Chapter 18
“Susanna, I received a note earlier this evening.”
Susanna, who had been waiting for this moment ever since they had all sat down to dinner, did her best to appear calm. Setting down her knife and fork, she clasped her hands in her lap and gave her father her full attention. “Yes, father?”
“It concerned you,” he stated, his thick eyebrows low over his eyes. “A gentleman wrote to me, desiring to court you.”
A clatter drew Susanna’s attention away from her father, seeing Maude’s eyes grow round as she stared at the Duke, making no attempt whatsoever to pick up her fork.
“You mean to say that a gentleman wishes to court Susanna?” The Duchess, sounding somewhat breathless, looked from Susanna to her husband and back again. “Are you quite sure?”
The Duke frowned. “That is what I said, my dear, was it not? And I am not in the habit of repeating myself.” He waved one hand vaguely in Susanna’s direction. “Needless to say, I accepted his request and wrote to him directly. Let us hope that it will bring you a fine match, Susanna.”
With this, he returned to his meal, and Susanna could only stare at him as she took in what he had said.
He had accepted Lord Lancashire’s request?
Her eyes closed as she blew out a long, slow breath, trying to keep the jumping excitement she felt in her core from taking her over entirely.
If he had accepted, then this evening, the ton would know of it, and there would be no further need for them to hide their connection any longer.
But what if the letter writer does something more to separate us?
Her eyes snapped open.
“Are you not going to tell us who the gentleman was, my dear?” With her eyes still rounded, the Duchess leaned forward in her chair. “You have not said who –””
The Duke nodded. “The Marquess of Lancashire.” Again, his eyes went to Susanna, as she looked at him, her father smiled.
It was not an expression he wore very often, and it thrilled Susanna’s heart.
“You have done very well, Susanna. A Marquess is as high a title as could be expected, given that there are so few Dukes present for matrimony at present! And Lord Lancashire is, from what I know, a gentleman in excellent standing in society. I hear he has an excellent fortune and manages his lands and estate well. I think, if you can persuade him to continue this courtship on to engagement, then you will be very happy. I commend you, my dear.”
It was the first time her father had ever shown her such consideration or spoken to her with such kindness. Susanna’s throat tightened, a knot coming into it as tears burned behind her eyes. “I thank you, Father. I am very glad to know of his request.”
“A Marquess?” The Duchess’s eyes rounded. “I did not think… well, that is besides the point now, is it not?” She, too, began to smile. “A Marquess, Susanna! How very well done. I shall have to thank Lady Kilthorn for introducing you both, for –”
“We were introduced last Season, Mama,” Susanna interrupted, gently. “But we have become reacquainted this Season.”
The Duchess’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh, then we must be acquainted with him also, though I do not know if I remember him.” Her eyes went to Maude. “Do you recall him?”
For the first time in a few minutes, Susanna gave her full attention to her sister.
Maude was sitting with one hand gripping her knife so tightly that her knuckles had gone white, her face drained of all color, and her eyes narrowed with an anger that seemed almost too large for her slender frame.
A muscle twitched at the corner of her jaw.
Susanna sat back in her seat, astonished to see her sister in such a fury.
Whatever was the matter? It could not be that she had any interest in Lord Lancashire, surely?
And yet the jealousy radiating from Maude was unmistakable — not the petulant kind that flared over a stolen ribbon or a coveted dance partner, but something deeper and older, something that had roots Susanna could not see.
“Maude?” A hint of irritation lined the Duchess’s words. “Do you recall Lord Lancashire?”
Maude closed her eyes, and air hissed out from between her teeth. “We have spoken on occasion, yes.”
“Then you remember him, that is good,” the Duchess said, with a smile. “Susanna, you will have to make certain that I speak with him this evening.”
“But you are to chaperone me this evening, for Lord Fenwick and Lord Galloway are –”
“You know that I shall,” the Duchess interrupted, her smile fading. “You will be the focus now, Maude, since your sister is already being courted!”
Maude said nothing. But Susanna, watching her sister across the table, saw something she had never seen before — something that went beyond fury or jealousy into a place that looked, for just a moment, like fear.
