Page 34 of Marry in Secret
“I don’t know, but sometime between the church and here”—Rose narrowed her eyes thoughtfully—“or sometime since he arrived, Thomas was made to change his mind.”
“Madeto?” Lily looked dubious. “He didn’t seem like the kind of man who would bemadeto do anything.”
Rose grimaced. “He’s not. Or at least he never was in the past.”
“He didn’t seem at all bothered by Cal or Aunt Agatha, and they were openly hostile to him. I thought him rather intimidating, to be honest. That grim expression and those cold, cold eyes—” Lily broke off, flushing. “Sorry, I’m sure he’s perfectly nice once you get to know him.”
Rose smiled. “He is, and you will.” She was determined on it.
Lily regarded her doubtfully. “But he told you to take the annulment. I’m sorry, Rose, I couldn’t help but overhear, I wasn’t eavesdropping—”
“It’s all right. And I know what he told me. What I don’t know is why. He spouted some nonsense about having no fortune and no job and no home—but I’m an heiress, and he knows it. We’ll have plenty of money. So it can’t be that.”
Lily said hesitantly, “Edward says a real man doesn’t take money from a woman. He’s arranged for my inheritance to be put in trust for me and our children.”
Rose stared. Could that possibly be it? Some stupid male pride thing? She couldn’t credit it. Would Thomas put his pride before their happiness? Surely not.
But it was certainly worth considering. “You’ve become very wise, little sister.”
Lily flushed with pleasure. Rose nodded toward the closed door of the drawing room. “Now, tell me, what are they saying in there?”
Lily wrinkled her nose. “It’s not good. Emm is still saying you must decide—”
“Good, then—”
“But Cal and Edward and Aunt Agatha are still talking about an annulment—Aunt Agatha is utterly determined on it. She keeps saying to Cal”—her voice took on the cadence of Aunt Agatha’s—“‘What is the point of being an earl if you can’t pull strings to free your sister from the machinations of a blackguard!’”
“Well, they shan’t. I won’t let them. And Thomas isnota blackguard. And he certainly doesn’t machinate, or whatever the word is.”
“They don’t trust him, Rose. Most of them think he’s a fortune hunter who deceived a vulnerable schoolgirl.”
“But they heard him refuse me.”
Lily grimaced. “They’re saying it’s a clever ploy on his part—though Aunt Dottie doesn’t agree. They also think there’s something fishy about where he’s been these last four years, and that he refuses to explain. And they don’t like the timing, how he managed to turn up at the perfect moment—and attired in such a way—to create the maximum scandal.”
Rose frowned. Put like that, it did look rather damning.
“Oh, and Cal says until he sees your marriage lines, he won’t be convinced there was a wedding. And if there was one, it might not be real.”
“In that case, I’ll fetch them right this minute. Come with me?” Linking arms, they hurried upstairs. Rose rummaged in the small wooden box where she kept her jewelry and other precious things. The document was at the very bottom.
She tipped everything onto her bed. The certificate came out last.
“Here it is.” She unfolded it and looked at her signature and Thomas’s. “There, that should convince our dear, suspicious brother.” She refolded the document and started repacking the little wooden box. Lily sat on the bed, watching. “You said most of the men and Aunt Agatha are against Thomas, and Emm is on the fence. What about the others?”
“Aunt Dottie thinks he’s very handsome, and that it’s all wonderfully romantic. She says she has one of her ‘feelings’ about him.”
Rose chuckled. “The darling, of course she does. And George?”
Lily dimpled. “She says that Finn likes him and that Finn is a very good judge of character.”
Rose laughed again. “Good old Finn.” She sobered then. “And you, Lily, what do you think?”
Lily hesitated. Her gaze dropped and in a low voice she said, “I don’t know what to think. I still don’t understand why you never told me, Rose. Didn’t you trust me?”
“Oh, Lily. It wasn’t that at all.” At the hurt in her sister’s voice, Rose found herself blinking back tears again. Such a day she’d had. She was feeling completely storm-tossed,in altone minute, despair the next. All the pain she’d repressed over the years, spilling out. Scalding her again—and spilling over everyone.
She climbed onto the bed beside Lily and took her hand. “I’m sorry I never told you, Lils. I just... couldn’t. By the time you were well enough to be told, so much had happened it was all too painful to speak of.”
