Page 23 of A Spinster's Unexpected Marriage
Martha hesitated, relieved when the tea tray was brought in so she could have a few more minutes merely considering what her friend had asked. “I do not think well of him, no,” she said, slowly. “How could I? He is just as much a rogue as he has ever been, though he now hides that with a guise of commitment and devotion. It is only that I found myself wondering as to why he would be so very defensive of me. After all, what Lady Kelling said was quite true.” She reached to pour the tea, recalling how Lord Granton had looked down at her with those clear blue eyes of his, his dark hair falling lightly over his forehead – and how she had felt herself soften inwardly towards him.
“If I were you, I would just take it as he has said,” Miss Stockton said, as Martha handed her a cup of tea. “He says it was to promote the story you want everyone to believe and I would simply accept that. You know very well that Lord Granton wants to be nothing but admired by all of society, that he wants to flirt and tease and capture as many ladies as he can. Therefore, you cannot take anything that he says or does with any great amount of seriousness.”
Martha found herself a little deflated at her friend’s words, though they did speak of truth. She frowned heavily, biting the edge of her lip as she nodded slowly. “You are quite right,” she admitted, picking up her tea. “I confess that my heart did warm to him a little after he had said such things but now that I have told you of it and you have spoken with such wisdom, I realise that I was foolish.”
“You were not and are not foolish,” Miss Stockton stated, firmly. “It is a very peculiar situation and you must be on your guard.”
Martha sipped at her tea. “On my guard?”
“Against any… well, against any feelings that the Marquess might bring up within your heart,” Miss Stockton explained, a slight flush in her cheeks. “I do not want to tell you what to do and mayhap you are already aware of this but given the sort of gentleman he is and the sort of things he is used to doing, he might very well attempt to encourage your own affections to rise. He will have no real use for you, of course, but given that he is currently unable to flirt with anyotheryoung lady, it may well be that he chooses to set his attentions upon you instead.”
“I do not think he would do such a thing.” Martha shook her head and set her tea down. “We are doing our best toendthe engagement, not prolong it.”
“Ah, but you are also seeking to play a part, are you not? You must appear to delight in his attentions, though you need not proclaim yourself in love with him, of course. That ishisrequirement, not yours.”
“Because otherwise, no gentleman will think that he has even a chance of success if I declare myself as devoted to him as he seems to be to me,” Martha said slowly, as her friend nodded. “You are quite right, Anna.” Closing her eyes for a moment, she let out a small sigh. “I am much too caught up with thinking about what his words to me meant. I ought not to be doing any such thing. Instead, I ought to be thinking about which gentlemen I might be able to convince to consider me.”
“Precisely.” Miss Stockton did not smile, however, but leaned forward in her chair, looking hard at Martha. “Youmustbe on your guard, my dear friend. I can see a slight softness about your eyes when you speak of the Marquess and I would not like to see you with your heart broken.”
Martha wanted to tell her friend that she had no such concerns in that regard, that there was not anysoftnessabout her heart for the Marquess, but choosing to stay truthful rather than covering herself with lies, she merely remained silent.
“He is unused to being a gentleman devoted to one young lady,” Miss Stockton continued, when Martha said nothing. “His flirtations and his charms are now all going to be directed solely uponyouand you must be able to withstand them. You must not permit yourself to think of him in any other way but that he is: a rogue masquerading as a gentleman.”
Folding her hands in her lap, Martha offered Miss Stockton a small smile. “I thank you for your caution,” she said, quietly. “It is offered in friendship and I am grateful for your concern for me.” She winced. “I had not thought about what he would do in that regard. I see now that there is certainly a danger there. I will be more aware of it now.” Inwardly, Martha berated herself for letting her thoughts linger on Lord Granton, relieved that Miss Stanton had come to talk to her at the very same time as she had been fighting to remove him from her mind.I must remind myself that he is dangerous,Martha told herself, reaching to pour more tea for Miss Stanton and herself.And I must do all that I can to protect my heart.
Chapter Thirteen
“Imustknow something, Lord Granton. I beg of you to give me your answer at once.”
James frowned. “You are a little in your cups, Lord Talbot. Are you quite certain that it is me that you wish to speak to?”
Lord Talbot chuckled and leaned into James’ shoulder a little, making James’ frown turn into a scowl. “Of course I am. You are the only one who is recently engaged, are you not?”
“I am,” James answered, slowly. “What does that have to do with your question?”
“I must know!” Lord Talbot exclaimed, his eyes wide now. “What is it that has made you change your mind?”
Becoming a little frustrated, James threw out his hands. “What do you mean? What has made me change my mind?”
“Exactly!” Lord Talbot pressed one finger hard into James’ chest. “What has made you alter your mind in such a fashion? What could have forced you to alter your habits in such a way?”
“I do not understand what you mean,” James stated, firmly, growing all the more frustrated with Lord Talbot’s drunken questions. “You are not speaking clearly and – ”
“I believe that my friend is trying to ask you what it is about your betrothed that has caused you to change from a scoundrel to a supposedly excellent gentleman, though I myself do not believe that you are in any way altered.” Lord Childers came over to join them, his arms folding across his chest though he smiled all the same. “I believe it is nothing more than an act.”
“An act?” James snorted, hoping that his guilt would not leak into his expression. “I do not know what you mean.”
“I think that you do.” Lord Childers tilted his head but let his hands fall to his sides. “I have heard that the reason you are now engaged to Lady Newton is because you lost a bet with her father. Within that bet, I am quite certain that there was an agreement that you would have to turn from your less than pleasing ways and devote yourself to the lady.Thatis why you are so altered, rather than there being anything special about the lady herself.”
James hesitated, looking to Lord Childers, then shrugged. “You may believe what you wish, Lord Childers, I do not care.”
“But youwereforced to wed her because of a bet, were you not?”
“Ah, but while that may be true, does that mean that he would be in any way inclined towards her?” Lord Radford appeared out of nowhere, sidling in towards them all with a broad grin on his face. “You have said yourself – as has Lord Talbot – that there is a marked difference in the Marquess of Granton’s behaviour. Is that not so?”
Lord Childers nodded slowly as Lord Talbot grinned, his eyes a little slanted as he looked back towards James.
“Then, if you have both recognised such a thing, then you surely cannot expect that the reason for such a thing would be because his hand has been forced? While it might be true that a bet was made and the lady’s hand was put on the table, Lord Granton has clearly found something remarkable in the lady, else he would never have turned from his roguish ways.”
