh knew.

And a very, very treasured sister, she was, Nathaniel Sheridan reminded him very firmly when Sir Hugh informed his friend of his intention to court her.

"I trust that you're not an imbecile," Nathaniel said that day.

"I thank you for your vote of confidence," Sir Hugh responded jovially, because that was what he did. He did not do it to mock anybody; rather, he did it to somehow alleviate the weight of serious situations.

"But I know you'll do something stupid and hurt her at one point," Nathaniel continued as if Sir Hugh had not spoken, "and when you do I will hit you on the head and tell you to go to her and fix it. But if you do something completely idiotic such as lie to her, dishonor her, or break her heart—I swear to God, Parker, no manner of friendship will matter and I will throttle you from here to Derbyshire."

"I believe that that is not physically impossible," Sir Hugh mused out loud, because that was what he did. He was one to bring back reality in the very rare times that the level-headed Nathaniel Sheridan panicked or exaggerated.

But it quickly became apparent that Nathaniel had not been exaggerating. Instead of furthering his argument with more threatening words, he only set his jaw and fixed Sir Hugh with a rather fierce stare—Nathaniel looked about ready to strangle him. At this, Sir Hugh let his merry expression change into the serious countenance that reflected his inner sentiment, because that was what he did. He was a joker, but he also knew when the situation called for sincerity.

It was many weeks later, after many outings with Eleanor under her older brother's watchful eye and Sir Hugh had yet to be thrown to the country, that Sir Hugh truly appreciated Nathaniel's protective nature. Sir Hugh was stood in the Lord Sheridan's office, his posture more confident than how he truly felt, for though the Lord Sheridan was a very hearty man, he could be a quite intimidating when needed. Throughout the conversation his words seemed to be straight to the point, his usual cordial smile appeared to have been replaced by a simply polite one, and his voice, though surely used in the appropriate volume, seemed to reverberate loudly through each corner of the room.

Overall, the man before him made Sir Hugh feel that he should stand straighter, use "sir" more often, and be completely honest and transparent because the master of the house could smell falsity. Not that Sir Hugh would ever lie to him, really.

"I'm curious to know," the Lord Sheridan ventured at one point, "what did Nathaniel do when he found out about your intentions to court my daughter?"

"He threatened my life, sir."

There was a pause as the Lord Sheridan raised an eyebrow, one corner of his mouth twitching as if he was suppressing a grin. A proud one, most likely.

"Despite your friendship?"

"Because of it, I believe. Aside from the fact that he truly takes care of his sister."

"And what was your response to this threat upon your life?"

"I acknowledged it, and promised that I shall do everything in my power to ensure her happiness. The same promise that I give you now, sir."

"And he accepted this promise?"

"Only after warning me again to refrain from idiocy."

The suppressed grin turned into a true one, and then the Lord Sheridan nodded, evidently finding Sir Hugh's answers satisfactory, and moved on to more practical topics such as finances and living arrangements. It was not lost on Sir Hugh that his first passing Nathaniel's strict evaluation had a significant effect on the Lord Sheridan's opinion on the matter.

It was also not lost on Eleanor, who, after learning how Sir Hugh's interview with her father went, speculated: "Oh my, what if Nat wasn't dreadful to you? What would have Papa said?"

"Oh, I'm sure I would have convinced him, regardless," Sir Hugh replied easily.

In response, Eleanor wordlessly threw him a glance similar to that of her brother's unimpressed one, which usually came with a jesting declaration that Sir Hugh was conceited.

"Really, Eleanor," Sir Hugh said, instead, "are you saying that you delight in your brother being dreadful to me?"

"As long as it somehow paves the path to our marriage, then Nathaniel can be dreadful to you all he wants."

Sir Hugh felt a grin pull at the corners of his lips. "Are you saying, then, that you'll endure anything to be able to spend the rest of your life with me?" he asked, fully expecting Eleanor to blush, avert her eyes, and daintily exclaim a few denials that weren't really denials.

Eleanor did blush a little—a touch of pink blossoming on her cheeks—but her gaze firmly remained on his and she said in a clear voice, "Well, I did agree to marry you, did I not? I believe it was understood that I also agreed to enduring everything for you and with you for the rest of my life."

The directness and candidness of her words completely derailed Sir Hugh's joking train of thought, and filled him instead with a warm feeling; one of a combination of love and pride and dizzy, happy disbelief.

"Sometimes," he confessed gently, "I think you are much too good for me. How did I ever manage to deserve you?"

Eleanor's already pink cheeks took on a decidedly red color, and she stumbled a bit before she was able to answer, "I should think that you would have a solution to that puzzle, since you convinced both my father and my older brother of the same thing." She averted her eyes, suddenly shy, "And you flatter me too much, sir; I am not so impressive."

