Page 11 of A Spinster's Unexpected Marriage
“I have found our daughter a suitable husband,” Lord Hampshire continued, his eyes a little sharp. “I understand that you might have questions over his character but he will be able to not only provide for our daughter but will give her the chance to be highly titled amongst society. She will be a Marchioness! She will have the chance to have her own family, her own household!”
“And what of her happiness?” Lady Hampshire replied, gesturing to Martha. “Can you not see that this news has devastated her?”
Martha winced, seeing the pain which quickly tore through her father’s expression. Evidently, he had been glad to have found Martha a match and now here she was, expressing discontent. Her fears were valid, of course, but neither did she want to downplay the significance of what he had done.
“Lord Granton is not the sort of gentleman who will bring Martha any sort of happiness, my dear,” Lady Hampshire continued, her tone quiet but her gaze steady. “Did you not know anything about him before you made this arrangement? I cannot understand how it took place without your deliberate and intentional concern over his character.”
The way Lord Hampshire dropped his head and then ran his fingers over his forehead made Martha’s heart drop to the floor. She looked from her father to her mother and then back to her father again, her heart clamouring furiously. “You did not know anything about him, did you, Papa?”
Lord Hampshire glanced at her. “I knew enough.”
“How did you make this arrangement, then?” Lady Hampshire asked, slowly. “What was it that you did?”
“Please,” Martha whispered, feeling as though a rope was being tightened around her throat. “Please, Papa, tell me that you did not use me as part of your betting?”
When he did not refute that suggestion at once, tears began to pour into Martha’s eyes and even though she blinked furiously, she could not stop one from falling to her cheek.
“You used our daughter as part of yourbetting?” Lady Hampshire’s voice was hoarse, her face turning pale. “You offered her up as part of the card game?”
“No, not in that way.” Lord Hampshire sniffed and lifted his chin, though his gaze did not rest on either Martha or his wife. “I will say that yes, she was a part of the game but not in the way that you think.” Perhaps seeing that neither Martha nor Lady Hampshire was about to remain contented with such a poor explanation, Lord Hampshire spread out his hands. “I placed a bet that stated that, should I lose, then I would give all of my winnings to Lord Granton. And should I win, then he would marry Martha. That is all there was to it.”
Martha closed her eyes as fresh tears dripped down her cheeks. She had not been considered at all, then. Instead, she had been offered up as a bet, as though that was all she was worth.
“It is done,” her father said, firmly. “You are going to marry the Marquess of Granton and that is the end of it. You shall have your family, your house, and your future, Martha. Those are good things and I do not want to hear anything other than acceptance of that.”
“My dear, I… ” Lady Hampshire fell silent, shaking her head as she considered. “I do not know what else to say. I will state again that I think this match is wrong for you but your father is right, in that you will have your future kept safe.”
Martha opened her eyes, swaying just a little where she stood. She felt both weakness and fear, wishing that she could see even the smallest flicker of hope but finding that she could see nothing other than shadows. Lord Granton was not a gentleman she could even think to trust and now that she was to marry him, her future seemed shrouded in darkness.
“You are to now consider yourself engaged,” Lord Hampshire continued, though his tone was a little softer now, holding more gentleness and tenderness as though he wanted to comfort her, even though he was the one who had arranged all of this. “The announcement will be made tonight.”
Martha’s head shot up. “Tonight?”
Her father nodded.
“But I am not ready, I am not prepared. I – ”
“You are going to have to be.” Her father came closer, put one hand on her shoulder and smiled down into her eyes. “You are going to be a Marchioness, Martha. What could be better?”
It was on the tip of Martha’s tongue to say that spinsterhood seemed a good deal better than the prospect of marrying a gentleman such as Lord Granton but Martha did not dare say it. It would cause her father pain for her to say such a thing and she could not bring herself to say a single word. But as her father stepped back, urging them to the door and out to the carriage, Martha’s heart broke completely. Her hopes for the future had been thin and vague indeed but even then, thosehadbeen things that she had longed for. Now, however, with her future holding nothing other than the cruel, arrogant face of Lord Granton, Martha could not find even the smallest flicker of anticipation or delight.
Everything was dark.
Chapter Seven
James closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath. For the first time in many a year, he had not desire at all to set foot into this ballroom. He did not want to be surrounded by society, did not want to have to stand and converse or to dance. His entire life had changed in an instant… and it was all his own fault.
“Come now, you cannot simply stand here at the door.” Lord Radford grasped James’ arm and half pulled, half dragged him through the open doors, held there by the footmen. “It is not as though anything has changed.”
James wrenched his arm away from Lord Radford, his anger burning sharply. “Ofcoursesomething has changed! You cannot have been so quick to forget what took place at Lord Mayhew’s card game!” Stepping back into the shadows, he folded his arms and scowled. “I have lost everything.”
Lord Radford lifted an eyebrow. “Why? Simply because you are engaged?”
“Yes, because I am engaged!” James threw up his hands. “I am no longer the single gentleman that I so delighted in. I am not able to do just as I please, I am not able to behave as I wish. My regard now must be for one young lady and one young lady alone. Do you think that I am at all delighted by this? That I am happy with all that has taken place?”
“No, I do not think that at all,” came the reply, “though I must say that I am surprised you are taking it so seriously.”
A frown pulled at James’ brows. “I amengaged,” he said, heavily emphasising the word as though his friend did not understand. “I must take that with every seriousness.”
