Chapter 17
Please be careful, Beatrice.
The silent plea echoed in George’s mind as he watched Miss Williams and Lady Norah walk, arm in arm, through the ballroom.
George had been caught by Miss Burnley almost the moment he had walked into the room, and thus, he was now standing in conversation with her, her father, and another gentleman named Lord Montrose.
He was doing very little talking, but Miss Burnley did not seem to care, chattering away to Lord Montrose as he stood, mute, beside her.
The plan for this evening was a simple one.
Miss Williams, Lady Norah, and Lady Welton would make their way, somehow, to Lord Turnhill’s study and search for the document there, with Lord Welton standing guard in the hallway.
Lord Dorset and Lord Warwickshire would look elsewhere, for the document itself might be hidden away in another part of the house, whilst George, much to his disappointment, was to stand in the room and do nothing at all.
That was not entirely true, he supposed, for he was to ensure that Lord Turnhill remained in the ballroom.
In addition, he was, somehow, to mention that he had not known about the familial connection between Lord Turnhill and Lord Neath so that he might witness the gentleman’s reaction.
They were not certain of the family tie as yet, but it would be worth saying all the same, simply so he might see how Lord Turnhill responded.
It is somewhat dull to stand here and do nothing more than speak, George thought to himself, as Lord Montrose asked for Miss Burnley’s dance card. I should much rather be out searching for that document.
“I do think he is an excellent fellow,” Miss Burnley remarked, as Lord Montrose walked away. “He has offered to stand up with me for the polka, is that not generous?”
“Very generous,” George murmured, looking away from the lady whose delighted smile quickly faded.
“You have not asked me to dance as yet, Lord Surrey,” she pouted, as Lord Turnhill clicked his tongue in obvious displeasure. “I do wonder when you are going to acknowledge the connection between us and – ”
“There is no connection between us, not as yet,” he stated, his gaze shooting back towards her as she frowned.
“I understand that you very much wish there to be and that your father’s intention is for us to wed but there is no engagement as yet, Miss Burnley.
If you wished to accept the attentions of another gentleman, then I assure you, I would have no difficulty in accepting that. ”
“But I would,” Lord Turnhill interrupted, his eyes flashing with a sudden anger.
“Goodness, Lord Surrey, whatever are you doing speaking in such a way? You know very well what the expectation is. It is only your insistence on having the documents checked over and over again that delays the inevitable! Your father took one look at the documents and accepted them. I am frustrated indeed that you have been unwilling to do the same as he.”
A curl of anger rose in George’s core, his jaw jutting forward, and he narrowed his gaze a fraction as he returned it to Lord Turnhill. “My father sent the documents to his solicitors,” he said firmly. “It is clear to me that he did not only read them once and then write to me at that very moment!”
“Yes, he did,” Lord Turnhill scoffed, his own anger evident in the flash of his eyes and the way he balled his hands into fists. “I stood there and watched him write the letter to you! Lord Neath was – ”
George’s eyebrows shot upwards as he saw Lord Turnhill begin to stammer, with Miss Burnley catching her breath in astonishment.
“Lord – Lord Neath?” she repeated, as George looked from father to daughter, his whole body suddenly alive with a renewed energy. “Father, you told me to stay far from our cousin, so why would you then have him in your company?”
“Cousin?” George’s eyes shot wide as he held Lord Turnhill’s eyes, but the gentleman could only remain steady in his gaze for a moment or two.
Thanks to Lord Turnhill’s anger and Miss Burnley’s openness, the question about the connection between the two men now became clear. “That gentleman is related to you?”
“He is only a distant relative,” Lord Turnhill replied, his words tripping over each other as he waved one hand, vaguely. “But – ”
“He is a cousin, father.” Miss Burnley’s face had gone white, but her eyes were hard. “Why is it that you insisted I stay away from that gentleman, citing his cruelty and ill temper, only for you to be in conversation with him?”
“And why have that conversation when my father was present also?” George asked, as Lord Turnhill began to stammer, sweat breaking out over his forehead.
“I do not know this Lord Neath. I am not well acquainted with him, and my father did not ever mention him. Why, then, would you have him in company with my late father?”
Lord Turnhill pulled out his handkerchief and mopped his brow. “You must understand, your father and I were in conversation about the documents, and Lord Neath arrived most unexpectedly. It was not arranged!”
“But you said you saw my father write to me at that very same conversation,” George replied, filled with both confusion and anger. “How could he do so if he were at your townhouse rather than his own? He would not have had his seal, and I know for certain that the letter was sealed with it.”
Lord Turnhill’s mouth opened and closed and then opened again. Then, he closed his eyes and shook his head wordlessly, struggling to find the right words.
“Father?” Miss Burnley, her voice soft with either surprise or confusion, put one hand on her father’s arm. “Please do not say that Lord Neath is involved in the engagement between me and Lord Surrey?”
George’s eyes rounded. Miss Burnley was asking all of the questions that he himself had intended. Would she be more likely to garner the truth from Lord Turnhill than he?
