Page 64 of The Spinster's Stolen Hear
Pippa smiled faintly. She had been bombarded with compliments but couldn’t enjoy any of them.
Lord Whitmore had left at the end of the musicale, leaving his mother behind. He had business, apparently. They had stayed another hour or two before Bridget complained of a megrim, whereupon they all piled into the carriage and headed home.
Bridget had not spoken to her, not a single word. Nerves fluttered in Pippa’s stomach, making her feel sick.
She had done wrong, of course. That was clear. Spending time along with a man on a balcony was bad enough, but almost allowing him to kiss her? Laying her hand on his hand so boldly? Pippa had no idea what had come over her.
Yet, even now, the memory of it made her chest tighten, in a good way. Lord Whitmore made her feel all sorts of things when they were together, some she couldn’t even identify.
Lord Barwick, on the other hand, only ever made her feel annoyed.
What is Lord Whitmore’s name? I’ve heard it said before.Nathan, that’s it. His name is Nathan.
A tiny smile crept over Pippa’s face. Feeling eyes on her, she glanced up and saw Bridget looking at her. Her face was tight with anger, and Pippa’s smile vanished at once.
This isn’t over, not by a long shot.
On account of Bridget’s ‘megrim’, she retired upstairs immediately, summoning Pippa with her. They went to their private parlour, which was cold from not having a fire lit, and smelled faintly musty from disuse.
Bridget lit the candles, closed the door, and stood in front of it, facing her daughter. The silence was absolute.
“Well,” she said at last, voice tight. “What excuses do you have for me?”
Pippa swallowed. “I should not have been on the balcony with Lord Whitmore, Mama. And things… things went too far. It was wrong of me, I know. But nobody knows besides you, and so my reputation will be quite safe.”
She gave a bark of laughter. “What a foolish little girl you are. There were a horde of people in that ballroom. If I noticed you sneaking out and Lord Whitmore sneaking after you, why should others not have noticed? You have no idea what has been seen.”
This had not occurred to Pippa, and a cold shiver went through her.
“If my reputation is compromised,” she said, the words coming out before she had time to think about them, “then Lord Whitmore will marry me, I can vouch for it. He’s a good man.”
In a trice, Bridget had crossed the room, coming almost nose to nose with her daughter.
“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” she hissed. “You flirted with Lord Whitmore to get out of marrying Lord Barwick.”
“Mama, no!” Pippa blustered, swallowing thickly. “I would never do such a thing, I swear it. But you know that I care for Lord Whitmore, and I believe he cares for me. And I donotcare for Lord Barwick.”
“We have been through this time and time again. Oh, Pippa, I am too tired to argue with you.” Bridget turned away, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I think Iamgetting a megrim after all,” she muttered.
“Mama, I didn’t mean…” Pippa began, but she was interrupted.
“Yes, indeed, you never meant for any of this to happen. I’m sure you didn’t, but it has, and nowImust deal with it,” Bridget snapped. “Here is what we will do. Our aim must be to hide this incident from Lord Barwick or his wretchedly eagle-eyed mother. I do notthinkanybody noticed, but we must be vigilant. Lord Whitmore, I think, will not speak of it, and of course you will not. You must avoid him like the plague from now on. I won’t have Lord Barwick having any reason to retreat from an engagement.”
Pippa stood still, stunned. She felt almost as if she were in a dream.
Am I merely tilting at windmills? Why does she not listen to me? Does she not hear, or does she simply dismiss my concerns?
“I have thought long and hard about all this, Mama,” Pippa said, her voice quavering. “I cannot marry Lord Barwick. I am sorry that I cannot make you happy. If you choose to act as though I am dead, I cannot stop you, but I know that the consequences for myself will be much worse if I force myself to accept a betrothal and go through with a marriage to a man that I do not love and cannot respect.”
There was a long silence after this. Bridget turned slowly, her expression icy. Swallowing, Pippa spoke again.
“Please, Mama, don’t let this make a breach between us. We were so close, once.”
“Hear this, my girl, and listen carefully,” Bridget said, her voice calm. “If you do not oblige me in this and follow my instructions, I shall go straight to Katherine and tell her that you were kissing a gentleman on the balcony at her own brother’s soiree.”
“Katherine will….”
“Hear me out, Pippa, please. You believe that I am your enemy, I know that. You think that your cousins are your friends. They are pleasant enough, to be sure, but let me tell you this. The Willenshires have a great reputation to uphold. William is a duke, a new one, with a new duchess, and he will be treading on difficult paths for years trying to establish himself. Even the highest members of thetonlive and die on public opinion, their reputations as fragile as glass. Imagine what would happen if William was known to have brought a cousin into his family with the most lax and shocking morals, creating scandal wherever she went?”
