Chapter 2
Six Months Later
“Charity, Charity,” Matilda came running down the corridor, catching her older sister entirely off guard. The girl was huffing, and hunched over to catch her breath as she caught up to Charity.
“What’s happened?” Charity got to her feet immediately.
“There is a carriage outside,” Matilda announced, still out of breath. “A rather large one.”
Immediately, Charity understood why this was such an alarming fact for Matilda that she had to deliver it immediately. Owing to the remoteness of their estate, it was rare that they got guests. Augusta appeared in the doorway a moment later.
“I am certain that it must be Uncle,” she said with an obvious look of disdain on her face. “It has been six months.”
Ah. It had been. Charity had been counting down the days and had learned that grief made time pass by in a blur. It felt as if it was almost yesterday that she had arrived in York with her sisters, and now the period of mourning had come to an end already.
She had tried her hardest to find a way out of this situation, speaking to solicitors. But they had all said the same thing to her. Their uncle was the legal guardian now, and that put him in an important position.
“He didn’t even wait a day more than six months, which is exactly what he promised, and somehow that makes me hate him more, because it means he planned this down to the hour,” Augusta went on, shaking her head.
“Conniving, that is what he is. Now trust him to be all diplomatic when he speaks to us, and pretend that he cares about our loss.”
“Is Uncle Edward coming inside?” Matilda asked, looking between the two older sisters.
“Yes, he is, but you’re not going to be alone with him, and neither is Charity, and we are not going to let him push us around as if this house belongs to him,” Augusta maintained. Her anger had not faded even a bit, even though it had been exactly six months since they had seen their uncle last.
A knock sounded downstairs, and the maid hurried past the sitting room and returned a moment later.
“My lady,” she said to Charity, “the Viscount of Orton has arrived, and Mr. Robert Mowatt is with him. They request to be received.”
“Send them in,” Charity said, feeling her stomach drop already.
“Charity…” Augusta said, and there was a slight hint of fear in her voice, which surprised Charity, for she was always brave.
“I will handle it,” Charity said, grabbing her hand firmly. “The matter will be resolved, and you do not need to worry about anything.”
Hearing her talk with such certainty, Augusta calmed visibly. Over the last few months, Charity had taken on this role where she would be the one to comfort her sisters. It had brought them closer, emotionally, as she now felt an even stronger bond with them.
“Let us go now,” Charity announced, mustering up the last of her courage. She had to put on a brave face, no matter what she felt like on the inside.
Footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the sitting room, and then Edward entered without hesitation. Robert followed him, half a step behind, and looked older than he had six months ago.
“Miss Charity,” Edward said, inclining his head. “Miss Augusta. Miss Matilda.”
Augusta curtsied just enough to satisfy propriety and no more. Matilda dipped awkwardly, then grabbed Charity’s hand again.
“Uncle,” Charity kept her face calm. “Robert.”
“Cousin,” Robert replied, his gaze assessing her briefly in a way that made her skin crawl.
Edward looked around the room as if assessing improvements.
“You have settled well,” he said. “York suits you. The air seems to have steadied everyone, which is precisely why I recommended this arrangement in the first place.”
“You didn’t recommend it,” Augusta rolled her eyes. “Charity decided. Though I am not surprised that you are trying to take the credit now.”
“I permitted it,” he corrected. “Let’s not pretend you have been abandoned, as I have honored the mourning period as promised.”
Charity didn’t flinch at the possessive language, as it was to be expected. She simply had to find a way around it and make it work in a manner that benefited her sisters.
“Uncle,” Charity tried to keep her voice even. The last thing that she wished to do was argue, as it would not do anyone any good. “You must have had a long journey here. Do you require anything, or shall I get the staff to attend to you in any way?”
Edward waved his hands dismissively in the air, though he seemed to be pleased at the fact that Charity was being considerate towards him.
“I do not want to waste a second longer, in earnest,” he said impatiently, “Charity, you will take tea with Robert and me privately. There are things that we need to discuss.”
“No,” Augusta said immediately. “If you want to talk, you talk here.”
“This is not a conversation for children,” Edward said, annoyance laced through his words.
