Page 33 of An Honorable Arrangement
Leaning forward, Lady Stapleton took Sarah's hands. "You shall always be safe from now on, my dear girl. Monty will see to that, and so shall we." She frowned. "I must warn you that his parents might not be as filled with joy over the prospect."
"My sister has ideas about whom my nephew should marry." Lord Stapleton grinned. "However, Monty is a smart and independent man. He will not be swayed."
Montgomery had warned her already that his parents might disapprove. She would have to win them over. Putting that issue aside, she wondered about another. "My lady, did you know my father was alive and…um…ill?"
Her ladyship pursed her lips. "Bertram Sommers loved your mother very much. In fact, he loved her to distraction. He was a very rich man who had found himself the perfect wife. Losing her sent him down a dark path. I am sad to hear he has not yet found his way back to the light."
"I expressed to him my wish that he go into a sanitarium and get well. He didn't respond, but I am hopeful." The lump returned to her throat.
"For your sake, I hope he takes that very good advice." With her frown and the sorrow lingering in her glance, Lady Stapleton didn't appear particularly hopeful.
* * *
Since arriving at Willoughby, Sarah had barely seen Montgomery. As soon as she entered the parlor after dinner, Lord and Lady Thornbury strode over, looking very determined.
Exhausted from travel and meeting her new guardians, Sarah didn't know if she had the strength to face them. Plastering a soft smile on her face, she curtsied. "It's nice to see you both again."
"You look very nice, Miss Sommers." His lordship extendedmisslong enough to make it sound obscene.
"Thank you, my lord." She looked down at her simple pink gown and wished she had a more elaborate wardrobe for the battles she faced.
Her ladyship's smile was little more than the baring of teeth. "I wonder if you and I might spend some time together while here at Willoughby, Miss Sommers. My son wishes for us to know each other better."
"I would like that very much." Not sure it was true, Sarah didn't know what else to say.
"We are tired from travel tonight, but perhaps tomorrow we might go to town or sit for tea together." Another grin appeared that was too wide and slightly frightening.
Sarah said, "It would be a pleasure. Thank you, my lady."
With a nod, Montgomery's parents left, presumably to go to their room. Sarah looked around the parlor, and finding no sign of her fiancé, she too went upstairs to bed. It seemed tomorrow was going to be a long day.
* * *
She'd much rather have gone to the lake with some of the young people in residence for the house party, but Lady Thornbury dragged her off to shop at the local village. She was polite but treated Sarah little better than a servant, ordering her about from shop to shop.
Biting her tongue, Sarah did as she was told and said nothing more than yes and no when a response was required.
On the ride back to the castle, her ladyship turned from the window and stared at Sarah. "You seem a smart girl, Miss Sommers."
"Thank you, my lady." What else could she say?
"As a smart girl, you must see that you are beneath my son's station, and the marriage would be ill-advised at best and farcical at worst." Both of her brows rose high on her forehead as she waited for some kind of reply.
Sarah wasn’t given to sudden bursts of anger, but Lady Thornbury could make a saint lash out. How Lord Stapleton could have been born of the same parents was some kind of strange twist of fate. "Did you feign interest in getting to know me to bring me out here and insult me, my lady?"
"I am merely stating the truth, Miss Sommers." She looked surprised and would have passed for a spectacular actress.
Of course, telling her so would be going too far. Sarah banged on the carriage. "I will make my own way home, my lady. Thank you for an enlightening afternoon."
The carriage slowed.
Lady Thornbury laughed. "You can't actually believe my brother intends to keep you on. Good gracious, you are bold in your self-worth. His wife might think she owed your dead mother something, but a girl like you will soon show herself unworthy of the lofty position of the ward to an earl. You will be shipped off to some distant relation or put into service before the spring. I'm sure you already suspected as much, and that is why you tricked my poor son into agreeing to marriage."
The carriage was still, and the driver opened the door.
Sarah stepped down. "I tricked no one. Your brother seems a very kind man, and your son makes his own decisions. I wonder what either one would think of your descriptions of them, my lady."
The driver climbed back to his seat.
