Tainted Bride (17 page)

“I did not know you had a coal mine.” Elinor spoke up for the first time.

Michael smiled sweetly and waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s nothing. Just a drain on the family finances. Another one of the bad investments my father made and now I must clean up.”

Elinor frowned, but said no more.

* * * *

The staff cleared the grand parlor of most of the furniture and brought in a pianoforte. Serena, fully recovered from her experience with Lady Blyth, was escorted by Lord March to the instrument and played a reel.

Sophia clapped along with the beat of the happy music.

“Sophia, would you walk with me to the garden? I would like a word,” Thomas whispered in her ear.

She nodded. They were in the back of the room and quietly slipped out the door.

Warmer than the previous night, the air was heavy. It was going to rain. They walked across the small lawn leading to the little wilderness-like garden.

“Daniel and I have had a talk.”

“Have you?”

He nodded. “Yes. He has told me everything and I have decided it would be best for me to step aside.”

Sophia teetered between mortification and rage. She didn’t know whether to cry or find Daniel and slap his arrogant face. He betrayed her. She forced her temper down. “He did?”

Thomas stepped back, his eyes widened. “Well, yes. He told me of his desire to marry you and asked that I step aside. I told him I would.”

The breath Sophia held rushed out of her lungs. He had not betrayed her. Her relief was so total she fell mute.

“But Sophia, if you do not have any feelings for his lordship, you should tell me now. I assumed your feelings matched his. I do not wish for you to feel thrown over. I’m still very fond of you and would have no qualms about marrying you—”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, Tom, stop talking. You English are far too loquacious by half. It’s like that quicksand I read about. You struggle and struggle and wind up even deeper, when if you would just stop it would probably be all right.”

Mouth agape, he stared, then crossed his arms and chuckled. “You are right, of course. We do go on. You should hear Daniel when he gets caught up in a passion about the law or some such.”

“I should very much like to see that.” She’d seen Daniel’s passion but not with regard to politics. She had a glimpse of it tonight at dinner, but he had held back.

“Sophia, should I withdraw my offer? Since I have not yet spoken to your aunt, I shall leave it entirely up to you.”

Pushing aside thoughts of Daniel’s passions, she focused on the man in front of her. Two gentlemen had asked her to marry them in the short time she’d been in England. Who would have thought such a thing was possible when she had resigned herself to never marry? She touched his arm. “I appreciate the offer, Tom. Truly I do. You are a good and kind man and I like you, but I’ll not marry you.”

Sorrow filled his eyes but it was gone just as quickly. “I understand. The Earl of Marlton is an excellent choice. He has been my closest friend for most of our lives. You couldn’t do better and it is always good to marry a man with a title rather than a mere mister.”

She gave his arm a squeeze so he would look her in the eyes. “I’m an American. I don’t give a fig for titles. I wouldn’t care if Daniel were the Prince himself. You shall always be my good friend, Tom, and I would hate to ruin that with a marriage where you would eventually come to resent me.”

Laughter and music spilled out of the house and into the garden reminding her their absence would soon be noticed.

“Shall we return?” he asked.

The parlor was loud with both the music and the clomping of feet. Dory danced with Hunter Gautier and seemed delighted with the young gentleman’s company. Sylvia Dowder danced with Lord March. Michael and Elinor stared blissfully into each other’s eyes. Everyone else had formed small groups for conversation.

Daniel stood alone on the far side of the room shifting from foot to foot. As soon as he spotted her in the doorway, he frowned and stormed over. Was he always so moody?

“My lord.”

“Miss Braighton. I trust you enjoyed the night air.”

“Mmm, very refreshing.”

Thomas trotted over to the pianoforte where Miss Dowder played.

“I trust you and Mr. Wheel enjoyed a convivial conversation?”

He was jealous. Why should he be jealous of Thomas? He must have known the nature of their conversation. She looked over at Tom whose attention was riveted on every stroke of the keys. “It was pleasant, my lord.”

Daniel watched Thomas. “He cannot resist a good musician.”

