Page 20 of A Spinster's Unexpected Marriage
Martha glanced at him and then shook her head. “I can think of nothing, Lord Granton. We are both very well aware that there is no genuine desire between us for our engagement to lead to marriage. Therefore, I can see no reason for us to speak to one another.”
“Ah, but what if someone asks you something about me?” James challenged, seeing her frown. “What then? We must keep up the appearance of connection, Lady Newton, whether you wish it or not.”
She let out another sigh and then looked up at him again. “What is it that you wish to know about me, then? I can think of very little I require of you.”
James hesitated for a moment, finding himself a little surprised at her tone. Yes, he had known that she was not at all inclined towards him but did she truly feel this heavy hearted? Was she really just as bored as she sounded?
Or is it that I find myself a little intrigued when I ought not to be?
Ill at ease after such a thought, James cleared his throat and then glanced over his shoulder to where Lady Hampshire walked. “Tell me about your family.”
“I have an older sister already wed and a brother who has been married for some time.”
“And does your brother have any children?”
She scowled. “Does such a thing matter? It is not as though someone is going to ask you about my brother’s children.”
James considered this and then shrugged. “I suppose they would not. Well then, might I ask what hobbies you enjoy? Do you play the pianoforte? Do you paint?”
“Does not every young lady?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at him. “Yes, I play the pianoforte and I sing, but not particularly well. I do paint on occasion but I do not have any real interest in such things. They are done out of requirement, nothing more.”
“I see.” Suddenly finding himself a little concerned that no gentleman would think well of her given what he now knew, James glanced to her again. “You would have to play and sing to the very best of your ability, should the opportunity arise,” he told her, seeing her frown. “You do understand that the other gentlemen of thetonwill be eager to see such traits in a young lady such as yourself.”
Much to his surprise, Martha snorted with a sudden laughter, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she looked at him. “Of course I am well aware of such things, Lord Granton,” she said, a heavy irony in every word. “I have been a young lady searching for a husband for some time now. I think I know what it is that a gentleman seeks as regards the propriety and expectations of someone such as myself.”
Rather than take this with any sort of displeasure, James found himself smiling, his chest tight with a laughter which he did not permit himself to release. It felt strange to be smiling at her and that feeling would have increased all the more should he laugh along with her. “Of course, Lady Newton. I did not mean to suggest otherwise.”
“I will be doing all that I can to garner the attention of any suitable gentleman that I can,” she told him, firmly, her laughter now gone from her entirely. “You need not be concerned about that.”
“I am glad to hear it.”
Martha’s green eyes caught his again and she looked up into his face for some time before she next spoke, leaving James wondering what it was she was thinking.
“Your own family, Lord Granton?”
James shrugged. “I have none to really speak of.”
“None?” Martha’s eyes widened suddenly. “Not even a cousin?”
“Oh, I suppose I have cousins, yes, but brother or sister, no. My mother lives in the Dower house, even though I am not yet wed.” He offered her a slightly wry smile. “It seems that she prefers her own company to mine. Or mayhap it is that she did not want to be connected with a scoundrel such as myself, even if I am her own son.”
“And that does not trouble you?”
The answer came to his lips at once but James held it back for a moment considering. He had always told himself that he did not care that his mother chose to live alone rather than under his roof, though now that he considered it, was that truly how he felt? “I… I suppose that I have always been aware that my mother deserves to make her own choice about such things,” he said, slowly. “In that regard, I am not troubled.”
Martha nodded but said nothing, leaving James to ponder what she had asked him. He had barely thought of his mother in some time, leaving her pushed from his thoughts. Had he done such a thing in order to forget the pain that such a separation caused him? Or did he pretend that the pain itself was not truly there in the first place?
“Perhaps I should not have asked.”
James looked at her. “I beg your pardon?”
Martha lifted one shoulder. “You seemed to be lost in thought there for a moment. I did not mean to cause any sort of deep introspection. It was a simple question, that is all.”
A little frustrated that she had been able to see such a thing upon his expression, James straightened his expression and looked away. “You need not have this concern you, Lady Newton. Should anyone ask, you may say that my mother has already made her way to the Dower house in expectation of my marriage. That is all that is required of you.”
She said nothing for a few moments, again looking at him but without saying a single word. James found this a little unsettling but did not let himself question her, choosing instead to keep his gaze fixed on the path ahead rather than looking back at her.
“I suppose,” Martha began, after some time had passed. “I suppose that I need not ask aboutyourinterests, Lord Granton.”
