Page 9 of Pursued Beyond Treachery
“No, will they hate me for leaving and going to London?”
His expression cleared and he took up the chair across from her. Clasping his hands and resting his elbows on his knees, he looked contemplatively at her. “I don’t think so. In time I think they will see how important this step is for you.”
“But is it? Many do not take a season and still find themselves happily situated.”
“True. But those women do not have a choice. You do. Take this chance, Nan. It may be the only one you get. Mama would have wanted you to go.”
“Is it not selfish of me?”
“No,” he said with force. “You have given everything for everyone these last eighteen months. And as the selfish siblings that we are, we’ve let you be our foundation. It’s a heavy burden, and, honestly, I have wondered when you would break. It’s your turn to think of your own future.”
“You’re not selfish, Terrance.”
“Oh, but I am. Selfish enough to ignore your suffering until today. You need a reprieve, and I am going to make sure you get it.”
Her eyes crinkled. “Are you threatening to kick me out if I refuse to go?”
He smirked. “Absolutely. I’ll tie you up, gag you, and put you in the Stanfords’ carriage myself if you refuse.”
An unexpected tear gathered even though she was smiling. “Thank you.”
He laughed. “I don’t think I have ever been thanked for threatening to bodily throw someone out, but I will take it.”
“No. Thank you for seeing my need.”
He placed a hand over hers. “It is I who should thank you for always seeing ours. You really do too much. Let us take some of the responsibility for our own problems. Now I order you to go enjoy yourself.”
She sniffed as the tear rolled down her cheek but smiled. “I will do my best.”
Chapter 3
Johnathan shifted nervously in his seat awaiting his friend’s arrival. Glancing at the books on the shelf, he wondered what was keeping him. He and Nate had been friends for as long as he could remember, their mothers having been excessively fond of one another. His earliest memories involved them giving their nursemaids a fright when they’d shimmied up an old log that had fallen across the River Medway.
Sir Nathaniel Stanford finally entered, a grin on his face. “Well, John, have you heard the good news?”
“Perhaps. What news are you referring to?”
He sat down at his desk. “About Miss Wayland traveling with us to London?”
How could he forget? The whole week he’d agonized over thoughts of Susannah surrounded by throngs of men mesmerized by her beauty. Perhaps his imaginings had become a little overdramatic, but she would certainly draw attention.
“I had heard,” he said quietly, careful not to let his feelings overwhelm his ability to speak clearly.
“And what do you think of it? Are you not pleased for her?”
He would sound like a complete ogre if he said he was not, especially since the likelihood of Susannah’s own father being able to take her to Town was very slim. Too many obligations to attend to.
“It is a great opportunity,” he finally said.
“And we shall see you in Town often, I hope.”
Johnathan studied Nate’s face. The soft brown hair that curled about his ears and neck was styled in the popular Brutus fashion. Starch shirt points nearly touched his straight square jaw as intelligent green eyes gazed back at him.
“I have a lot of responsibilities in Parliament, Nate. While many go to Town for the entertainments, I go to work.”
“Work? Do not let the rest of the Ton hear such blasphemy. You know a gentleman is only to have a life of leisure.”
John chuckled. “You and I both know neither of us conforms to the dictates of polite Society. If so, I would not have sat on the floor for the better part of the afternoon yesterday playing jacks with a six-year-old.”
