Chapter 2
D inner was a lavish feast in anticipation of the simpler meal that would be served tomorrow night in deference to Good Friday. The table overflowed with roast turkey, suckling pig, and platters of lake trout; so much so that Simon wondered if any fish would be left for him and Jacob to catch.
The company at the table was as welcomed as the food. Simon was acquainted with most of the guests at the table, old family friends of Sarah and Talbot. Lord and Lady Markham, Lord and Lady Exmouth, and Sir Thomas and Lady Ashburn were all godparents to the Talbot children. Lord and Lady Carrick and Lord and Lady Kincardine were neighbours and frequent guests at Cosburn Park throughout his life.
In fact, the only guest he had a barely passing acquaintance with was Lord Lansdowne, the only other bachelor at the table.
That made it all the more obvious that Lansdowne had been invited so he might be matched with Hannah. The only other unattached lady at the table was Caroline, who had accompanied her parents to dinner and posed no competition for Hannah.
Not that Caroline was lacking in any way, of course. She was as pretty as any young lady, but there was no comparing her to Hannah’s ethereal beauty.
Simon was pleased to see that Hannah had finally forgone the muted colours she had worn since she had gone into half mourning for John. Tonight, she wore a white cap trimmed with green gauze ribbons, the open back showing off her golden hair that was intricately plaited and pinned to resemble the petals of a blooming flower. Her ivory muslin evening dress was printed with green and pink stripes, its gauzy oversleeves giving the appearance of wings, as if she were an angel come to earth.
Lord Lansdowne was blessed to have Hannah sat beside him for dinner. And the man well knew it.
Lansdowne had paid her special attention all throughout the meal, ensuring she was never in want of food or drink. The earl not only possessed impeccable manners, his conversation must have been particularly engaging as Hannah leaned into him—perhaps a little too close at times, in Simon’s humble and not-in-the-least-bit-envious opinion—and she even laughed at the man!
Though if Simon had to describe it, it was more polite tittering than a genuine expression of humour.
He knew that when Hannah genuinely laughed, she could not stop herself from snorting. She had always hated that she did it, so Simon had always enjoyed making it happen. In fact, he had become an expert at it over the years, knowing that snort well.
There was not even a hint of it when Hannah laughed at Lansdowne. He was certain of it.
“Simon, you must tell me what Lord Lansdowne has done to engage your fascination so I might use such actions to enthrall gentlemen this season.”
Simon’s gaze finally left Hannah raptly listening to Lord Lansdowne espouse something in his mild-mannered voice that did not carry across the table and fell upon the lady sitting to his right. Caroline looked at him, one dark eyebrow peaked in mild annoyance.
“My apologies. My mind was far away.”
Caroline gave him a dubious expression, but before she could say anything, Sarah stood up, signalling it was time for the ladies to go through.
Simon was relieved for the departure, not wanting Caroline to become anymore suspicious than she already was if he could not keep his eyes off of Hannah.
With the ladies gone, the men’s stances became more casual as port was poured and they began to discuss the matters of the day.
“Gentlemen, I insist that when you are next in Town, you must ride the London and Greenwich Rail,” Lord Markham declared. “It is a marvel of modern machinery!”
“I heard it greatly exceeds even the swiftest of stallions. Is it true?” Sir Thomas asked.
“I do not know exact figures, but the speed with which we reached the terminal station might only be replicated by the swiftest horse totally unburdened,” Lord Markham replied. “It truly is the quickest way to journey through the city.”
“Fascinating,” Talbot said. “I had thought the viaduct might prove an eyesore, but when I was last there, I found myself admiring the arches. It has an air of the Romans about it that I enjoy.”
“Mark my words, within a decade, railways shall crisscross the country,” Markham declared. “It is the future, gentlemen.”
“Then we are in some danger,” Lansdowne said gravely, and the attention of the table turned to him.
“How so, Lansdowne?” Lord Exmouth asked.
“Men are not meant to move at such speeds,” Lansdowne said. “If they were, the Lord would have made it possible for us to do so.”
Simon was not the only one at the table who frowned in confusion, but it was Sir Thomas who questioned Lansdowne.
“But surely if men built it, the Lord did make it possible.”
