Chapter 17 #2
He watched Lady Evelina press something into Maude’s hand — what, he could not tell at this distance.
A note? A coin? It was too small to identify.
But Maude’s reaction was telling: she looked down at whatever it was, then back up at Evelina, and for just a moment, her composure faltered.
She looked frightened. Not angry, not defiant — frightened.
Then the mask slid back into place, and she tucked whatever she had received into the fold of her reticule.
“We should remember this,” Susanna said, very quietly. “Whatever they are planning, it is not finished.”
“Lord Lancashire! I am astonished to see you with another young lady on your arm when I hear that you are already considering courting another!”
A cold chill wrapped around Jonathan’s shoulders as he turned his head to see a broad smile on Lord Broadford’s face. “Lord Broadford, good afternoon. Might I ask what you mean?”
Lord Broadford snorted and rolled his eyes, walking past Jonathan and making to continue on his way.
“As though you are unaware,” he said, throwing his words back over his shoulder.
“It will be all through London by the evening! You cannot keep your interest in Lady Theresa from society’s ears any longer! ”
Jonathan closed his eyes, let out a heavy breath, and, with it, a groan that came from his very core. That young lady, it seemed, was more than determined to capture him, for he had no doubt those whispers had come from her. “I am tired of this.”
“Lady Theresa?” Lady Susanna’s voice had gone very quiet indeed. “I thought –”
“You must know that that did not come from me,” he said quickly, opening his eyes to look at her. “I told you that I was a little rude to her as I made my way from her company to yours, did I not? I did not ever think she would do something like this, but –”
“You think that she… ?” A cloud passed over Lady Susanna’s expression. “She has told someone that you are thinking of courting her, and now the ton will know of it.”
“Because she is very eager for your attention, Lord Lancashire,” Lady Ellen said, with a look of disgust on her face. “But to try and force your hand is ridiculous. She will be the one who looks preposterous in the end.”
Jonathan ran one hand over his face, feeling the weight of Lady Theresa’s whispers settling as a second burden upon his back.
First, he had the issue with Lord Blackwood, and now he had Lady Theresa adding her own difficulties to him!
“She is a most peculiar creature. I have seen her be bold and much too forward, but I never imagined that she would speak a rumor to try and force my hand.” Keeping his gaze on Lady Susanna, he set his hand on hers.
“Susanna, might I ask your father for his permission to court you?”
Her eyes flared. “But you cannot! We have not discovered the truth yet and –”
“I know there are risks,” he said, interrupting her as gently as he could.
“But I do not care. I will not have Lady Theresa whisper such a thing about me and expect it to sail through society without hesitation. Nor will I have the questions and the rumors about her floating around society either, not when my heart is already quite determined to belong to you. To my mind, there is no need for further delay. Please, Susanna, do not make me wait any longer!”
Her eyes closed, and for a long moment, she did not speak.
Jonathan was afraid that she would refuse him, that she would still demand that they find the truth, that they reveal the culprit before announcing their connection to each other.
He could not wait. He did not want to wait.
All he desired now was for the ton to see that his heart was already secured to hers, and he cared for no other.
“Very well.” The words were whispered, her eyes still closed, but Jonathan’s heart leapt up with a thrill.
“If you think it best, Lancashire.” With a hint of a smile on her lips, she opened her eyes and sighed.
“I confess, I am somewhat afraid that there may be more difficulties ahead, but I do not want society to touch you with their gossip. I do not want them to think that you are connected to another instead of to me.”
“Then I will not delay,” he swore, lowering his head just a fraction and wishing desperately that he might take her into his arms. “I will write to your father this very day, and by the evening, all will know that we are courting. Will that please you?”
The beautiful smile that spread across her face gave him no doubt as to the state of her heart.
With a sigh, she nodded, her eyes like gold as the sunshine broke through the clouds to shine down on them.
The light caught in her hair and at the curve of her cheek, and Jonathan thought, with a fierce, aching clarity, that he would remember this moment for the rest of his life — the moment she chose him, for the second time, knowing full well what it could cost her.
“Yes, Lancashire. That would please me very much indeed.”