Page 31 of An Honorable Arrangement
"I would like your permission to marry Miss Sommers." He’d blurted it out before he could formulate a more subtle plan.
Unblinking, they stared back at him.
"It may seem sudden, but she is extraordinary, and I wish to marry her." He wished his voice sounded less desperate.
Finally, his aunt said, "I see. And have you asked the lady?"
"She has agreed." He nodded.
Uncle John stood and walked to the small desk. He took up his pipe, filled it with maddening slowness, and lit it. White puffs of vanilla-scented smoke wafted into the air. "I only sent you to collect Miss Sommers, Monty. I trusted she would be safe with you. Why were you delayed?"
It would be best to come as close to the truth as possible. "Miss Sommers was always safe in my care, Uncle. I would protect her with my life. We were delayed because she wished to see her father."
Aunt Constance gasped. "Did she see him?"
"Yes. He was not happy about her arrival. We were fortunate to make the acquaintance of a Captain Phillips stationed in Bristol. He accompanied us for the two visits we made to Bertram Sommers's home." Monty finally sat and kept his expression mild. It took some effort, as remembering things Sarah's father had said filled him with rage.
"That man is a drunk who gave up his only child." Aunt Constance was always in control, but her mask slipped.
"Yes, we learned as much. However, don't you think someone might have told her in all these years? It seems she thought him dead until two years ago, and then assumed he would wish to be her family. Miss Sommers has had a very rough upbringing, with being passed from one relative to the next. But still, she managed to grow into a thoughtful person who returned to her father's home a second time to try to convince him to seek help." He wasn't sure why he felt the need to defend her, but pride filled him when he spoke of Sarah.
Uncle John put his pipe down and examined Monty. "You are in love with her?"
Monty stood. "Yes, sir."
"And does she love you?" Aunt Constance asked.
"She does, Aunt." He held his breath.
Standing, his aunt sighed. She pulled him into a hug. "We have no objections, dear boy, but your mother has long set her cap on Lady Evelin. You will have some trouble with them."
Joy filled Monty, and he kissed his aunt's cheek. "Thank you. I will speak to my parents." He shook his uncle's hand and heard them both chuckling as he rushed from the room.
Jogging up the steps, he didn't know if he should find Sarah or seek out his parents for what was inevitable. Deciding it better to get the worst over with, Monty knocked on the door of the room his parents always occupied at Willoughby.
Theodor, his father's elderly valet, opened the door. "My lord." He bowed and pulled the door fully open.
"How are you, Teddy?" Monty asked.
"Very well, sir. Lord and Lady Thornbury are in the other room." He pointed to the adjoining room. As these rooms were family rooms reserved for them, his parents had made one into a kind of lounge area.
His mother sat reading on a chaise while his father jotted a letter at the desk.
Father put aside his writing. "You have something you wish to say, Monty?"
After placing a ribbon to mark her place, Mother closed the book and set it on the table. "What is going on between you and that girl?"
The tone of Mother's voice rankled him. "Her name is Miss Sommers, and I have just asked my aunt and uncle for her hand."
"Have you lost your senses?" Father stood and pounded his fist on the desk. "Miss Sommers is not the kind of woman one marries. If she weren’t ward to Stapleton, I would suggest you make her your mistress if you cannot control yourself."
"George!" Mother's frown deepened, but it was directed at her husband rather than Monty.
"I beg your pardon, my dear, but the boy cannot think to marry a girl of no title or means. He'll be a viscount one day, and who will grace the name of Viscountess of Thornbury? Miss Sommers? Heavens forbid.”
Holding his temper when his father suggested him base enough to take a mistress and a wife was easy, but it was a fight when he implied that Sarah wasn't good enough to be his wife. He bit the inside of his cheek. "Sarah Sommers is a remarkable, bright, and resilient lady. She can speak politics with a man as easily as she can make a salon full of ladies feel comfortable. While I couldn't care less about her means, she is the daughter of a gentleman." He took a deep breath. "All of that aside, I am going to marry her. I would prefer to do so with your blessing, but I do not require it."
"Monty," his mother whispered. "You cannot mean that. What of Lady Evelin Daniels? She has long counted on your proposal. You will be breaking my word to her parents."