Lansdowne shook his head. “There are many things that men can do that are directly against the word of the Lord. Lucifer has many ways to tempt us away from the path of righteousness. These locomotives are only another one of his evil temptations. How unfortunate you have been taken in, Lord Markham.”
Simon locked eyes with Sir Thomas across the table, their shared disbelief confirming that they had indeed heard the man correctly.
Talbot let out an awkward laugh. “Come now, Lansdowne. I do not think it is as serious as all that. The railways are exciting progress.”
“They are an affront to the Lord.”
Now, Simon believed in God and Heaven and all the good things they preached at church, which he attended every Sunday, but Lansdowne’s faith had a touch of fanaticism to it. He sounded like one of the evangelicals that would preach on the street corner. The nobility held faith in God, naturally, but sermonizing was for the clergy, not the aristocracy.
“Railways are not an affront to the Lord,” Simon said.
Lansdowne shot him a scornful glance. “And you profess to know the Lord’s beliefs?”
“I believe I know them as accurately as you claim to,” Simon replied. “If the Lord was affronted by men exceeding their natural speed, every man who has ever sat a horse has offended Him.”
“That is different. Horses are beasts, put here by the Lord to provide for men.”
“They made the locomotive’s engine from metal and it runs on steam, both put here on Earth by the Lord. Or do you believe metal and steam are the work of the Devil?” Simon asked, eyes narrowing at the man.
“Of course not,” Lansdowne said, “But this steam engine business is different.”
“But what of the mills that use steam engines to produce their goods or the mines who use them to pump out water? Has the Devil been seducing us every time we select a fine woolen weave at the tailor or burn a piece of coal?”
Colour rose high in Lansdowne’s cheeks as his lips pressed together in a white line. He glared angrily at Simon, his hand clenching into a fist on the table.
Tut, tut, Lansdowne. Wrath is a deadly sin. What will the Lord think of you now, eh?
“Gentlemen!” Talbot called out jovially in an attempt to cut the tension in the air. “I do believe we have left the ladies long enough and they shall be wanting our company. We can leave such high-minded conversations behind, lest we confuse or upset the fairer sex.”
Talbot rose from the table, the other men following suit, but Lansdowne stayed seated. Simon did the same, relaxed in his chair, yet his eyes filled with challenge.
Apparently, Lansdowne was not up to the challenge, yielding first and rising from his chair to join the others. Only after Lansdowne left the table did Simon stand.
He followed the men into the drawing room, where Sarah and the other ladies welcomed them. Simon’s gaze swept the room, finding Hannah sitting on the sofa with Caroline, their heads bent together as they whispered.
He had known the girls long enough that he could easily spot the signs of plotting. He would have expected the ladies to leave the pranks behind with childhood. Then again, even at nine and twenty, he still enjoyed a good prank.
He hoped their target was Lord Lansdowne. He deserved to be taken down a peg or two.
A petty thought, but the man was exasperating. The fact that society considered him one of the most eligible bachelors baffled him.
Well, not baffled. He understood why. Despite having all the personality of a fence post, Simon could acknowledge the man was quite handsome and exceptionally wealthy.
He only hoped Hannah would see beyond the outside to realize who Lansdowne was beneath his wealth and good looks.
He could accept Hannah marrying John Barlow because John had been a fine, upstanding gentleman with a charming personality and sharp wit. In fact, for most of their childhood, Simon thought of John as a good friend.
The idea of Hannah marrying a man like Lord Lansdowne? Why, it made Simon downright ill.
“I fear I made a mistake inviting Lansdowne.”
Simon was surprised to find Talbot had sidled up next to him, a glass of wine in each hand. He passed one to Simon before taking a large swallow from the remaining glass.
“Why did you?” Simon inquired, curious about Talbot’s reasons for selecting the prig.
“I hear the ladies talk of him being handsome. I thought a fine face might sway Hannah.” Talbot shook his head as he looked at his daughter. “I do not want her rotting away here. She deserves a husband. A family of her own. She cannot cast herself as the bereaved fiancée who must mourn forever.”
And yet, that was exactly what Hannah had done.