"You are, to me."

Eleanor seemed to have run out of replies—save for a very delicate "I...well...thank you,"—and looked to be finding her slippers very interesting. Sir Hugh, for his part, was not very eloquent anymore, either, both in the serious and in the joking way. Instead, his eyes could not look away from his fianceé—his fianceé!—as they were wont to do most of the time, and his fingers twitched a little, wanting to reach out and tip her chin up so that she would look up at him.

As he carefully crossed the three paces that separated them to do just that, noticing that Eleanor had closed her eyes and was taking slow, measured breaths. For a moment Sir Hugh paused, wondering if his advances would be unwelcome, before deciding to take a safer tactic. He reached out instead for her hand, and lifted it so he could press a warm kiss to her knuckles—he closed his eyes, unable to keep himself from lingering a moment longer than usual. When he opened his eyes again he found Eleanor's eyes closer than he thought they would be, looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes.

All other coherent thought left Sir Hugh's mind then, and, with a smile that mirrored his Eleanor's, he bent forward to meet her lips in a soft kiss.

Suddenly, a loud slam of the door made Sir Hugh jump, and, blinking, quickly regain his bearings—Oh.—It was with a slightly dismayed heart that he recognized that Eleanor was not in the Sheridans' drawing room with him, and that she was not kissing him at the moment. (He took solace in the fact that his daydream was not one from imagination, but was a remembrance of a scene from several months ago.) Instead, she was upstairs with Miss Nicola Sparks, preparing for the Sheridans' visit to Northumberland on the morrow. Sir Hugh would be coming along, as well, since he was not only Eleanor's fiancé and therefore almost part of the family, but was also Nathaniel's friend and will stand up with him as a groomsman on his wedding to Nicola.

It was on Sir Hugh's insistence that Eleanor remain uninformed of his presence for a while. Tomorrow's trip was very important, and the preparations for it need not be hindered by a too early visit. Sir Hugh had arrived more than three quarters of an hour too early for tea, and it was solely because the Sheridans' staff found him amiable that he was able to ask for unlikely favors such as not announcing his arrival.

And since none of the Sheridans knew of Sir Hugh's being in the drawing room, it was understandable that Nathaniel Sheridan should look surprised as he stood by the door.

"You're early," he stated.

"That I am," Sir Hugh replied.

Nathaniel took a moment to blink, obviously trying to deduce the reason for Sir Hugh's unheralded presence.

And then he took a moment more.

And this was how Sir Hugh himself deduced that perhaps something was troubling Nathaniel, because the particularly intelligent eldest Sheridan simply did not take that long to figure things out.

Neither did he typically come into rooms and slamming doors behind him.

With a strained "Eh!" Nathaniel waved a hand dismissively as if he decided to give up his process of deduction, proceeding instead to pace in an agitated manner.

Something was decidedly troubling him, therefore.

"Problem?" Sir Hugh asked jovially—because that was what he did: trying to somehow alleviate the gravity of the situation. Whatever this situation was.

"Yes," Nathaniel said simply, his gait not faltering in the slightest.

Sir Hugh nodded and let Nathaniel complete twenty more laps up and down the room before saying, "Any chance I'll be hearing about this problem before you wear off the carpet?"

Nathaniel promptly stopped and looked up, as if only then realizing how much time had passed and how much pacing he had been doing. Sir Hugh allowed himself to grin at him, because, really, that was what he did whenever Nathaniel began panicking irrationally.

But then, without any preamble, Nathaniel announced, "I'm going to ask her to marry me."

Sir Hugh's eyebrows shot up, grin fading. "What?"

"I don't know why I've put this off for so long," Nathaniel continued, apparently still in the state of mind that usually came with the pacing. "We've all known for quite a while now, but― things have been discussed, of course, and we have had an understanding― that is, I think we have had an understanding― but it isn't quite an understanding if only one of the parties thinks it an understanding, is it?"

"Wait, wait, WHAT?" Sir Hugh demanded, because that was what he did. He was a joker, but he also knew when the situation called for seriousness.

And possibly some yelling, by the looks of it, because, as Nathaniel had predicted once, Sir Hugh had long thought of Nicola Sparks as a sister. Partly because Eleanor, the love of his life, thought of her as a sister; and also because Nathaniel, whom Sir Hugh had always thought as a brother, was in love with her; but mostly because Nicola Sparks, in being Nicola Sparks, somehow felt like a sister to Sir Hugh even though he never truly knew what it was like at all to have a sibling.

Oh, yes. There was definitely going to be yelling.

