Page 18 of Pursued Beyond Treachery
Besides, he was a viscount, the highest-ranking man of her acquaintance—well, except the Duke of Bedford whom she’d met once last spring. Society expected him to marry well.
And who was she? A nobody. Daughter of a country gentleman who’d married a woman below his station. And while her grandfather had eventually achieved the life of a gentleman, he was new money and looked down on for his lack of education.
Even with Lady Stanford’s sponsorship, Susannah had little more to recommend her than passably pretty looks and a measly dowry.
“What are you staring at?”
Michael’s voice startled her. John had long since entered her father’s study and her eyes were trained on nothing in particular, but she refused to divulge her thoughts to a six-year-old boy.
“I am thinking you should be in the nursery.”
“Why?” he whined. “It’s boring in there, and Mrs. Stone says she’s too busy to play games with us.”
As she should be. The poor housekeeper now had two posts with Mrs. Crabtree’s resignation. How did she do it? They needed a new nurse, at least for Michael. Andrew would be headed to Harrow. In truth, he should have already been there, but Mama had insisted they keep him home as long as possible. Poor Michael would be heartbroken when Andrew left after the day of Epiphany. She herself would be gone several days before that. The house would be quite empty.
“I’ll tell you what, Michael. If you will go find a book I shall read to you, but first you must find Andrew, and you must agree upon the story, no squabbling.”
That alone would keep him busy for at least a half an hour. Perhaps it would be enough time to wipe out her trunk and begin the tedious task of deciding what to take and what must stay.
Her eyes strayed to her father’s study as Michael happily ran off to find Andrew. If only…
Those two words held so much in their torturous clutches. If only she had more consequence in the world. If only she had a bigger dowry. If only John saw her differently, maybe then she’d not need to go to London at all.
Even so, she was determined to enjoy herself. And if the end of the season came with nothing more than the ability to see the many wonders of the city, then she’d have to be content.
But what if this season John found his match… and it wasn’t her?
Three weeks passed far quicker than Susannah could have imagined. On the morning of her departure, she wondered why she’d wished the time away. Sir Nathaniel was busy giving orders to the footmen while Lady Stanford waited inside the carriage, giving Susannah the space to say goodbye to her family in private.
Amanda, bundled in her coat and her eyes rimmed with red, gave her a crushing hug. Regret tugged at Susannah’s heart knowing her sister would not have another woman, other than their housekeeper, to confide in over the next few months.
“I will write to you often.”
Amanda nodded, then rushed into the house as the tears she’d held back began to spill over on her cheeks.
Michael had refused to come out, upset both at Susannah’s leaving and the new nursemaid. The younger woman was far more caring than Mrs. Crabtree had been, but it was one more change her brother had been forced to endure in his young life.
Andrew approached next, his face stoic, but when she wrapped her arms about him, his shoulders shook.
“Are you frightened to go to Harrow?” she whispered.
“A little,” he admitted. “The stories I hear, Nan.” His big blue eyes, so much like their mother’s, rose to meet hers and she wished for a few more years to protect him from the harsh life of becoming a man.
“Do you have the three things Mama said you would need to take when the time came?”
“I hope so. But how will I know if I have bravery, compassion, and a sense of humor?”
She ruffled his dusty blond hair. “You do, Andrew. Hold tight to those, and you will do fine.”
Turning to Terrance, she gave a tremulous smile.
“Enjoy yourself, Nan. And try not to worry about all of us here. We will be fine.”
“Even Michael?”
“I shall make certain of it.”
After a brief embrace, it was her father’s turn. Deep lines marred his face, worry clearly written across his brow. “I wish I were the one accompanying you.”
