Chapter 7
“We have a guest,” Father announced.
Susan looked up from her embroidery, half relieved and half nervous. She didn’t relish the thought of a guest. Who knew who might have come calling? She much preferred to spend time on her own.
But at least this meant the opportunity for a break from her needlework. Oh, how she hated it. She had already stabbed her fingers several times. She was surprised that she wasn’t bleeding. She set the handkerchief she had been embroidering aside and rose to her feet. “Who’s here, Father.”
“It’s not a guest for you,” Father informed her. “It’s the youngest son of Baron Scunthorpe, and he says he’s here to see Marina.”
Marina gasped. “Gilbert!”
Susan didn’t know exactly why Father was pretending that Gilbert’s existence was news to him when it wasn’t.
The whole family knew that Gilbert Jones had longed to court Marina.
He had even tried to speak to Father about it in the past, and Father had turned him away, reminding him that Susan would have to marry before Marina would be permitted to do so.
But apparently things had changed. Today, it seemed, he was going to be allowed into the house.
Father waved the girls back into their seats. “Would you like to stay for this, Susan?”
“Of course she’s going to stay,” Marina positively bubbled. “This is the biggest moment of my life, Father.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” But Father was actually smiling indulgently. “We don’t know what he’s come to ask… though truth be told, I think I can guess. I’ll go and fetch him. You two wait here, please.”
He bustled out of the room.
Marina fell back in her seat and turned to look at Susan. “Can you believe this is really happening at last? I’m sure he’s come to ask to court me—don’t you think that’s what it’s going to be? Oh, I just can’t believe we’re both going to be married, Susan—and to good men, no less!”
“Gilbert is a very good man,” Susan agreed with a smile. She could ask no better for her younger sister. “If he’s here to try to court you, I’ll be glad of it. And I’m sure Father will say yes.”
Marina knitted her hands together nervously. “I hope he will,” she said. “I’d like to say I’m as sure as you are, but we just can’t know. And after what happened the last time Gilbert asked…”
“Things are completely different now,” Susan said. “You know they are.”
Marina brightened and sat up a bit straighter. “You’re right,” she agreed. “Of course things are different, because you’re going to be married. Father never disapproved of Gilbert. It was just that he didn’t think it was my turn yet.”
“If only he wasn’t so strict about adhering to that old tradition,” Susan said, shaking her head. “You should be able to marry when you’re ready. It shouldn’t have anything other than do with me.”
“Oh, you know that isn’t true,” Marina said with a smile.
“Actually, I think it’s sort of charming the way he wants to keep to the old traditions.
I would feel differently about it if I still thought you were marrying against your will, of course.
You know how I felt about that idea. But since it’s so clear that you enjoy the Duke and want to be married to him, I think everything has happened the way it was supposed to.
” She settled back in her chair, her nerves clearly having abated.
Father walked back in with Gilbert by his side.
Gilbert was a small man, just a hair too tall to be called short, but less than a foot taller than Marina herself.
He held his arms stiffly by his sides as he came in, clearly uncomfortable, but as soon as his eyes found Marina, a smile broke across his face.
“Gilbert.” She rose to her feet again and hurried to his side. “I hoped you would come.”
“Yes, of course. As soon as I received your letter, I made my plans,” he said.
Father looked at him, then back at Marina. “Letter? What letter was this?”
“I wrote to him and let him know that Sue’s engagement party had gone well,” Marina explained.
Father frowned. “When did you do this? We only arrived home yesterday.”
“I wrote the letter the night of the party and gave it to the Duke before we left. He said he would have it delivered for me.”
“You shouldn’t be corresponding with a gentleman, Marina,” Father scolded. “It could cause scandal, and it’s very inappropriate.”
“It won’t cause scandal, Father,” Susan chimed in. “Marina was clever to have the letter sent from the Duke’s house. Anyone would think it was just correspondence between two gentlemen. No one will know that she had anything to do with it.”
“Well, you still ought to be more careful, Marina,” Father said. “You have to protect your reputation, you know.”
“Actually, Lord Crownway, that’s pertinent to my reason for coming,” Gilbert said, squaring his shoulders and drawing himself up to his full—though not very substantial—height.
“You already know that I’ve expressed interest in courting Lady Marina, and now that Lady Susan is to be wed, I thought perhaps you might have reconsidered your position on allowing me to do so.
I know it was important to you to see Lady Susan married before allowing Lady Marina to marry, but I wondered whether the time might not have come. ”
Father inclined his head. “Why don’t you sit down, Mr. Jones, and I’ll have some drinks brought in for us. Then we can discuss this.”
