Chapter One #3
“It is, my lady,” Janelle said quickly. “I cannot express my regret strongly enough. If I had known you would be here, I would never have allowed the time to slip away so dreadfully.”
“You were visiting an ill relation, I understand?”
Just what had Nanny told them? “Not technically true. The cousin of an old school friend. She’s increasing, you see, and feeling poorly.”
The lady sniffed. “And you caught her ailment somehow? Your stomach is that sympathetic?” Doubt laced her tone.
“It will never happen again, I assure you.”
“See to it,” the woman commanded, then she sat down as if she had given a royal decree and was now bored with the proceedings.
Meanwhile, still in his seat, her father clicked his pocket watch open. “We must go,” he said. “We can get to know one another better in the carriage.”
She gathered they were all travelling to the ball together. That would make it a tight squeeze in their carriage.
“Of course,” she said, turning toward the door, but the sound of a throat clearing behind her stopped her movement.
“There is something to do be done first, I believe,” said Lord Benedict.
“Right, right,” her father grumbled as he pushed to his feet. “Get on with it.”
A cold chill ran down her spine as Lord Benedict came to stand before her. All around her, the others held their breath with expectant impatience. As if they awaited a meal that they were barely interested in eating.
“My lord—” she began, but then she cut off her word with a squeak.
The man dropped down to one knee before her and tried to possess her hand.
Her instinct was to whip it behind her back, but she was too well trained for that.
Such a thing would be inexplicably rude.
And yet, she couldn’t allow what was happening either.
“Please,” she whispered desperately, “we haven’t even met before now. ”
“But we did,” he said from his position on one knee.
He didn’t force her to give him her hand, but he stayed there, his head level with her chest, and his intelligent hazel eyes looking up at her.
“I was arriving to see your father two days ago while you were preparing to leave. I heard you give several instructions to your housekeeper and butler.”
Really? Nanny was their housekeeper, having graduated from simple nursemaid to household management when Janelle turned thirteen. As for the butler, he’d been devoted to her and her secrets from the moment she’d delivered his first grandchild last season.
“But that is nothing remarkable,” she said.
“On the contrary, you were direct and succinct in your instructions. Not harsh, not cruel, and certainly not frivolous.”
She had no idea why that was important. “I try to be kind,” she said dully.
“They listened and, I assume, obeyed.”
She nodded. “Generally.”
“It was at that very moment that I realized you were the woman for me.” To the side, his mother cleared her throat quite loudly. He glanced at her, annoyance on his face, but then he returned to gazing up at Janelle. “It was at that moment that I fell desperately in love with you.”
He didn’t sound like he was in love. Indeed, if she had to guess, his mother had commanded him to pretend to that emotion. And yet, he did not seem like a man who lived under his mother’s thumb. She was so confused!
“W-what?” she stammered.
Her father grunted. “Come on, girl. Say yes. We must be off.”
Whyever would she do that?
In truth, she knew exactly why she would say yes.
One part of her brain reminded her that her father had announced his intention to have her wed by the end of the season.
She remembered now that he had never asked for her to beguile a man but had indicated that he would make the necessary arrangements for her. And clearly, he had.
A future earl was on his knee before her.
Lord Benedict grimaced. “Miss Caddick. Janelle. I realize this is happening very fast, and I would have preferred to discuss matters with you—”
“Yes,” agreed her father, “but she wasn’t here for that, was she? It’s her own fault.”
This was her own fault. She should have paid more attention to her father. Had he said anything about being in negotiation with a suitor? Could she possibly have missed that?
“Nevertheless,” Lord Benedict continued. Then with an apologetic glance, he grasped her limp hand and pulled it forward. “Would you do me the greatest honor and become my wife?”
There was only one answer to give. Everyone expected her to say yes.
Indeed, marriage to a future earl was perhaps the greatest alliance she could ever hope to achieve.
All she need do was say, yes. But the word caught in her throat.
She kept thinking, who is he to me? And the reverse, who was she to him?
“You are overcome,” he said.
“I am…” Confused. Intimidated. Something. She didn’t even know what, but he took it for agreement.
Then he held up a large ruby ring. “We need not be married immediately. There is plenty of time for us to get to know one another.”
He touched the ring to the tip of her finger but did not put it on. To the side, her father grunted in annoyance. His mother took a breath, no doubt to say something, but Lord Benedict silenced her with a hard glare. Then he returned his attention to Janelle.
“Do you need more time?” he asked.
Of course, she did! Marriage was a serious business.
It would determine whom she spent the rest of her life avoiding as she snuck out to tend to the women who needed her.
But of course, she couldn’t say that. What she could say was that he was an aristocrat of obviously good means.
Her father would have seen to that. His appearance was neat, his manner refined, but she couldn’t have him hanging around the house all day. He would know what she did.
“This has all been arranged,” she realized. “Even down to my aunt’s ball—”
“To which we are already tardy,” her father said loudly.
Right. “My dowry and all matters are finalized?”
“Yes. This very afternoon.”
“This afternoon.” Goodness. “So there must be some urgency.”
He nodded. “My work with Lord Castlereigh at the Foreign Office keeps me well occupied.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re political?”
“A diplomat,” he said. “Or rather an aide to the Crown’s foremost diplomat.”
“You sound very important.”
He smiled at her, and he squeezed her hand slightly where he still held it. “I’m afraid it means I shall not be home as often as one might like.”
Excellent! If he was away from home, she could continue as Betty. Plus, as the wife of an earl, no one would question her comings and goings. If she had to have a husband—and her father was adamant that she did—then Lord Benedict seemed tailor made for her.
“You need not concern yourself about being away. I am used to amusing myself,” she said.
“Enough,” her father said as he thumped his hand down on the tea table. “She agrees with gratitude. Put the ring on her finger.”
Lord Benedict did not comply though he did arch a wry brow at her. “This is rather hard on my knee,” he drawled. “An answer would be welcome even if it is to delay—”
“Yes,” she said, rushing the word to get it out. “Yes, Lord Benedict, I should be very happy to be your wife.”