Chapter 11 #2
He was meant to say something witty now, but he couldn’t think what. Silas looked to Miss Williams, hoping she might offer some help.
Her large, brown eyes grew wider as some inspiration struck. “Oh! I think I see my friend, Miss Annabelle. Please excuse me for a moment.”
If he’d needed proof he was only imagining any support from Miss Williams’s quarter, here it was. Without another glance, his fiancée turned heel and abandoned him.
* * *
Hannah didn’t think she’d ever been happier to see another person in her life.
“Annabelle.” The name escaped her lips as little more than a sigh of relief.
“Oh goodness, I thought you’d been locked in the tower,” the other girl said with a questioning laugh. “Della told me that Jane told her that your mother wasn’t letting you out.”
Though Hannah had only known Annabelle Danby in passing before her arrival in London, they’d become fast friends.
The Danby sisters had an almost heroic air to them.
They seemed to do whatever they pleased, but their quick wit and warm manner made them welcome at every gathering.
Hannah couldn’t understand how they managed to get away with it all.
She sometimes dreamed that if she could only get to know them a little better, she might learn their secret and become nearly as daring.
Or at least, she had thought that way. Until she’d learned what Della was up to.
“Um…how is your sister? I hope she’s feeling well. Has she… Is she here with you?”
Hannah didn’t look forward to their next meeting, after how they’d left things that night at the club.
“No. She had some sort of business to attend to.” Annabelle’s answer brought a wave of relief. And shortly after that, guilt.
“I hope you might tell her…” Hannah hesitated, struggling for the right words. “Please tell her I’m sorry for the trouble I caused before.”
There. She might not be quite willing to forget that Della was involved with a married man, but Hannah was sorry for causing a fuss and upsetting everyone. In her haste to escape her mother, she’d failed to think about how much trouble her plans might cause.
“What happened?” Annabelle asked in a low tone. “Here, come over behind this elephant where no one will hear us.”
“I think that’s supposed to be a giraffe.” Hannah studied the hedge for a moment. Its carver hadn’t been as skilled as one might have liked.
“Never mind what it is. I want to hear your story.”
I may as well start at the most important part. “I’m engaged.”
“No, you aren’t.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Really?” Annabelle’s dismay was plain. “But I thought you refused to be married. You promised to be an old maid with me.”
Though she was only nineteen, Miss Annabelle had made no secret of the fact that she intended never to marry, yet no one in her family seemed to mind—another curiosity Hannah couldn’t explain. Their lives really were so different.
“You haven’t even asked who my future husband shall be,” Hannah scolded her friend. “It’s Mr. Corbyn, the same fellow I kissed at Bishop’s. So you can tell everyone we’ve been secretly engaged for months and they should all calm down a bit about what they saw.”
Hopefully that would help smooth over the scandal and make amends to Della and Jane.
“Have you been engaged for months?” Annabelle had a narrow face, which always made her look more serious. To that image she now added a very judgmental tone. “I thought he’d only just arrived in town when you kissed him. Della said he’d been at sea before then.”
“Must we debate the details? He was in London before his first night at Bishop’s. I met him when he came to call on my brother. It was love at first sight. Anyway, the important thing is that we were engaged before we kissed.”
Annabelle didn’t seem to care about this critical piece of information in the least. Didn’t she realize that it made all the difference if they wanted to counter the gossip for the sake of the club?
“I can’t believe you would chain yourself to some man.” Annabelle wrinkled her nose in disdain. “What if he’s horrid?”
“He’s not horrid at all. He’s very kind.
Have you met him?” Hannah slipped her gloved hand into that of her friend and tugged her gently out from behind the giraffe-elephant to observe Mr. Corbyn.
He was still trapped with her mother, poor fellow.
He looked so handsome today, the bright-blue morning coat bringing out the color of his eyes just as she’d known it would.
Would Annabelle believe that such a man could want to marry her?
Hannah had been so excited to see him dressed up, but now she wondered if their pairing might look far-fetched by the light of day.
The best she’d ever managed to attract in the past were the likes of Mr. Horvath or Sir Richard.
Underwhelming, unwanted bachelors who’d only turned their sights to Hannah when no one prettier or richer would have them.
“He’s over there, the one with blond hair.”