Marina looked over at Susan, her eyes wide, and Susan felt her own heart begin to accelerate. The last time Gilbert had attempted this, Father had simply told him no and shown him the door. Already, this was progress. Already, it seemed as if Father might actually say yes.
If he does—if the two of them begin courting now…
No. She forced herself to calm down. That wouldn’t change anything.
She wouldn’t be able to hurry back to the Duke with the news that their goal had been achieved and they could call off their engagement.
It wouldn’t be safe to do that until Marina had secured an engagement of her own.
Once she had, Father would be unlikely to force her to end it, because he wouldn’t want the negative attention it would get him from the rest of the ton.
It would also make it that much more difficult to find another husband for Marina.
Once they’re engaged, we’ll know we’ve succeeded.
But first, they had to get through this conversation, and it truly looked as if Gilbert wasn’t capable of beginning. He turned his handkerchief over and over in his hands and cleared his throat several times.
I’m going to have to get this started for them, Susan thought.
She sat forward. “Mr. Jones, I’m sorry you couldn’t be at the engagement party the other night. Everything was so beautiful.”
“Oh.” Gilbert’s cheeks went slightly pink. “I’m so glad to hear it, Lady Susan. I don’t know the Duke of Heathmare except by reputation. How is he settling into his new title?”
“Very well, I think,” Susan said. “He’s going to be a good fit for it, and I look forward to helping him with it once we’re married.”
Gilbert nodded. “I’m very happy for you.” He seemed to have found his boldness once more, for now he turned to face Father. “As I said—since Lady Susan is to be married, I’ve come to seek your permission to court Lady Marina, with the intent to offer her an engagement as well.”
Father’s face showed no reaction, gave away nothing at all. “You are the youngest son of a baron,” he pointed out. “My eldest daughter, Lady Leah, is married to an earl, and now my middle daughter is set to marry a duke.”
“Yes,” Gilbert said. “I’d hoped that you might look past my lack of a high rank in the peerage, knowing that your other daughters have secured such dignifying matches.”
“And why should I allow my youngest daughter to be courted by someone beneath her station?” Father asked, his eyebrows lifting marginally.
“I’m sure you’ve guessed that Marina is the one I worry the least about finding a match for.
She’s the most charming, the most social, and the only one of my daughters who ever showed real interest in finding a husband.
If I can find titled men for the other two, I can certainly find someone for her. ”
“But, Father,” Marina spoke up, “I care for Gilbert. I want to be courted by him. You see me show enthusiasm for marriage, but that’s because I want to be married to him.
” She blushed, but continued on bravely.
“Didn’t you see the way Sue changed while we were at Heathmare?
Didn’t you notice how much more cheerful she was when we were around the Duke?
She never wanted to marry before—but now she does, because of him.
And that’s the way it is for me too. I want to marry Gilbert… if… if he asks me someday, I mean.”
“It’s my intention to do just that, Lady Marina,” Gilbert said solemnly. “I would ask you today if it weren’t for the fact that I know your father would appreciate a proper courtship first.”
“I most certainly would!” Father said. “Sending a letter may be innocuous, but a rush engagement would certainly get tongues wagging. You know that very well.”
He didn’t look at Susan, but she felt as if he was speaking directly to her all the same.
She had never met the Duke before the stay at Heathmare—there had certainly been no courtship.
But in her case, Father had been willing to risk a bit of talk.
They all had. It was more important to get her married and out of the way of Marina’s future than it was to take care with her reputation.
After all, in Susan’s case, the choices were mild gossip or spinsterhood.
Gilbert was speaking again, thankfully, pulling everyone’s thoughts back to the present moment.
“The truth is, Lord Crownway, my preference is the same as yours in this regard. I also want to have a courtship. Not because I’m uncertain of my feelings for Lady Marina—I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.
But because I want us to have these early memories together.
If all goes well, I would like to be married to your daughter for a very long time.
I would like us to grow old together. But first, I would like us to be young together. ”
Susan’s heart warmed, listening to his professions of love.
She didn’t know why it was that she was able to believe Gilbert when he said he was in love with Marina.
She had certainly never put much faith in anyone else making claims of love.
Ever since her mother had left her father, claiming that their love had never been what she had believed it to be, Susan hadn’t been able to trust that love was real.
But there was something about Gilbert that had persuaded her. Maybe it was that he wasn’t conventionally attractive, and yet he was so sincere. Maybe it was the way he never gave up.
Whatever it was, Susan wanted him to have the chance he was seeking. She wanted him to try to make Marina happy. She believed he wanted that too.
And, at long last, her father nodded. “Very well,” he said. “You have my permission.”
The smile that broke across Marina’s face at those words was like the sun rising, and Susan felt a burst of joy as well.
Her little sister was going to find her way to happiness.
That was the only thing Susan had ever truly wanted.