For two full years after John died, she wore mourning blacks, full veil and all. She only moved into half mourning upon Sarah and Caroline’s consistent pleading to do away with the veil.
It was only after she had spent a full year in half mourning and continued to shun society that Simon realized Hannah would never heal from losing John.
That realization also coincided with his last visit to Cosburn Park four years ago, which might have made him selfish, but Simon needed his own time to mourn the loss of hope. Hannah would only ever love John. Even with him gone from the earth, no other man could win Hannah’s heart.
Simon found some comfort in knowing that although he could never have Hannah, no other man would either. She would always be the grieving fiancée to the rest of the world.
Yet this visit had shown him that while it had taken some time, Hannah was slowly extricating herself from that role. It was not simply her discarding of her mourning clothes. It was the fact that she was doing her best to stifle her giggles as she whispered with Caroline. It reminded him of what she had been like before John died.
“She does not seem to be bereaved tonight,” Simon told Talbot. “Perhaps she has finally left mourning behind and would be amenable to marriage…to the right gentleman. Rather than forcing her to marry Lansdowne, why not offer her a season in Town instead? She needn’t marry immediately. Have her attend the season and let her find a gentleman she wants to be courted by.”
Talbot’s head bobbed as he considered the suggestion. “I suppose that might be the wiser approach. She will not be happy with Lansdowne, that is certain.”
At least Simon had saved Hannah from the horror of being bound to Lord Lansdowne.
And saved himself the horror of watching her marry a man completely unworthy of her.
Despondent notes sounded from the pianoforte in the corner where Lady Kincardine had sat down to play. He had forgotten that the lady could never resist playing when a pianoforte was present.
While she was fairly accomplished at the instrument, Lady Kincardine preferred the less lively compositions, which always seemed to dampen the party’s mood. It was unfortunate that in the intervening years, no one had told the baroness that her listeners would much prefer a poorly played jaunty tune over a proficient funeral march.
“I believe I will take in some fresh air for a moment,” Simon told Talbot, who gave him a knowing nod.
“I still keep the good whiskey in the same hiding place in the library. Although make sure you leave some for me, as I trust I will need some before the night is out.”
Years ago, upon Simon’s coming of age, Talbot had disclosed the secret of the bottle behind The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , informing Simon it served as the perfect escape during a social event should he ever find himself in need.
For as much as things had changed, there were still some constants here at Cosburn Park, and that lightened Simon’s heart.
***
After a painfully boring dinner with the dull Lord Lansdowne, Hannah knew with the utmost certainty that she could never marry him.
There was not a lick of humour in the man. It had been exhausting enough having to pretend to laugh at his attempts at wit during dinner, which had only been puns related to the Bible. How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it. She could not condemn herself to a lifetime of pretending to laugh at that man.
Which meant there was nothing for it but to put her scheme into action.
She had thought she might need to bide her time for the perfect opportunity to present itself, but it occurred quickly and by pure coincidence.
She had retreated to the far corner of the drawing room with Caroline when Sarah began to hint that music would be most welcome tonight. While Hannah was quite accomplished on the pianoforte and the harp, she was not about to be compelled to offer up a performance to charm her suitor.
Her hiding spot put her close enough to Papa and Simon to overhear their exchange as Lady Kincardine took Sarah’s hint and sat at the instrument. Hannah watched as Simon slipped from the drawing room, and she knew she would not have a better chance.
She leaned into Caroline, an urgent hand on her arm. “In five minutes, tell Sarah I have gone to the retiring room and that I want her to bring Lord Lansdowne to the library because I want to show him our copy of the book he mentioned at dinner.”
Lord Lansdowne was too proper to accept any sort of clandestine meetings, but a perfectly chaperoned interaction would get him away from the rest of the party so she might hatch her plot.
“It shall be done,” Caroline said with a grin. Having been part of plotting out the various ways Hannah could discourage Lord Lansdowne, her friend was happy to play a part in executing the plan.
Hannah slipped from the drawing room and crossed the great hall to the library, where only a faint light spilled from the open doorway. She looked around to be certain no servants were about who might give the game away before she entered the library.