“Really? Well, Miss Dowder seems accomplished. You know, Lady Dorothea plays the harp, the pianoforte and several others I believe.” Sophia looked from Thomas to Dory.

“What is going on in that pretty head of yours?”

She looked back at the earl. “I don’t know what you mean, my lord. I just mentioned that my good friend is an accomplished musician. It seemed appropriate to the current conversation.”

He hid his laugh behind his hand “Absolutely appropriate. And if I find a suitable moment to mention that fact to Mr. Wheel, would that also be appropriate?”

She shrugged innocently. “It would seem a way to make polite conversation and I know how you English adore such things.”

“I shall endeavor not to bore you with my chattiness in the future.”

“I did not mean you specifically, my lord.” She’d offended him. Why couldn’t she keep her mouth shut? “I’ll admit Americans are not as good at being polite even when we try. Perhaps it is rather, especially when we try.”

He laughed. “Do not fret, Sophie.” He bent down until his lips almost touched her ear. “I’m certain you will insult me many more times as we barrel through our life together.”

A shiver ran up her spine and her breath caught. “I have not agreed to marry you, my lord. Do not presume I will. I’m quite sure you will, unfortunately, be disappointed.”

His expression was neutral, but his eyes laughed at her. “I do not think so.”

She was about to argue, but the music changed and was too loud to have a conversation.

The Viscount of March’s enthusiasm with regard to the natural world was without equal. Sophia stumbled through the wilderness after the group. She’d worn good sturdy shoes, but after an hour and a half of walking and stopping and walking; she was bored, tired and her feet ached.

“This is hawthorn. There are two sorts of hawthorn. One way to tell them apart is to squish the red berry between your fingers.” And his lordship did so. “If it has one seed inside, then it is the normal hawthorn but if there are two or three seeds it is a Midland hawthorn, which we will see growing more often in woods rather than hedgerows.”

Sophia had no idea the outcome of the berry squishing experiment as she distanced herself to avoid listening too closely to the lesson. A butterfly flew across the path. The pretty insect was so filled with life and fancy it made her smile in spite of her desire to be anywhere else.

Lord March’s delight equaled hers as he grabbed it harshly off of the flower it was investigating. “Sixteen species of butterfly have been recorded here, including Brown Argus and Marbled White. The butterflies are attracted by nettles, thistles, knapweed, trefoils and brambles.” He then dropped the poor dead creature on the path.

“My lord, what causes these holes in the old trees?” Serena Dowder asked. Miss Dowder’s enthusiasm seemed to equal the viscount’s.

Sophia groaned inwardly. The death of that beautiful butterfly had decimated the small bit of enjoyment she’d taken in the walk.

Dory pulled at her arm holding her back even farther, though they could still hear the response.

“Green, Great Spotted and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers rely on the standing dead wood to make their nests in late winter and early spring so they are ready for egg-laying in late March or early April. They will often occupy the same holes year after year.”

That garnered a round of
oohs
and
ahs
.

He went on to tell about a pretty white starburst of a flower, which he called bladder campion.

Dory tugged on her arm. “I cannot take any more of this drivel. I think we have listened long enough. Let the Dowder twins have their time flirting. Let’s you and I go for a walk.”

Sophia cringed. “My feet are aching, Dory. Can we find a place to sit down? Is there no place in this wilderness to take a seat for a while?”

“Let’s go and look.” Arm in arm they walked away from the rest of the group.

It was a long walk, but Sophia was happy to get away from the crowd. “Are you interested in Mr. Gautier?”

Dory sighed and her shoulder slumped. “No. He is handsome, kind and of an age, but he has a wild reputation. Where his brother is titled and a bore, he is poor, untitled and far too rakish for me. I think I shall find myself an intellectual, but one who is not quite as dull as The Viscount of March.”

“Are you sure such a man exists?”

“No, but it’s just as well. I much prefer to concentrate on my music for a while. At least until my parents force the issue. I should be able to beg off for one more year and perhaps in that time we shall meet such a paragon.”

“My aunt has given me leave to never marry,” Sophia said.

“Really, why? Have you told her about your trouble in America?”

