Page 49 of The Spinster's Stolen Hear
Why can’t I talk to who I wish? Why must Mama keep me so close beside her, like a little dog on a leash? It is notfair.
That might be a childish sentiment, but the words repeated in Pippa’s head, over and over again.
It is not fair. It is not fair. It is notfair.
Bridget stared at her for a moment, as if wondering whether to say something else or not. At last, she gave a tight shake of her head.
“Well. My mistake, then. It hardly matters, as I’ve found you now. Come along, I have some people for you to meet. Good day, Lord Whitmore. Enjoy the evening.”
There was nothing for it. Quietly seething, Pippa stepped over to her mother’s side, and Bridget turned to lead them away.
“Wait a moment. Miss Randall?” Lord Whitmore said, his voice cool and level. Bridget reluctantly paused. Lord Whitmore held out the book in his hand, meeting Pippa’s eye. “Your book. You must not forget it.”
Pippa paused, about to tell him that she had said thathecould read it first. Then she realised – it was a gesture. She took the book with a wry smile. Bridget looked as though she would like to forbid it, but kept her lips pressed together.
“Thank you, Lord Whitmore,” Pippa said, meeting his eye squarely.
He said nothing, only giving a small bow. Then Bridget grabbed Pippa’s wrist and towed her away.
“I cannot take my eye off you for a moment, can I?” she hissed, once they were out of earshot. “I told you to leave that man alone.”
“This is not a large gathering, Mama,” Pippa shot back, teeth clenched. “I can hardly avoid the man.”
“Not with that attitude, at any rate. Now. Just because Lord Barwick is not here does not mean that we can’t do somegroundwork. I shall introduce you to Lord and Lady Guye. They are close friends of Lady Barwick, and so you must make a good impression. As well as that, Lord Guye’s son isnota Marquess yet, but he will be once his father dies. It is not ideal, but one must always plan ahead.”
Bridget talked on and on in a sibilant whisper. Pippa was not listening. She kept the book clamped under her arm. It pressed against her ribs, but she was afraid that if she dropped it, her mother would not let her stop to pick it up.
She could see a trio of wan-faced people up ahead, two gentlemen and a lady, the younger gentleman presumably being the future Marquess. Pippa found that she did not care, in the least, about these people and their names.
I want to be with Lord Whitmore. I want to talk to him about books, about poetry, abouteverything. I don’t want to marry Lord Barwick.
There was no time for these thoughts, however, as they had reached the trio, and Bridget began to talk, her voice falsely animated, hands flapping about. Pippa kept a ladylike smile on her face and bobbed a curtsey when she was introduced. The young lord raked his gaze over her appreciatively, and she tasted bile at the back of her throat.
This is not fair. I cannot go on like this.
I’m not happy. Oh, heavens. Katherine was right.
Chapter Sixteen
One Week Later
“It is quite customary to feel a touch of apprehension, is it not?” Colin inquired with evident anxiety. “There has been much discourse regarding being afraid and such, yet I never imagined… I am devoted to Louisa, for heaven’s sake!”
Nathan rested a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Marriage is a serious business,” he said, keeping his voice low so that the rest of the congregation could not hear. “It’s entirely natural to be nervous. If fact, if you werenotnervous, I might think that you didn’t understand the seriousness of it all.”
Of course, he had hoped Colin’s nerves would not present themselvesnow, when they were waiting at the altar, on hisweddingday.
The church was barely half full, and the wedding breakfast expressly by invitation only. Colin and Louisa both wished for a quiet, intimate ceremony, with only a few friends and the closest family members. Society would no doubt turn up its nose at being excluded from a wedding, but frankly, Nathan did not care. Colin and Louisa deserved the wedding thattheywanted.
He had been a little surprised to be asked to be Colin’s best man. Colin was remarkably gregarious and had a great many friends and acquaintances. It was of course a great compliment, and Nathan had felt a flare of pride that morning, as he dressed in his wedding finery.
Apparently, another unforeseen duty of the best man was to console the groom when his nerves got the better of him. Not that Colin was on the brink of fleeing the church, of course, but still.
“I suppose at the end of the day, it’s all about luck, isn’t it?” Colin remarked, almost to himself. “One doesn’t know one’s spouse, notreally, until one marries them. You simply marry somebody you care about, and hope for the best.”
“To an extent,” Nathan agreed. “Thereisan element of luck. Let me ask you this, then. Do you believe Louisa to be the sort of woman to hide her true character?”