Shadows danced around the room, the flickering of the single lamp cutting out a slice of light in the darkness. Simon stood just out of the lamplight, sipping the whiskey from her father’s hidden store that he believed only the men in the house knew about.
Papa had somehow never noticed that Sarah stole nips from it more often than her father did. It was fortunate for him that Hannah had no interest in the foul-tasting liquor, otherwise he would lose his stash entirely.
“Time passes, and yet Lady Kincardine always plays the same pieces,” Hannah said.
Simon startled, whiskey sloshing over the rim of his glass as he let out a curse.
“And you still have a knack for sneaking up on people.” He shook his head. “I will never understand how you can manage that, yet you cannot dance without stomping on your partner’s feet.”
“It is because I do not have to sneak up on people in time to music,” she told him. “And I do not recall ever stomping on feet. A light misstep. An unavoidable tread on the toes. Perhaps even an accidental plod, but I never stomped.”
“I suppose stomped does imply you had intention when it was clear you do not have a bit of grace in your entire being,” Simon teased her.
She had no real defence, as she was a miserable dancer. It was a shame she was so poor at it when she enjoyed it so. Although she had not danced in years. Not since before John died.
“I remember at my first assembly at Almack’s, you did not even flinch when I stepped on your toe.”
“You are a slight girl. It did not hurt all that much.” Simon grinned. “So, how long do you think Lady Kincardine will play her melancholy pieces?”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “Only the Lord knows. I almost considered volunteering to take up the instrument myself if only to stop her.”
“I do not believe anyone would complain. You have always been an accomplished player.”
“It has been sometime since I played the pianoforte. I believe I might be out of practise, so best save everyone’s ears.”
“By dooming them to listen to Lady Kincardine?”
“I speculate that she believes the sad pieces make her appear a more accomplished player.”
Simon nodded. “I remember visiting their home years ago. She seemed to apply the same reasoning to her decorating. Medieval torture chamber was what I would call it. Dark, bleak and that strange iron maiden in the corner of the drawing room.”
“I believe Lady Kincardine claims it is a Pharoh’s sarcophagus that Lord Kincardine brought back from his explorations of Egypt after the war.”
“I do not think that is much better. Instead of a torture device, she’s propped a coffin in the corner. It is a wonder she is not haunted by ghosts.” Simon paused, head tilted. “Though Lady Kincardine strikes me as one who would welcome ghosts. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover she is one of those eccentrics who runs naked through the graveyards at night.”
The picture Simon created made Hannah laugh uproariously, but a snort cut off her laughter, and she clapped an embarrassed hand over her mouth. She hated when she did that. It was so unladylike and yet she never could break herself of the habit when something truly tickled her.
Thankfully, Simon gave her an indulgent smile instead of mocking her with a quip about how a pig must have snuck into the room to make such a noise.
He was a polite gentleman, as always.
Well, no, not always, considering how he had steered their conversation to the subject of nudity.
And how advantageous for her, considering the reason she had come to the library.
A glance at the clock showed it had been five minutes since she had left the drawing room. The time had come.
“Mentioning a naked woman?” Hannah said. “You should not say such scandalous things, Simon.”
Colour surged across Simon’s cheeks and his gaze dropped.
“A-a-a thousand apologies,” he stammered out. “I did not intend—”
She chuckled as she moved closer, laying a reassuring hand on his forearm. “I am only teasing. Do not choke on your tongue.”
Simon let out a relieved chuckle. “Good. I do not want a reprimand from Sarah for being a bad influence on you. I remember the time she found out I took you and Caroline to watch a performance of The Man of Mode at the fair. She boxed my ears to punctuate each sentence of her lecture about appropriate theatre for young ladies.”
“Yes, everyone has many opinions about what is appropriate for young ladies,” Hannah said with a sigh. “I am relieved that I am no longer considered a young lady.”
“Six and twenty is still young, Hannah.”
“Oh, I am not lamenting the idea that I am old,” she said. “I do not want to be a young lady. Young ladies must constantly be sheltered and minded. Now that I am no longer a young lady, I can live a life of freedom. Why, just look at me now. In a room with a gentleman, no chaperone in sight.”
