Page 91 of The Truth About Lord Stoneville
“Southampton,” Gran put in as she struggled to keep up with his long strides. When he looked at her, she added, “One of the grooms wheedled it out of Mr. Pinter’s coachman.”
He could be there by morning, if he posted through the night. Traveling at night in winter wasn’t ideal, but the moon was out, and depending on the quality of Pinter’s coach and cattle, Oliver might reach there within a few hours of their arrival. Even with money tight, he never skimped on his horses.
Once he reached Southampton he’d have to figure out how to find them, and the town wasn’t exactly small. He’d have to wrench her away from Pinter, too, which might be no small feat.
“Minerva,” he said, “go tell the coachman to prepare for a trip to Southampton. I mean to leave within the hour.”
“Good.” She hurried off.
As he headed for the stairs to pack some necessities, Gran grabbed his arm. “You are going to bring her back, aren’t you?”
He stared down into his grandmother’s anxious features. “Only if she wants to come back. I can’t be sure that she does.” He was done with trying to force her into marriage.
Gran scowled. “Then why are you making the journey?”
“To keep that pompous bastard Pinter from taking advantage of her. With no money and only Freddy for protection, she’s too vulnerable. He’s only a man, and what man can resist Maria?”
“That’s the only reason you’re going after her?”
“Yes.”
But even as he said it, he knew it was a lie. He was going after her because the thought of her in Hyatt’s arms ate at him like a cancer. Because he couldn’t bear the idea of letting her leave without a word between them.
Most of all, he was going after her because he could see the years stretching out before him, lonely and bereft of her company. And that prospect was just too damned hard to face.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Exhausted from her sleepless night after the ball, Maria had fallen into a doze as soon as the carriage left Halstead Hall. But although Mr. Pinter had made sure they were as comfortable as possible in his cold, rickety coach, being beaten half to death by ruts in the road wasn’t conducive to good sleep. So once they returned to the coach after their late stop for dinner at an inn, she and Mr. Pinter began discussing the situation regarding Nathan.
Freddy had decided opinions about it. “I have my sword. I’ll call him out. If I put a blade through him, there won’t be a problem with your inheritance.”
“Don’t be ridiculous—you’re not going to duel with Nathan,” she said. Though Freddy was fairly adept with a sword, she’d never forgive herself if he got himself killed.
“You should have told his lordship you were leaving,” Freddy said. “You should have lethimcome along and fight Nathan.”
She ignored Mr. Pinter’s none-too-subtle interest in the conversation. She’d explained at dinner the arrangement between her and Oliver, naturally leaving out the part about Oliver bedding her, then proposing marriage. “This has nothing to do with Lord Stoneville,” she said firmly.
“He’s your fiancé, isn’t he?” Freddy persisted.
“That was a sham for his grandmother’s benefit, and you know it. Do be quiet about it, will you?”
“I don’t think it was all a sham,” he said, surprising her.
“Of course it was.”
“Not according to what Lady Celia and the lads told me last night on the way to the ball. They said those pearls he gave you were worth a fortune.”
Mr. Pinter sat up straighter on the seat.
She cast Freddy an irritated glance. “Don’t be ridiculous. As his lordship said, he would have sold them by now if they were worth so much.”
“Lady Celia said he couldn’t bear to part with them. He sold the jewels that his father bought. But Mrs. Plumtree gave those pearls to his mother upon her debut, and that made them special.”
Maria’s breath dried in her throat. “Celia must have been mistaken,” she whispered. “You must have misunderstood.”
But in her heart, she knew he hadn’t. And it increased her growing guilt over having left Halstead Hall so abruptly. She’d been a coward. Oliver deserved to have his proposal properly refused to his face.
Still, shehadrefused him last night. He’d simply chosen to ignore her refusal. Was it cowardice to flee when onelacked the strength to hold fast to one’s convictions?
