Chapter 45
FORTY-FIVE
Her father was in bed, his gaunt face ashen against the snow-white linen of the pillowcases and his body strangely childlike in the vast four-poster.
Dennison was nowhere to be seen, presumably since Douglas wouldn’t be getting up and didn’t need help getting dressed.
Nurse Jeffries sat by the bed, her pale fingers loosely wrapped around Douglas’s wrist as she took his pulse.
Her father looked so ill and diminished, Geneva’s heart swelled with sorrow and love for this man, who, even in his final weeks, couldn’t enjoy the peace of mind afforded by the knowledge that his children would be safe and well provided for.
He was trying desperately to hold on until he could be sure, when another man would have let go by now.
“Can I get you anything, Father?” Geneva asked. “You should eat,” she added when she noticed that the breakfast tray had yet to be brought up.
“I will. But first, I would like to speak to you.” He turned to the nurse, who had retreated into a corner to give them a few moments of privacy.
“If you would please excuse us, Gladys,” he said and tried to smile. “I’d like to speak to my daughter.”
The nurse got to her feet and smiled back. She was pretty when she allowed her stern facade to crack even a little. “Of course. I’ll just nip down to the kitchen and fetch your breakfast, my lord.”
“Thank you, Gladys. You’re very kind. Please, have some breakfast yourself. I am really not that hungry, and am happy to wait.”
Nurse Jeffries nodded and left the room without another word.
Douglas patted the side of the bed, and Geneva sat down.
He reached for her hand, and when he wrapped his fingers around hers his skin was cool and papery, the hand as insubstantial as that of a specter.
Geneva recalled a time when her father had been healthy and strong, and when she had felt safe and reassured at the touch of his hand. Now he sought reassurance from her.
“Genny, please hear me out before you say anything,” Douglas began.
His voice was so soft, she had to move a little closer to hear what he was about to say.
“I don’t have much time, and trying to hold on will only prolong everyone’s suffering.”
“Father,” Geneva began, but he shook his head, and she went silent.
“Please, let me finish.” Geneva nodded, and he went on.
“I need to know that you will be looked after once I’m gone.
Both of you. I have instructed Mr. Lefferts to make arrangements for Honor.
She will join Rose at Chateau Mont-Choisi for two years, and then, once she leaves school, she will reside with Clarissa in London, where she will be introduced to society.
Clarissa promised to chaperone Honor until she is married. ”
“I have been thinking exactly the same thing about sending Honor to school with Rose, but why leave her with Clarissa?” Geneva cried. “Surely I can be trusted to look after my own sister.”
“Of course you can,” Douglas said soothingly, “but the reason I asked Clarissa is because I expect you will be otherwise engaged.”
“But Father—”
Douglas released her hand and raised his in a gesture meant to silence her.
“Geneva, it would make me very happy if you and Jesse were to announce your engagement at the New Year’s party.
I have spoken to him at length, and he understands where his duty lies.
As should you. This is the best possible solution for all involved. Clarissa agrees.”
“But I barely know him,” Geneva protested. “We’ve been acquainted less than a fortnight.”
“Time is of the essence. It would please me if you were to marry as soon as the banns are read, but if I leave you before then, you will need to observe a period of mourning. It is my wish that you limit full mourning to six months. Three months in half-mourning, no more. If you both commit to this course of action, you will forge the bond necessary for a successful marriage in no time.”
“But what if we don’t?” Geneva asked, but she knew it was pointless to argue. This was the solution everyone was hoping for, and she couldn’t afford to refuse. Jesse was perfect on paper, but he was equally suitable in real life, a sentiment her father hurried to express.
“He’s a good man, Genny. He’s intelligent, and kind, and handsome enough to appeal to any young woman. And he gave me his word that he will provide for you all.”
“You mean the staff?”
“How he manages the staff will be up to him. I mean Clarissa and Rose. Gerald had debts, and, although Clarissa managed to pay off the creditors, she will not be able to hold on to her house and maintain the lifestyle she’s accustomed to without a steady income.
And Rose will benefit from her time at the finishing school.
She’s a good girl, but she can be gauche, and if she’s to make a good match she must acquire polish.
” Douglas sighed heavily and patted Geneva’s hand.
“I know you have feelings for Rory Sullivan, but he is not the one for you, Geneva. He’s a fine man, but you two come from vastly different worlds, and his faith, which is incompatible with your own, would make it difficult to build a solid foundation. ”
“I’ve considered all that, Father,” she said quietly.
“I know you have. You’re a clever girl, but what you don’t realize is that infatuation evaporates very quickly when it comes up against hardship and discrimination. And you will be discriminated against, even in America.”
“How did you—?”
“Sullivan asked me for a reference, and he mentioned his desire to go abroad. I can only assume he’s asked you to go with him.”
Geneva looked away, but not before her father saw the confirmation in her eyes.
“You can’t go, even if you think you can make it work,” Douglas said. “You have a duty to me, to your sister, and to this ancient, noble family. And Honor will need your guidance and support in the coming years.”
“Then why have you made arrangements for her to live with Clarissa?”
“Because by the time she returns from Switzerland, you will hopefully have a child of your own to focus on. You must provide Jesse with a male heir, so that the estate will not pass out of the family when the time comes.”