Simon took another sip of his drink before he set the glass down on the table. “Yes, well, speaking of that. Although no one who knows us would think anything of it due to our long history, it would be best if you return to the drawing room. Allow me to ensure no one is in the corridor before you leave. You would not want any rumours to start if you are seen sneaking from a room where I have been.”
He moved towards the door, but she grabbed his forearm to stop him. “Wait! I want to stay here. With you.”
He eyed where her fingers clung to the sleeve of his coat before travelling up her arm to meet her eyes, frowning in confusion.
“I have missed you, Simon. You have been gone from Cosburn Park for much too long. I want to spend time with you without everyone else around to bother us.”
That frown lifted into a small, shy smile. “Are you certain you are not missing out on more preferable companionship? It seemed to me you were enjoying Lord Lansdowne’s companionship at dinner.”
She let out a sardonic laugh. “We have been too long parted if you believed that display was enjoyment rather than simply polite manners.”
He chuckled. “I suspected but I was not certain. He was quite the Puritan with the men after dinner. I suppose it was for the best he acted so, considering your father has decide—”
“Hannah?”
Simon’s head turned towards the door at the faint sound of Caroline’s voice beyond, and Hannah knew she needed to act immediately. They needed to be found in the perfect position for this to work.
She lifted her hands to cup his face, turning his attention back to her, his honey-coloured eyes confused once again. When they darted down to her mouth, she knew then what to do.
Without another thought, she stood on her tiptoes, and she kissed Simon.
***
Simon was quite certain he had fallen asleep here in the library and was now caught up in a dream.
It must be a dream. For the idea that Hannah Talbot was truly kissing him was not a possibility.
Except he could feel the heat seeping through the silk of her gloves as she cupped his cheeks, the subtle pressure of her palms making his lips pucker slightly as her own plump lips pressed against them. The familiar jasmine scent Hannah always favoured flooded his nose, just as the heat of her body so close to his own radiated through him, confirming through every sense that Hannah was no dream. She truly was before him, kissing him, doing exactly what he had always imagined.
No, that was not quite true. His imaginings of a kiss with Hannah were always sensual, seductive, lustful, not this chaste press of closed mouth to closed mouth. Well, if Hannah was now finally kissing him, then he would ensure it was the best kiss of her life.
One hand dropped to her waist, the other rose to her nape, pulling her firmly into his arms and setting her slightly off balance so he could cradle the back of her head as he kissed her soundly.
He teased at her bottom lip, and her mouth parted on a gasp. His tongue darted out to taste hers and she let out a whimper that stoked the heat inside him that was always at a slow simmer in her presence.
His fingers wove through her hair, pins dropping to the floor, holding her more firmly as he deepened the kiss. Their tongues tangled together as her hands, previously cupping his face, moved to the back of his head to draw him closer.
She was kissing him back.
Hannah Talbot was kissing him back!
“What is the meaning of this?!”
Hannah broke the kiss on a gasp and it took Simon a moment to register that the library door was now open and Sarah and Caroline were standing there, flanking Lord Lansdowne, who glared at Simon with barely contained fury.
Simon glanced at Hannah and found her exchanging a quick smile with Caroline before declaring in a monotone voice, “Oh no, we have been discovered.”
“I do not understand,” Sarah said, bewildered at the scene she had come upon. “Hannah, Caroline said you wanted to show Lord Lansdowne a book and needed me to chaperone.”
Hannah looked down at her feet, as if she was ashamed, but Simon was close enough to see her small smile. Caroline was fighting a smile of her own, retreating to the door so Sarah and Lord Lansdowne would not see her.
A sinking feeling chased away all the pleasure Simon had experienced from the kiss. He had witnessed the girls plotting their prank, but he had never supposed he was its target.
“I assume you intend to marry the girl then, Langley,” Lansdowne said, his upper lip curled in disgust. “Otherwise, it appears you took advantage of a young lady in her father’s home. A man who found himself in such a position is no gentleman at all.”
That sinking feeling plummeted through him as he met Lansdowne’s look of judgement.
He had been caught kissing the unmarried daughter of a peer. If he refused to marry her, no peer would consider him a man of honour. There was no other choice if he did not want to destroy his reputation.
