Page 99 of Pursued Beyond Treachery
“Eastley End House. Mrs. Hardy is feeling particularly lonely since her husband went on his last voyage and has decided to have a grand gathering to lift her spirits.”
“And how do we know Mrs. Hardy?”
“We don’t.” She cast him a cheeky grin. “But Lady Braithwaite does. Apparently the woman showed her some kindness several years ago and she wants to return the favor by having several notable guests attend.”
“Like a viscount and his wife?”
“Exactly. And perhaps a duke’s nephew?”
“You wish to include Eddie in our party?”
“I do. I witnessed something at Kendall House that leads me to believe an invitation to attend such a gathering would be welcome.”
His head began to shake. “No, no, no. I will not fall into this trap. Did you learn nothing from Melior and Nate’s attempt at matchmaking?”
“I did.” She leaned forward and placed a hand over his. “I learned it works.” She smirked. He rolled his eyes but could not argue the point.
Setting his utensils down, he dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. “I am not opposed to having Eddie along for the duration of the party, but that is it. Neither of us will meddle in his affairs. He is a grown man who can make decisions for himself and does not need us pushing him into trouble.”
“A marriage is not trouble.”
“It would be if the other person is Lady Braithwaite. I know she has been very helpful, but by what means? There is deception and intrigue surrounding that woman at every turn. Eddie’s infatuation will pass. We simply need to give him time.”
Susannah was unconvinced, but she made no protest. “Alright, only the gathering at Eastley End House. Then I shall leave him to his own devices.”
John pushed back from the table. “Good. Now if you are finished, I have something to show you.”
She took one more drink of her tea and allowed him to help her up. Hand in hand, he led her to the second story of Gimly Hall. It had taken some time for her to get used to the large, drafty home. Its stately grey stone was nothing like the warm brown brick home she’d grown up in, but it had its benefits.
New furniture being one of those. John had allowed her to choose the colors she wished to finish her favorite rooms in and then ordered furniture to suit her liking. It was strange to think a month ago she’d worried her father would be thrown in debtor’s prison, only to learn he was far better situated than most of the families in Maidstone.
After witnessing the artifice of London, she was grateful for his frugal disposition. It had taught her to appreciate what she had, great or small, and it had allowed all of them to benefit. Her dowry, which had been a few hundred pounds, was not the only money given upon her marriage. It seemed another sum had been set aside from the money her mother brought into the marriage. One ten times the size of what she’d expected to receive.
She saw the wisdom in her father’s financial management, for if Mr. Wallace had known her fortune, he may have been tempted to forgo Aunt Guthrie’s offering and press her into a marriage.
“Where are we going?” she asked John when they did not stop at any of their usual rooms.
“I have a surprise for you.”
She grasped their conjoined hands with her other hand. “A surprise? Is it a new dress?”
He shook his head.
“Another dozen roses?”
“No.”
“Did the furniture for your painting room arrive?”
“Not yet.”
They stopped at a door she’d not yet entered. In their tour of the house the day after they married, John had said this room needed some work and was not quite ready. So she had not questioned it.
“Is the room fixed?”
He smiled. “It is. Now close your eyes.”
“What?”