“I’m seventeen,” she shot back. Charity could see her concern clearly.
Augusta was afraid that once her sister left the room, Edward would twist her into agreeing to something she couldn’t undo.
At the same time, she knew that it would not be wise to keep her sisters in the audience for a tough conversation.
She came to her decision swiftly.
“Fine,” she said to Edward. “We shall speak alone. Ladies, please excuse us for a moment.”
Augusta moved to protest but ultimately did not go against Charity’s decision, while Matilda went along with whatever was said. Edward turned toward the adjoining morning room without waiting for a servant to lead him, and Robert followed.
“Milk?” he asked Charity once they were alone in the room. They had opted to speak over tea, making the arrangement a bit more relaxed, though all of them knew that was not the case.
“No,” Charity said, once again having to muster up all her strength. With her sisters no longer next to her, she felt more vulnerable than before.
Edward paused as if considering whether to ignore her preference, then poured anyway and pushed the cup toward her with a small smile. It was not lost on Charity that he was trying to establish the upper hand. Whatever I say, goes.
“We should not waste much time,” Charity said, looking towards the door. The sooner she got done with this, the better for her.
“Very well,” he replied. “The mourning period has ended, and society will begin looking to you again. We will not give them time to invent their own explanations and assumptions. You will be formally betrothed, and we will announce it promptly.”
Yes, that much was expected, though her stomach still twisted when he said the words out loud.
“To whom?” She forced the words out of her throat, which seemed to be closing on itself. Hurriedly, she took a sip of her tea to wet her throat.
“Robert,” her uncle’s voice was delighted, and he spoke as though he had just revealed the best kept secret of the season.
For a second Charity thought she’d misheard.
Then her cheeks turned bright red, flushing hard.
A moment later, she choked on the tea that she had been sipping on, coughing so hard her eyes watered.
She covered her mouth, embarrassed and furious at herself for giving Edward that reaction.
Robert half rose, then stopped, hands hovering as if he didn’t know whether he was allowed to help her.
But her uncle did nothing at all. He seemed to be watching her only. When Charity finally got her breath back, she knew that she was expected to break the silence.
“Robert,” she repeated. “My cousin? I… well, I do not know if that is acceptable.”
Cousin-marriage, though still practiced in some families, was quickly becoming an archaic concept.
And usually, if they were done, it was clear that the intention was to secure the property and keep the wealth in the family.
There was no love in such marriages, and Charity felt a strange sadness as she thought about what her future might look like.
“I would advise you to keep your voice steady, because shouting will not change the legal reality,” Edward said, keeping himself calm.
“There is no legal reality that demands I marry my cousin,” she said. “This is your decision, and it’s obvious why you’ve made it.”
“Go on. I’m curious how dramatic you intend to be,” Edward said, grinning now.
You want my inheritance under your control, and you’ve decided the best way to do that is to marry me to your son, because then you can pretend it’s ‘family responsibility’ instead of what it actually is, which is you protecting your own interests.
That is what she would have said if she had more courage, but Charity could not bring herself to make such a bold statement in front of her uncle.
As much as she disliked the whole arrangement, she was still without a legal guardian and did not have the same privileges that a man in her position might have.
“I... It’s fine,” Charity said, dropping her gaze to the floor.
“If you refuse this arrangement,” her uncle went on, “then I will assume you are not capable of making responsible decisions for your household, and I will take a more active role in directing Augusta’s prospects and Matilda’s education.”
“You would punish them because I said no?” Charity said, her voice wavering for the first time that evening. It was enough of a confirmation to Edward that her sisters were her weakness, and he seemed to grin delightfully at the realization.
“Punish? That paints me as a rather cruel person, don’t you think?” he repeated mildly. “In earnest, I will manage them properly because you have proven yourself irresponsible.”
Irresponsible because I won’t marry my cousin. What a world it was that Charity lived in.
“Irresponsible because you think your feelings matter more than the security of your household,” Edward went on to explain himself further.
She thought of Augusta and Matilda in the next room, and knew that she had to keep their interests ahead of her own.
“I’m not accepting anything today,” she said finally.