Page 34 of A Spinster's Unexpected Marriage
Lady Hampshire closed her eyes, her lips pressing flat together for a moment. “I understand that it is not as you might have hoped but as I have said, your father and I will not permit you to break your engagement,” she said, looking back at Martha with a fierceness in her gaze which Martha had not seen in a long time. “Lord Granton is to be your husband.” Her lips lifted just a little. “Why do you not permit yourself to trust that what he says he feels for you is real? Perhaps if you did so, you might find yourself a little more at ease, a little more at peace with the engagement. It is a remarkable thing to have a gentleman care for you in such a way, Martha.” Her head tilted just a little. “Mayhap there is a part of you too which has come to care for him in return, though you do not want to admit it to yourself?”
Martha shook her head at this, refusing to even think about that suggestion. Her heart leapt up but she quietened it at once, telling herself that there could be no such feeling within herself for him. “No, Mama. That is not the case, I can assure you.”
“Can you?” Her mother lifted an eyebrow gently but Martha shook her head again, all the more firmly.
“Lord Granton is a rake and nothing more.”
“And yet, he has been devoted to you,” Lady Hampshire answered quickly. “Can you not see that? Can you not understand just how deeply he cares for you? This might have come about in the most extraordinary manner but I can see – just as thetonhas – that there is a genuine interest in you now. Why else would he have turned away from all the other young ladies that he so obviously pursued? Why else would he have stepped back from the former way of life? Even though he is engaged, I would have expected a rake to continue on just as he has always done but Lord Granton has not done that, has he? There must be a reason for that.”
It was on the tip of Martha’s tongue to tell her mother the truth, to let her know the reason for Lord Granton’s behaviour towards her but seeing the hope flickering in her mother’s eyes, seeing the hopeful smile alight her lips made Martha unable to do so. Instead, she merely nodded and took in a breath, choosing to stay silent rather than agree or disagree with her mother’s words.
“There now, you see?” Lady Hampshire smiled all the wider. “You will find that I am right in this, my dear. Step away from Lord Billington, I beg of you. Set your heart towards Lord Granton and you may find yourself in more happiness than you had ever permitted yourself to imagine!”
Martha only forced a smile, leaving her mother to then turn the conversation to another matter – namely just how well Miss Stockton and Lord Childers were doing – and Martha quickly threw herself into that conversation while, at the very same time, putting all thought of the Marquess of Granton to the back of her mind. She would not let herself think on him, would not let herself dwell on what it would mean if she let her heart feel something for him. All she could do was now to think on Lord Billington, hopeful thathewould be the one to rescue her from her engagement. Despite what her mother had said, Martha was quite determined to continue on with her plan, no matter the barriers which were put up before her. This engagement to Lord Granton couldnotcontinue, no matter what her mother thought… or what Martha’s own heart whispered.
***
“Thank you, Lord Billington. Good evening.” Martha smiled and watched as Lord Billington stepped away, feeling a pair of eyes resting on her. When she turned, she saw none other than Miss Stockton watching her, though her friend drew quickly near.
“Lord Billington appears eager in his pursuit of you.” Miss Stockton tilted her head, watching Martha with a steady gaze. “Are you drawn to him?”
Without even thinking about her answer or how she would respond, Martha quickly shook her head, her stomach twisting sharply.
“No?”
Martha blinked, realising just how quickly she had betrayed herself. “I – I did not mean… ”
“You are not drawn to Lord Billington, then.” Miss Stockton appeared rather satisfied at this, though Martha could not understand why. “You certainly gave the impression that you were eager to pursue him, given the way that you went to watch the phaeton race.”
“Which he lost,” Martha muttered, recalling how she had stood there and watched the phaeton race, silently questioning in her heart what it was she was doing there and wondering why she felt so little interest. She had felt almost guilty, as though she ought not to be there amongst the small, gathered crowd, especially without her betrothed, but she had done so regardless. How much she had attempted to feel glad when Lord Billington had come to speak to her thereafter! It had been a struggle to do so, a fight to find even the smallest iota of happiness and yet she had demanded that she smile as he had come to laugh about his loss.
“Yes, so I heard.” Miss Stockton frowned. “I heard that there was a great deal of coin lost also.”
“I did not even know that he had made a bet,” Martha answered, letting out a small sigh. “My mother has also noticed that Lord Billington is interested in my company and she has warned me away from him.”
“Really?” Miss Stockton frowned. “But she must believe that Lord Granton truly cares for you, yes?”
Martha nodded. “Yes, she does.”
“And so she does not want you to step away from this engagement,” Miss Stockton mused, though her gaze then went to something over Martha’s shoulder. “Because she believes that the Marquess cares for you and while Lord Billington might also do so, your engagement is to the former and not the latter.”
“Precisely.” Martha let out a small sigh. “She has told me that she and my father will refuse to let me end the engagement, even if Lord Billington should show me a particular interest.”
“Which will prove to be a problem,” Miss Stockton finished for her. “What can be done about that?” Her lips curved just a little. “What say you, Lord Granton?”
Martha started as a hand touched hers, just at the very same time as Miss Stockton spoke to him. She turned just as Lord Granton lifted her hand to his arm, settling it there though he was not looking to her as he did so.
“It does seem to prove something of a problem,” he said, his voice low but his gaze remaining steady upon Miss Stockton. Why, Martha wondered, was she beginning to find herself eager for him to turn his blue eyes uponher? She did not want his attention, did she?
“Mayhap we shall simply have to marry.”
The statement sent a shock rushing up through Martha’s feet, to her core, to her heart, down her arms and into her face. She felt as though every part of her was tingling, stunned by what the gentleman had said and finding herself suddenly weak. Her hand tightened on his arm on instinct just as he turned his head to look at her, his blue eyes piercing. She could not speak, her mouth suddenly dry, her tongue feeling a little too thick for her mouth. Lord Granton offered her a small smile, though it sent no light into his eyes but rather brought a hint of darkness flickering there. Clearly, the notion did not please him.
“I think that Lord and Lady Hampshire would be very pleased indeed if you would begin to plan the wedding,” Miss Stockton said, as the silence began to grow a little too heavy for them all to simply stand and endure it. “Thetonhave been waiting for you to set a date.”
“I suppose that we should, yes, though that would require the banns to be called.” Lord Granton turned his head, then looked back to Martha. “I think we should go to speak with your father on the matter.”
“Now?” Martha could barely breathe, her free hand pressed to her stomach, her eyes wide as he looked back at her.