Hannah studied Annabelle’s face for the awe and wonder which would surely follow, but she took in Mr. Corbyn’s good looks with no outward sign that they’d moved her. “How predictable,” Annabelle finally said. “Are you going to move to the country and have babies now? I’m very disappointed in you.”
“I doubt I’ll move to the country,” Hannah assured her. “He doesn’t have any money. Mama wants him to buy a commission in the army.”
“Oh, but that’s perfect.” Annabelle’s sour expression vanished at this news. “Then you’ll hardly need to see him.”
I like seeing him, Hannah very nearly replied. She bit her lip before the words could escape. Why should she think such a thing? This was all an act, not a real courtship, and Mr. Corbyn seemed annoyed to be with her half the time.
But Hannah did like it when he was around. Despite his gruff exterior, she felt safer when he was nearby. Less alone.
She swallowed, suddenly flustered. “I suppose you’re right,” she replied, unsure what else to say.
She might have told Miss Annabelle the truth, but the risk that she might repeat the tale to her older sister was too great. If Della told Jane, she would tell Eli, and Eli would tell their mother.
Better to keep this conspiracy limited to herself and Mr. Corbyn. She didn’t dare trust anyone else.
“Anyway, how are things at Bishop’s?” Hannah asked, eager to turn the conversation away from her deceit now that she’d finished sharing the most critical information. “And your sister, how is her book coming along?”
“She’s nearly finished,” Annabelle replied. “Though the viscount had to step back from the project. You’ll have seen the story in the papers, no doubt.”
“Er—” In fact, Hannah hadn’t been reading the papers lately.
Mama had considered the news far too inflammatory for her delicate mind while she’d been shut away these past few weeks.
Without any opportunity to speak to other people, she had no idea what was going on outside the walls of her guest bedroom.
“His wife is divorcing him,” Annabelle confided, seeing her confusion. “They’ve gone through chancery court, and she’s expected to bring a private bill to the House of Lords presently.”
“My.” Hannah swallowed. “That is shocking.”
“He’s all but retreated from society, from what I gather. We haven’t seen him in weeks.”
“But that must be for the best?”
Miss Annabelle made a noncommittal sound, her expression solemn. Surely she couldn’t support her sister’s connection to such a man?
This was the best outcome for Della.
“She’s been spending less time at the club, and I understand Lady Kerr has taken on some of the extra evenings.
” Annabelle’s youthful face transformed into something like a pout.
“I don’t see why she should be allowed to help.
She doesn’t have any particular genius, you must admit.
I’m hoping I might convince Jane and my sister to let me join them instead. ”
“You?” Hannah blinked. “I didn’t realize you liked cards.”
“It’s not about the cards,” Annabelle explained patiently. “It’s about the money. They bring in more profit every year, and I wouldn’t mind having my own funds without having to ask my parents every time I want something.”
Of course! That was how she would get the money to pay Mr. Corbyn. Hannah was already checking over the books for Jane. If she could prove to her sister-in-law that she was useful, she might find more work. Especially now that her engagement had made her respectable again.
Relatively speaking.
Hannah hazarded a glance to Mr. Corbyn. He didn’t look to be enjoying himself much, but then, his smile was such a rare thing that it should come as no surprise if he didn’t grace the wild rose party with its appearance.
Maybe she should get back to him. After all, he was suffering through this event for her sake.
“I should return to the others, but please call on me soon. My mother should let me see you now.” She didn’t think she was quite brave enough to call on the Danby residence yet, even if Della had severed her ties to the viscount.
She took her leave from Annabelle and went back to Mr. Corbyn, but when she reached his side, he didn’t even acknowledge her. Perhaps he was engrossed in his conversation with Mrs. Brandon.
“And then I told Lady Hawthorne, ‘That’s not a pudding, that’s a custard!’”
No. The conversation couldn’t be distracting him.
“How are you enjoying the party?” Hannah asked, trying to catch Mr. Corbyn’s gaze.
“It’s lovely,” Mrs. Brandon replied for him. “And may I offer you my congratulations on your engagement, Miss Williams. I was so relieved when your mother told me the news.”
“Er, yes,” Hannah managed. “We’re very happy.”
She inched her elbow into Mr. Corbyn’s side, hoping to prompt some display of affection. It was like nudging a brick wall. He couldn’t have looked less happy if he were trying (which he very well might be).
“What was your engagement present?” Mrs. Brandon gave Hannah a quick once-over. “I don’t see a ring. Did he give you a necklace?”