“Certainly I intend to marry Miss Talbot,” Simon said. “In fact, you walked in only moments after she accepted my proposal. I would hope you would not begrudge a newly betrothed couple a moment of affection caused by excitement and joy.”
Lansdowne absolutely would begrudge it, judging by the fact that his lip remained curled up as he regarded the two, but he was unable to say anything, as the delighted squeal that Sarah let out cut him off.
“You proposed to Hannah?” Sarah exclaimed, hand on her chest as her shock dissolved into a wide smile. “Oh, what wonderful news!”
Hannah opened her mouth, but before she could tell anyone that she did not know what Simon was talking about, he took hold of her elbow, clamping down on it to keep her silent.
“I do hope you can keep what you saw to yourself, Lansdowne,” Simon said. This would all be for naught if Lansdowne said anything. “I am certain you will not want to besmirch the reputation of a young lady simply due to overexcitement upon an accepted proposal.”
“I am certain I do not want to have any part in ruining the reputation of an innocent girl,” Lansdowne said, clearly not believing anything Simon said but willing to go along with the charade for Hannah’s sake. “As you are here to chaperone the young ladies, Lady Talbot, I shall take my leave now.”
Lansdowne departed the library, and Sarah was now all smiles for them.
“You two must tell me how this all happened! I had no idea you were even sweethearts. Of course, I do not approve of you kissing in the library, but as you will soon be married, I will not chastise you.”
“Sarah, you do not understand,” Hannah said, but Simon was quick to cut her off.
“I’m afraid I do not understand either. Care to explain exactly what you planned here, Hannah?”
Hannah grinned, apparently quite proud of her machinations. “Papa was intent on forcing me to marry Lord Lansdowne. My only escape would be to ensure he wanted no association with me. I knew it would ruin me in his eyes if he found me in the company of another man and so, with Caroline’s help, I arranged to be discovered.”
A jolt of disbelief flashed through Simon at Hannah’s callous disregard for him. He could not believe she could concoct such a plan with no thought whatsoever about what damage it would do to him. Did he truly warrant so little consideration from her?
“You used me, Hannah.”
Sarah’s excitement gave way to confusion as she looked between the two. “I do not understand. You proposed to Hannah.”
Simon shook his head. “No, I did not, sister. That was a lie for Lansdowne’s benefit. The truth is that I was in here enjoying the quiet and some whiskey when she came in here and kissed me. Obviously timed perfectly so Caroline might bring you and Lansdowne in here to catch us.”
Understanding dawned on Sarah, and she gaped at Hannah. “Whyever would you suppose that would help you avoid marriage?”
“It worked, did it not?” Hannah grinned. “Lansdowne has no desire to marry me now.”
“He does not,” Sarah said, “But you will have to marry Simon.”
“Oh, Simon’s lie about proposing changes nothing,” Hannah said dismissively. “We can simply pretend we are happily engaged as long as the guests are here. Once they are gone, we can break it off.”
A hot, angry flush rose in Simon’s face as his blood simmered with rage.
“Break it off?” Sarah shook her head. “That cannot happen. A broken engagement will ruin both of your reputations,” Sarah explained. “Besides, your father will never allow it once he gets word of what has happened.”
“No one needs to tell him,” Hannah said with an infuriatingly breezy wave of her hand.. “The secret can remain among us four.”
“And Lansdowne,” Sarah said. “Proposal or not, the man found you and Simon in a compromising position. He is likely informing your father this very moment about what he witnessed to ensure Simon fulfills his promise.”
“No, I am certain Lansdowne would keep it to himself. He is not a gossip,” Hannah said.
Sarah sadly shook her head. “This is not gossip to him, Hannah. This is about honour.”
Hannah looked to Simon, eyes imploring him to help her, which finally caused the anger simmering inside him to boil over.
“How could you be so bloody stupid, Hannah?” His voiced boomed in the library, making Hannah jump.
“Simon, language! I understand your anger, but there are ladies present!” Sarah chastised him, and he had to exert what little self-control he still possessed to not lash out at his sister. She meant well, especially as she turned back to Hannah and gave her a disapproving look. “How could you possibly imagine that ruining yourself was the solution to your troubles?”