"You had better tell me that I'm misunderstanding your senseless rambling, Sheridan, because— Miss Sparks might not be my sister by blood, but if you betray her, I swear to God—"

"Betray Nicky?" Nathaniel bristled, finally looking like he was paying attention to what he was saying. "I would never— What are you on about?"

"What are you on about?" Sir Hugh shot back.

Nathaniel, who knew that Sir Hugh did not typically yell at him—or anybody, really—paused for a moment to steady himself before trying to repeat his statements. "I was saying— I was saying I was going to ask Nicky to marry me. How is that betraying her?"

Sir Hugh took a moment to process this and realize with relief that he had misunderstood his friend's muttered words. "Thank God," he breathed as he slumped into the nearest chair. "I thought you were talking about someone else."

"Someone else!" Nathaniel echoed incredulously. "Who else would I ask to marry me?"

"I don't know, someone you're not already engaged to?" Sir Hugh shot back again, but this time he was laughing. "I mean, really, why ask Miss Sparks to marry you when you've already done so?"

Nathaniel visibly stiffened at that, looking away as he answered, "Because I...haven't."

Sir Hugh's laughter died as he sat up straight. Really, but Nathaniel wasn't making sense this afternoon.

"The day after you rescued Miss Sparks from falling to her death at the docks," Sir Hugh recalled, "we were all of us right here in this very room talking about how your wedding should come before Eleanor's because you're the eldest, despite the fact that she was engaged before you. Did we or did we not have that conversation?"

"Indeed we did."

"Then why are we having this one?"

"Because I haven't asked Nicky to marry me," Nathaniel repeated. "I've been wanting to—God knows I've been wanting to for quite a while—but all that kidnapping business happened and I never got to ask. And then after that incident at the docks, everyone just assumed that I had asked for her hand and that she had accepted. Although she never actually objected to the assumption of our engagement, I don't want her to marry me just because it's expected of her. I don't even know who to ask for permission to marry her."

"Didn't you tell her you loved her—and kissed her in public while doing so, might I add!—and didn't she say that she returned the sentiment?"

"Yes, but all of that happened between her and Sebastian Bartholomew, too."

"Whoa, whoa, stop right there!" Sir Hugh stood up again. "That was different. She said so herself: she didn't know him, so she didn't really love him. That's not the case between the two of you. Really, are you doubting Miss Sparks' testimony?"

"No."

"You're an idiot."

"Yes."

Sir Hugh allowed himself (and Nathaniel, really) a laugh. "Look, I propose the idea that you're overanalyzing things because you're nervous about tomorrow: it's an important trip, after all. And though I still think it's unnecessary, if this non-existence of explicit permission for her hand will bother you later, then you're right: just settle this once and for all and ask her. However, don't do it while you're looking so unsure."

Nathaniel said nothing, his disposition obvious that he was taking Sir Hugh's words into consideration. Also, his posture, which had exuded worry and self-doubt since the moment he entered the drawing room, began to return to his usual one of level-headedness and confidence. Indeed, when Nathaniel grinned, Sir Hugh could see the determination and purposefulness that was usually present in the eldest Sheridan's countenance.

It was at this moment that Eleanor entered the drawing room, having finally been notified about Sir Hugh's presence.

"Ellie," Nathaniel addressed his sister as she went to stand beside her fiancé, "Since one of Nicky's two remaining relatives is in jail, and the other is—well, I don't think Nicky doesn't need the other's permission for anything she does— Would you know who I should talk to to ask for Nicky's hand in marriage?"

"Oh, dear," Eleanor said after a moment's consideration. "I'm afraid I don't quite know. She's always said that Papa's already like a father to her, but he's your father, too, so that hardly seems— Wait, why do you ask?"

"Never mind, I'll figure it out," Nathaniel said, smiling as he turned to leave. "Is Nicky in her room?"

"Yes—Oh, remember to knock, Nathaniel!"

Sir Hugh grinned, relieved to see his friend back to his normal self, complete with the extra spring in his step whenever he was off to do something related to Miss Sparks. The extra spring was more like an extra special one at the moment, but Sir Hugh decided that that was a good recovery from all the pacing that was done earlier. As for Eleanor, she considered the whole exchange with curiosity.

"What's wrong with my brother?" she asked.

Sir Hugh only shook his head, kissing Eleanor on the cheek.

"Nothing more than usual, love."

Later, after tea was served and had, Sir Hugh was surprised to find that it was him whom Nathaniel asked for permission to marry Miss Sparks.

"Well," a glowing Nicola had reasoned when asked, "I've always felt an older brotherliness about you, Sir Hugh. Plus, you're going to be my brother-in-law soon; we'll truly be brother and sister, in any case. I should like a jovial older brother!"

Sir Hugh laughed. Jovially, of course, because that's what he did.