Maude’s eyes darted to their mother, who was already leaning toward Susanna with questions about Lord Lancashire’s estate and income, and in that fleeting glance, Susanna saw a girl watching the ground shift beneath her feet.
For years — for as long as Susanna could remember — Maude had been the bright star around which their mother orbited.
Every gown fitted first, every suitor discussed at length, every introduction carefully managed.
And now, in the space of a single sentence from the Duke, all of that had tilted.
The Duchess’s gaze had turned to Susanna as easily as a weathervane swinging in a new wind, and Maude — for perhaps the first time in her life — was standing in the shadow.
It should have given Susanna some small satisfaction.
It did not. Because the look in Maude’s eyes was not the petulant sting of a rival beaten to a prize.
It was the hollow, breathless expression of someone who had just realized that the love she had always counted on was not love at all, but attention — and attention, unlike love, could be redirected at any moment.
Maude’s throat moved as she swallowed. Then her chin lifted, her spine straightened, and the mask slid back into place with a precision that was almost admirable. When she spoke again, her voice was perfectly controlled, sharp as a paper’s edge. “I am happy for you, Susanna.”
She was not happy. Every syllable was a lie.
But for the first time, Susanna understood that her sister’s cruelty was not born entirely from malice.
It was built on a foundation of terror — the terror of being overlooked, of being ordinary, of discovering that without the Duchess’s constant attention, she did not know who she was at all.
“I will make certain to have him speak with you this evening, Mama,” Susanna responded, as the Duchess smiled again. “I am sure he will be glad of it.”
“As shall I,” her mother said warmly. “You have done well, Susanna. Let us hope it takes you forward to matrimony!”
This made Susanna smile despite her worry over Maude’s reaction.
It was not as if she had taken all of her mother’s attention these last few months, and Maude had languished without it!
No, it had been the opposite way around, but now, strangely enough, she was the one with the hope of marriage, and Maude, as yet, without.
That did not bring Susanna any pleasure.
She hoped that soon, Maude would decide on which gentleman to consider instead of seeking more and more attention.
Susanna, her heart not hopeful but certain of that fact, smiled and then picked up her cutlery again.
She did not have any concern, not when she knew that Lord Lancashire was devoted to her and she to him.
It was not a question of if they would move towards engagement, but when – and Susanna prayed it would not be very long at all before that wonderful moment came.
“Good evening, Your Grace.”
Susanna smiled to herself as Lord Lancashire bowed towards her mother, seeing the Duchess study him with careful interest.
“We have been introduced, but it was some time ago, and I know just how busy you have been chaperoning your daughters,” he said, as the Duchess smiled. “I am thrilled to have had my request for courtship accepted.”
“And we were delighted to receive your note,” Susanna’s mother said, as if she had been the one to read his words as well as the Duke.
“It is quite wonderful.” She looked about the room.
“The ton will soon know of this, Lord Lancashire. I do hope you are prepared for that, for to court a Duke’s daughter is no small matter! ”
Lord Lancashire chuckled. “Indeed, I am. I am more than ready for all of society to know that my attention is fixed upon one young lady and one young lady alone.”
Susanna practically glowed with the joy that filled her at his words. Her hand went to his arm, and he smiled down at her, then raised his head again.
“I wonder if I might take Lady Susanna for a turn about the room? I can see Lady Ellen is present, and I am sure she would join us.” He gestured to Maude, who had stood in stubborn silence ever since his arrival. “I would not want to take your attention away from Lady Maude.”
As Susanna watched, Maude’s jaw set tight, and her eyes narrowed as if something Lord Lancashire had said was greatly displeasing to her. She could not understand her sister’s reaction but chose not to concentrate on it, not when Lord Lancashire was here and this moment so wonderful!
“But of course, Lord Lancashire.” The Duchess had, to Susanna’s eyes, transformed from a lady who barely gave her a glance into a gushing, joyous woman who only wanted the best for her. “Thank you for showing such consideration to my dear Susanna.”
Susanna stepped away quickly, releasing a breath as she and Lord Lancashire made their way towards Lady Ellen. She was aware of one or two heads turning towards them, but did not look back at any of them.
“The Duchess is very charming indeed.”
Sending a narrowed glance towards Lord Lancashire, Susanna could not prevent her lips from quirking at his grin.