Tears now glittered in her eyes, and Hannah tried to blink them away before she answered. “I thought that if I was ruined, then no man would ever want to marry me. If no man wanted to marry me, it would not matter what Papa wanted me to do. I never thought I would have to marry Simon.”
Her tears spilled over when she uttered that last sentence, most distressed at the thought of having to marry him.
Which only incensed him further.
“Did you even consider my feelings in all this, Hannah, or did you only think of yourself?” He held up a hand when she opened her mouth. “No, do not answer me. I cannot even look at you right now.”
He turned his back to her and faced Sarah. “I will go and speak with Talbot.”
“No, I should be the one to speak with him now that I have the measure of the situation,” Sarah told him. “Caroline, please take Hannah up to her room.”
“I am not a child to be sent to her room,” Hannah protested, but with the glare that was shot in her direction by both himself and Sarah, she quickly closed her mouth. Caroline snatched her friend’s arm and led them from the room, leaving Simon alone with his sister.
“I am so sorry, Simon. Hannah should not have done that. I did not realize she was so desperate to avoid Lansdowne,” Sarah said. “Though I doubt I could have ever imagined she was capable of such reckless actions. Perhaps there is something we have yet to think of that might fix what she has done.”
“No, I will marry her. Both of our families’ reputations are on the line. If word gets out that I ruined my sister’s stepdaughter and did not marry her, no gentleman will associate with me again. I will be disgraced and shunned. Marriage is the only way I can maintain my honour.”
“It is interesting to hear that you care about honour considering what Lansdowne told me.”
Talbot stood in the door and Simon was taken back to when he first arrived at Cosburn Park as an orphaned child. Lord Talbot had been intimidating, and Simon was certain that the man would not want his second wife’s younger siblings taking up resources within his home. Despite his gruff demeanour and imposing stature, he had greeted them all with a smile and a laugh.
Simon had not been afraid of Talbot since that day, but now, with the man’s face a thundercloud, he was once again that fearful boy.
“Simon is not at fault.” Sarah leapt to his defence, rapidly explaining what Hannah had revealed. “She did not want to marry Lansdowne, but you forced her hand, so she did something desperate and foolish.”
Talbot ran a hand over his face, clasping his chin for a moment before he sighed. “Leave me to speak with Simon alone, dear.”
Sarah hesitated for a moment, but Simon gave her a reassuring nod, and she left them alone.
Talbot picked up Simon’s whiskey glass and took it over to where Simon had left the bottle. He was silent as he refilled the glass and handed it back to Simon, then poured a glass for himself. He nodded for Simon to join him in the pair of wing chairs by the fireplace, Talbot taking a long pull of whiskey before he rested his head against the high-back chair.
“I am sorry she did this to you, son.”
Simon had been certain the man would blame him for compromising his daughter and have some choice words for him about honour and dignity—if not a fist or two swung in his direction. He had never expected an apology from the man.
“I did not think she could possibly do something so foolish. And to involve you?” He shook his head. “This is all my fault.”
“It is not your fault, Talbot,” Simon said. While Talbot may have been the catalyst, it had been Hannah who took action. She was the one who came in here, scheming to manipulate him. “I will do what honour demands. I am only sorry that you will have such a disappointing son-in-law. You had the chance at an earl—and a viscount before that—but end up with a fourth-son-nothing.”
Talbot leaned forward to give him a stern look. “You are not nothing, Simon. I would have welcomed you as my son-in-law years ago if I had thought you had a chance at being happy with Hannah. Unrequited love in a marriage makes for a painful existence.”
It never occurred to Simon that anyone in the family was aware of his feelings for Hannah, but apparently Talbot had the make of him. There seemed little point in trying to deny anything now when it was obvious that Talbot had read him well for so long.
“And now that painful existence is my future,” Simon said, raising his glass in a mock toast before drinking deep.
“Perhaps you can make her love you,” Talbot suggested, although his voice carried little confidence.
“I doubt that,” Simon said. “Her little plot tonight showed how little she thinks of me.”
And truthfully, he was uncertain what he thought about Hannah after what she had done to him tonight. Absence and distance may not have been the cure to his feelings for Hannah, but perhaps cruelty was.