Page 85 of The Truth About Lord Stoneville
“There’s something else,” Mr. Pinter said.
His grim tone made her heart lurch. She wasn’t sure she could take anything else. “Yes?”
“Rumor in Southampton has it that the owner of the company he’s been dealing with has a marriageable daughter in whom he has shown some interest. The gossips there predict that an offer of marriage will soon be forth-coming.”
With her blood deafening her ears, she wandered over to stare at the mullioned window that fractured the light into bits, much as she felt fractured by Mr. Pinter’s news.
It wasn’t that she loved Nathan. If she ever had, that emotion hadn’t survived his months of silence. It certainly hadn’t survived her night with Oliver.
But her pride was sorely wounded, as was her confidence in her ability to read a man’s character. All this time she’d thought Nathan honorable, yet he was a deceitful devil. Oliver had been right, curse him.
“I would have approached Hyatt with the news of your father’s death,” Mr. Pinter went on behind her, “except you hadn’t given me permission to do so, and I thought you might wish to perform that office yourself.”
“Indeed I do.” With righteous anger swelling in her chest, she whirled to face him. “How far is Southampton from here?”
“It’s on the southern coast. With a fine rig and good weather, the journey can easily be made in twelve hours, maybe less.”
Since she had no funds to travel, it might as well be twelve years. She released a despairing sigh.
“If you’ll permit me, Miss Butterfield,” Mr. Pinter continued, “I shall be happy to take you there. My carriage is waiting, already prepared for a long trip.”
She gaped at him.
He smiled faintly. “I suspected you might want to pursue the matter further.”
“Yes, but . . . well, it may be some time before I can repay you for any of this, and travel by coach can be so expensive . . .”
“Think nothing of it. I investigated your background as well, and I’m satisfied that you can be trusted to repay me in your own time.”
She wanted to kiss him. “Then we must leave at once. I’ll fetch Freddy and pack my trunks.”
“Very well. I’ll see to the rig and make sure everything is ready for the two of you.”
She turned for the door, then halted and came back toshake his hand vigorously. “Thank you, Mr. Pinter. Your help is greatly appreciated.”
“You’re welcome,” he said with a kindly smile. “I dislike watching scoundrels like Mr. Hyatt abuse the trust of young ladies. He deserves to be unmasked for the fraud that he is, and I’m more than happy to help you do it.”
Casting him another grateful glance, she rushed off. She hadn’t gone far up the stairs when Minerva appeared at her side. “Celia said you have news.”
“Mr. Pinter has found my fiancé. We’re off to the coast shortly to meet him.” She was too embarrassed to admit how deceived she’d been in Nathan’s character. And she certainly wasn’t going to tell Minerva exactly where they were going; she didn’t want it getting back to Oliver.
“What about my brother?”
Maria schooled her features to nonchalance as she continued up to her room. “What about him?”
Minerva hurried to keep up with her. “He said he was going to obtain a special license, so I assumed—”
“You assumed wrong.” Her heart might think otherwise, but she wasn’t going to listen to it this time. It had steered her wrong in the past. “There’s no understanding between us, despite the farce played out last night at the ball.”
“But youknowhe cares for you. You can’t go off without telling him!”
“Yes, I can.” If she stayed until he returned, he would fight her leaving. He might only want a half marriage, but he didn’t like the idea of anyone else having her, either. Or her being free to leave England without him.
She was probably being a coward, but she knew if he set the full force of his will against her, she would succumb. And she dared not—he could destroy her. He’d come very near to doing so already.
Grabbing her by the arm, Minerva halted her at the landing. “Maria, you’re not being fair!”
“Fair!” She snatched her arm free. “You don’t know what’s fair! First I’m manipulated into playing out this ridiculous game for the five of you, so I can find my fiancé. And then Nathan, the man I thought to marry, the man I trusted . . .”