“And if I refuse?” Geneva asked, her voice flat. But she knew she was just being contrary. She couldn’t refuse, not when her father was practically begging her to say yes, and when she had every reason to agree.
“Geneva, people like us have never married for love. We have a responsibility to both past and future generations. My parents chose your mother, and I proposed to her after a brief courtship. We barely knew each other, but we were committed to the marriage and we were happy. Just as you can be happy with Jesse.”
“The world is changing, Father. Since the war, more people are choosing to forge their own paths.”
Douglas gave her a pitying look. “For a noblewoman, there’s only ever one path. To marry and have children. You can marry an earl and assure your place in society, or you can marry an Irish peasant and spend the rest of your life scrounging for both money and respect.”
“Why would we have to scrounge for money? Rory can work.”
“Yes, he can, and he will, because you will get no money from me if you marry him. Not even a nominal sum. You will be cut off without a penny. And I have a feeling your beau will lose interest very quickly when he finds out you will bring no money to the marriage and he will not have anything to invest in whatever venture he thinks he will establish.”
“I never knew you to be cruel, Father,” Geneva said. If before she’d felt sad and trapped by her responsibilities, now she felt angry.
Her father’s gaze softened. “Genny, I love you with all my heart, and I only want the best for you. You’re young and idealistic, and you think you can overcome any obstacle.
But life is hard and unforgiving. And once you abandon your childish fantasies and come around to the idea of marrying Jesse, you will be happy.
You will learn to love each other, and you will have a wonderful life and raise beautiful children, who will walk through life with their heads held high. ”
“Do I have any say in my life at all?” Geneva asked warily. She had no idea why she was still fighting, but something inside her refused to surrender. If she married Jesse, it had to be on her own terms, not because she was ordered to do so.
“Yes, you do,” her father replied. “You can refuse, but if you do, Honor will marry Jesse as soon as she turns eighteen.”
“And what if she doesn’t want to marry Jesse?”
“Oh, she will,” Douglas replied confidently. “As much as she might like to go to Switzerland with Rose, she would much rather be the lady of the house with a handsome husband on her arm.” He smiled mirthlessly. “Your sister is more pragmatic than you realize.”
As much as Geneva wanted to deny it, she knew Douglas was right.
Honor would jump at the chance to marry Jesse and would see the match as the ultimate triumph, since she would become a countess at eighteen and completely bypass the uncertainty and humiliation of a London Season, where she would be paraded in front of men who would judge her on the size of her fortune.
Geneva had never had a Season, since she had turned eighteen right after the armistice and, having so recently lost his wife and son, Douglas’s mind hadn’t been on parties.
She had been relieved at the time, but now she wished she’d had a Season after all.
She might have been married by now, with a son to inherit the estate. How much simpler life would have been.
“Will you do it, Geneva? Will you take your rightful place as the Countess of Gosforth, or will you become some grubby housewife?” Douglas asked.
Geneva felt as if brick by brick her father had just torn down the wall she had built to protect herself.
In theory, she had free will, but in reality there was little choice.
She could say yes to Rory and run off to Pittsburgh with not a penny to her name, or she could retain the position she had always assumed would be hers.
And if she didn’t, everything would pass to Honor, who would welcome the opportunity.
Why go to finishing school and endure years of being molded into someone one wasn’t when one could skip all that and become a countess? The choice was obvious.
“Have you spoken to Honor?” she asked.
“Not yet. I thought it was only right that I speak to you first. Once I put this to your sister, there will be no taking it back, and if you decide to do the right thing after all, she will feel nothing but resentment towards you. I would never wish to drive a wedge between you.”
“Thank you for that,” Geneva said. She could hear the bitterness in her voice, and so could her father, but she wasn’t going to pretend she didn’t feel cornered or manipulated, even if Douglas believed he was doing what was best for her. “Can I have some time to consider?”
“You have until tomorrow night. If you refuse to see sense by then, I will put the proposition to Honor.”
“And does Jesse not care whom he marries?” Geneva asked. “Are we interchangeable?”
“You are not. He admires you, but few men can resist a girl who looks at them adoringly and hangs on their every word. He’s flattered by Honor’s obvious attention, and he will learn to love her, or at least like her, if he hopes to make a place for himself in British society.
And if he craves something else, we both know he will have ample opportunity to find it. ”
“And you would condone his infidelity?”
“I don’t condone adultery, but we both know it’s as common as drawing room gossip. In both men and women. People have a right to search for happiness, as long as they are discreet. And it’s not as if I will be here to censure any of you.”
“Are you suggesting I marry Jesse and take a lover?”
“Once you’ve produced the requisite heir, you can do as you please.”
Disgust bubbled in Geneva’s belly, but she wasn’t going to debate the issue any longer.
Her father had made his position clear. He was going to strongarm everyone into doing his bidding before he died, and, if they refused, there would be consequences.
For everyone except Jesse, because Douglas had no hold over him.
He could refuse and marry where he pleased.
Jesse was doing a kindness by acquiescing to the wishes of a dying man.
And perhaps he would change his mind once Douglas was gone.
But so could she, Geneva realized as she stepped out into the corridor.
Her choices were limited, but she still had the final word.
Unable to face Honor or her scheming aunt, Geneva fetched her coat and hat and left the house. She wanted to be on her own.