“Yes. I told her everything when the gossip was in the papers. She has promised me a home and an income, should I choose not to marry.”

“That is very generous.” Her voice was distant and there was a long pause. “Are you certain that is what you want, Sophia?”

“I can’t marry.” She said it forcefully but her stomach soured at the idea of a solitary life in the country. Would she have friends? Perhaps she would find a cat to keep her company on the lonely nights.

They arrived at a pretty arbor covered with pink roses. She was close to tears at the sight of the bench beneath it.

“I thought you and his lordship were getting along rather well,” Dorothea said.

Sophia shrugged. “I like him, but how can I marry him? He will need an heir and I can’t give him one. It would not be fair to marry anyone.”

“I would think you will want to have a child, Sophia. To me, it is the only good reason for marriage. I cannot wait to hold my own baby in my arms and know this little person will love me for as long as I cherish him.”

Sophia’s eyes filled and her heart ached with the children she would never have. She blinked several times to clear them. “Besides, his lordship has a bad habit of tossing aside fiancées as easily as he does a dirty cravat. I shall not be the next to be thwarted before getting to the altar, or worse, after.”

Dory’s eyes widened. She touched Sophia’s arm. “Dearest, you are mistaken. He had every reason to end his engagement with Jocelyn. It was not a whim. Lord Marlton is an honorable man.”

Sophia turned to Dory and took her hand. Had she misjudged him? “I’m not a gossip, Dory, but will you tell me what happened and how you know?”

Dory was quiet for a long time. She looked down at their joined hands. “I was closest of friends with Jocelyn. That is how I know what happened.” She looked up into Sophia’s eyes. “She’d been my friend since we were in finishing school together and while she had always been spoiled and willful, I never dreamed she would do what she did. Our friendship would have ended much sooner had I known how cruel she really was or how selfish.”

Sophia was keen to know Daniel’s character. “How was she cruel?”

Pushing a loose curl behind her shoulders, Dory took a deep breath and picked up her chin. “It was shortly before their wedding when Jocelyn told me she was in love with a Mr. Swanery. I advised her she must forget this man. She told me she would not. Her parents prevented her from ending her engagement to a man who would be an earl to marry an untitled nobody. She intended to have an affair with this man as soon as she had produced an heir for Marlton.

“I was shocked, told her she was a fool and Daniel would be a good husband to her if she would treat him well. But she was so selfish, convincing her proved impossible. I had hoped that once she and his lordship were married, she would see how good and honorable he was, and change her mind. I had further hoped she would learn to love him since it was obvious he had tender feelings toward her.

“My hopes were in vain. Before they were even married, she began an affair with Mr. Swanery. She was found in an unladylike position with her lover. It was Lord Marlton who discovered them.”

“My word.” Sophia gulped for breath. “What did he do? Did he strike her?”

“No. He ended the engagement without revealing to anyone why. I only know the truth because Jocelyn told me herself the next day. She was unrepentant and did not understand why he had made a fool of her. It was rather amazing that she felt no responsibility for what happened. I was so shocked I didn’t know what to say for a long while and I allowed her to rant for thirty minutes about what a terrible, and mind you her language was far worse, man Marlton was. He had ruined her, she said. When I found my voice and asked her to leave the house, she was shocked that I did not take her part. She called me some hurtful things and then she left. I have not spoken to her since.”

Sophia squeezed her hand. “I’m so sorry, Dory. It must have been terrible for you to lose a friend.”

“Worse for his lordship I think. He immediately left England and went to America for more than a year. I think he was truly heartbroken. I have often wondered if Jocelyn had been the least bit sorry for her actions, would he have forgiven her?”

“I cannot imagine he would have. He does not seem the forgiving type.”

Dory shrugged. “He is not the same man he was then. What happened changed him, made him more cynical. He might not have returned from America had his father not died suddenly. He had to come back to take over the running of the estates and he even took his seat in the House of Lords. A lot has happened to Daniel Fallon in the last year.”

“I see your point.” Taking her hand away, Sophia looked down at her shoes.

“I thought you would be happy to know the truth.”