It occurred to him that she might be right. He didn’t have any difficulty reading her mind as she slanted him disapproving looks while she called back to the judge to verify Paul’s request and then searched through a stack of paperwork in her outbox. He was an experienced twenty-three-year-old man who was taking ruthless advantage of the innocence and vulnerability of a seventeen-year-old girl without a family. The woman was likely aware of Paul’s unsavory reputation and had come to her own conclusions about his insistence on an expedited marriage license so he could marry a girl who hadn’t yet reached legal age. While Paul was used to people questioning his moral credibility, the judgment in the woman’s eyes made him slightly uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure he should be marrying Emily either. Because of an overflow of pity he hadn’t been able to control, he’d agreed to her unconventional proposal. He couldn’t go back on his word now. It would crush her completely. So he kept his expression impassive and pretended he didn’t notice the woman’s obvious censure.