“You told me that Lord Neath was not to be trusted,” Miss Burnley continued, as her father closed his eyes and ran one hand over his eyes.
“I do not understand why you would let him in your company, nor why you would allow him to be aware of the marriage required for our family. What business is it of his?”
“That is a very good question, Miss Burnley,” George could not help but say as Lord Turnhill’s eyes swiveled towards his.
“It seems to me, Lord Turnhill, that there is more to this than you have made clear. You say that my father wrote to me the moment after he read the documents, but that cannot have been true, if he was here with you and Lord Neath. Lord Neath would not have been permitted entry into my father’s townhouse, given that he was not known to my father, so the meeting must have been held at your own house…
and no letter could have been written from my father that was sealed with his seal unless he was at home.
So you can see my confusion, can you not? ”
Lord Turnhill swallowed hard. “You must understand, your father – ”
“Good evening, Lord Turnhill, Lord Surrey, Miss Burnley.”
A hand went to George’s arm, and he looked down, only for his heart to warm as Miss Williams, smiling, stood beside him. Relief poured into his heart as her eyes, filled with hope, sparkled up at him.
She has found it.
He did not need to ask her, did not need to demand any answers. From her expression alone, he could tell that all was just as it ought to have been.
“Why are you standing like that?” Miss Burnley gestured wildly towards Miss Williams. “You are being overly familiar, and I do not think it at all appropriate!”
George took in a deep breath, lifted his chin, set his shoulders back, and cleared his throat.
“Miss Burnley, I am afraid that there will be no engagement between us,” he said, as her eyes rounded, her hand going to her heart.
“There cannot be an engagement when I am quite in love with another young lady.” Looking down at Miss Williams, his heart swelled.
“Miss Williams and I will soon announce our engagement, and we will be married just as soon as is possible.”
“But…but you cannot!” Miss Burnley exclaimed, looking to her father, who was now frowning heavily. “The documents state that – ”
“Alas, Miss Burnley, I believe that your father has held some things back from you,” George interrupted, as Lord Turnhill groaned, seemingly now aware that there was nothing he could say or do that would prevent the truth from coming to light.
His ruse, regardless of its purpose, was over.
“We might all discuss it this evening, mayhap? Once the ball is at an end?”
Miss Burnley looked at her father, a tear splashing down onto her cheek. “Father?”
Lord Turnhill’s shoulders rounded, but he said nothing, looking down at the floor instead of back at his daughter.
“The drawing room, once the guests have begun to be dismissed,” George finished, his heart softening at the pain in Miss Burnley’s expression.
“I am sorry that there is injury here, Miss Burnley. It was not my intention to hurt you, but I cannot marry someone out of requirement, not when my heart belongs to another. It would not be right or fair for both of us.”
“You will have your own choice now,” Miss Williams said, gently, perhaps seeing the same hurt that George understood.
“You will be able to dance and laugh and converse with as many gentlemen as you wish and, in the end, will be able to decide on your own match. Is that not a good deal more preferable than being told what to do and whom you shall marry?”
Miss Burnley blinked, her eyes sparkling with tears and her chin wobbling.
This prospect of making her own match did not offer her any sort of freedom or delight, George realized, for she looked almost morose with it all.
Had the prospect of engagement and matrimony meant so much to her, even when she had done nothing but complain to him about his many failings?
“I am sorry,” he said, as Lord Turnhill blew out a long breath between his teeth, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “As I have said, it was never my intention to injure you.”
“I know that.” Miss Turnhill’s sorrowful gaze returned to her father. “It appears that my father has used me in some way, and I cannot understand that.”
Silence grew between father and daughter as George, Miss Williams, and Miss Burnley all stood waiting for Lord Turnhill’s response.
He did not give one. Instead, he kept his gaze low, a hunched figure that spoke of shame and brokenness.
“We can discuss all at the end of the ball,” George said, patting Miss Williams’ hand and then slowly moving back from them both. “Now, if you will excuse me, I intend to dance with my betrothed.”
Stepping away, George had to fight against the overwhelming desire to catch Miss Williams up in his arms and hold her tightly. The joy and relief in his heart was overwhelming, burning in his veins and pressing into his heart.
“We found the document,” Miss Williams told him, as he looked down into her beautiful, kind face. “It was not difficult in the least, I confess. We did not even have to search for more than a few minutes to find it!”
“Clearly, Lord Turnhill did not expect that anyone would ever come looking for it,” George answered, as Miss Williams nodded.
“He had to keep it to hand so that once the marriage between me and Miss Burnley had taken place, he could use it to take whatever he wanted from me.” He looked askance at Miss Williams. “I presume that is what the document says? That I am to lose something once I marry the lady?”
Miss Williams stopped walking, gazing straight back at him. “It is far worse than that, my love,” she said, as George’s eyebrows lifted. “Had you married Miss Burnley, the majority of your wealth and land would have gone to a specific relation of Lord Turnhill.”
George’s stomach tightened. “You mean to say that – ”
“Yes,” Miss Williams said quietly. “It would have gone directly to Lord Neath.”