Page 62 of A Tenuous Betrothal
Her uncle’s face was turning redder by the minute, his hands clenching tighter and eventually crumpling the paper into a ball. “And if I walk away? If I take what’s mine and leave the people to their misery? What will you do then, with all these people without work?”
“I believe your niece would happily take over where you left off. We can draw up the paperwork leaving the lot of it to her.”
Rhi held her breath. Was this what she wanted? Did she wish for complete ownership of the mines? A niggling worry grew. She knew she should say yes, but a part of her hoped that all the problems would be solved without her. She hoped to leave it in good stead. But that was just fatigue speaking, surely.
Bartholomew stood taller and stared her uncle down. “Of course, you would be left without estate or income if that happens.” He stepped closer. “Did I mention that the prince regent himself has expressed interest in this case?”
Families on all sides of her watched with hopeful but weary expressions. Then Mr. Thomas stepped out of the entrance. A new lightness carried him, and all eyes turned to him. The air went still. He lifted an arm. “They have been freed.” His voice, though obviously exhausted, carried over the whole of their small gathering.
A great cheer arose to the sky from all around Rhi.
Her breath left her in great relief. “Oh, thank the heavens,” she whispered. Marc’s strong arms held her up as her legs wavered beneath her.
“Yes,” Marc wrapped an arm around her back, holding her steady.
Everyone watched the entrance now. A man stepped out into the sunlight, blinking his eyes and walking slowly. A woman called out, “My William!” and rushed to wrap her thin arms around him.
The crowd cheered again, and they rushed toward the mine, all her loved ones in this small town to which her family had devoted everything. They ran to their neighbors and fellow laborers and family. Rhi stood back, with Marc at her side, watching it all.
And then she faced her uncle, who stood as if unmoved. “As a landowner, a mine owner, you have more responsibility than what lines your own pockets. And, ironically, the more respect with which you treat your workers, the better work they will do. You would find wealth beyond what you could imagine.”
“I don’t care one whit for any of them.” He stepped closer, speaking down into her face. “They will care for themselves if they’re given appropriate consequences for their actions. Like today, for example. Who is going to pay for the damage to the mines, this disastrous mess?” He gestured to the new opening, the rubble in large piles, the people everywhere. “Who will pay for two days’ lost labor?” He pointed to the workers and their families. “They will. I will take it from their wages.”
The nearest woman gasped and clutched her bodice.
“I will—”
“Desist at once, man. You sound like a spoiled child.” Marc squeezed Rhi’s hand and then approached her uncle. “Come, let us converse like grown people. Bartholomew, Sophie, Baron, Brothers, and Rhi, if you so desire.”
“I do not.” Her fury was rising into her throat, and she wasn’t certain she would be able to contribute to a rational conversation. But, judging from the quiet strength and anger in Marc’s eyes, he would handle the situation as it needed to be handled. She waved the men on and then lowered herself to a nearby rock, where Sophie joined her as the men went to stand a distance away from the reunion of miners. “You truly do not wish to be a part of that conversation?”
“No.” She sighed. “Oddly, I do not. I wish for all of this to be better, but I feel outside of it somehow. I feel...” She searched for the right words. “I feel as though it is no longer mine or my family’s. I care deeply for these people, but I care only that someone looks out for them. I don’t need to be the one to do it.”
“And Oldenburg?”
“Prince Marc and his brothers suggested I go, but not to marry.” She turned to Sophie. “They suggested I go to live there.”
“Marc did not at once propose? I’m surprised.”
“He did not. I don’t think he wishes for a wife.”
“But he cares—surely he cares.”
Rhi thought on it. “I know he cares, but in what manner? Is he only distracted by his sense of duty for my happiness? Simply caught up in an attraction? Does he only feel he must rescue me?” She shrugged. “I cannot say, but I do know one thing. He does not care enough to propose.”
“And if he did ask for your hand, would you accept?”
She studied the area around them for a long moment. “I think the answer depends greatly on why he is asking.” She sighed, letting all her frustrations leave with that one long breath. “But if he and the others can solve this mess of a problem, if they can assist the workers, then I do think I shall go to Oldenburg.” The thought suddenly brought so much peace, such a relief, that she could almost smile amid her exhaustion. She grabbed Sophie’s hands. “Will you come as well?”
“I will, to visit. We are talking of leaving on the same ship with you.” She grinned. “I’m so excited. We will need to pack up your things. All your new gowns arrived in the moment we were leaving.”
Rhi gasped. “They did?” Then she smiled. “What better things to wear for my entrance to a royal court?” She shook her head. “Do you believe I will fit in there?”
“I can only guess you will. And we are in luck.”
“Why is that?”
“Remember, my best friend will be the future queen.”
