Page 11 of Lady Audacious
‘You see.’ The countess sounded triumphant. ‘Even your brother sees the benefits.’
‘Then let my brother marry her.’
Arthur’s smile abruptly faded. ‘It isn’t me that she wants, old chap.’
‘I dare say one of us will do as well as the other,’ Reuben replied, enjoying his revenge.
‘I thought you liked Sarah, dear,’ the countess said.
‘I do. She’s a splendid sister.’
‘Reuben!’ The countess lost all patience. ‘She is pretty, is she not? She has been described in my hearing on more than one occasion as being beyond compare. And her figure is very pleasing too. She’s very accomplished yet she is modest about those accomplishments. She sings and plays like an angel, and paints and embroiders and knows how to run a household seamlessly. She would make an exemplary wife. Her dowry is modest, I’ll grant you, but that shouldn’t matter to a man of your stature.’
Reuben realised that his mother was actually serious. In her mind the match was all but agreed. That in itself didn’t concern him too much; it wasn’t the first time that she had tried to push a suitable female in his direction. But this time the female in question was a more or less permanent resident beneath his roof, and if his mother had encouraged Sarah to think that Reuben would be offering for her then matters could easily become misconstrued.
‘I am sure that Sarah is all the things that you say she is,’ he replied diplomatically. ‘However, you must take the blame for my reticence.’
Reuben was reluctant to overset his mother, who had still not fully recovered from the sudden death, a little over two years previously, of a husband whom she had loved passionately. Reuben had returned from the war, having earned the right to sow his wild oats simply because he had survived. Instead, he became the fourth earl and was obliged to step into his dead father’s shoes, assuming his status and responsibilities long before he was ready to. He had done so, he liked to think, with distinction in all respects bar one. He had ignored all the young ladies his mother had thrust with little subtlety in his direction, determined to choose a wife for himself when he felt the time was right to become leg-shackled.
Ifit ever was.
‘Me?’ The countess pointed at her own chest for emphasis and blinked. ‘What have I done to deter you from matrimony?’
‘You and Father set too good an example,’ Reuben said softly, leaning forward to take his mother’s small hand in his own. ‘We grew up in a household that was full of joy and laughter because the two of you were so passionately in love. It was obvious for all to see, was it not, Arthur?’ Reuben gave his brother’s foot a hefty kick beneath the table that separated them.
‘Ouch! What was…oh yes, quite so. We were all endlessly amused because you and the pater didn’t care if the whole world knew you were in love, unfashionable though it might be to display such affection for one’s own spouse in public.’
‘Yes well, I will admit that I fell for your father the moment I set eyes on him, and he for me.’ She produced a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. ‘Promise me you will think about what we have said. About Sarah, I mean. Love can grow, you know. Besides, it is often better to settle for the devil you know. I have seen countless matches agreed in ballrooms that were disastrous, simply because one party or the other was temporarily infatuated and had lost all sight of the practicalities. However, infatuation soon wears off when the reality of day to day life sets in, at which point it is better to enjoy a friendship with one’s life partner.’ The countess rose slowly to her feet, her knees creaking as she straightened up. ‘Just promise me that you will consider the possibility, my dear. Is that too much to ask of you?’
Reuben shook his head. As a general rule he was unable to deny his mother anything, but he knew that if he agreed to think about a match he had no inclination for, she would consider it all but settled.
‘Do not give Sarah any guarantees, Mother,’ he said in a firm tone. ‘In fact, don’t discuss the matter with her at all.’Some hope, he thought privately. ‘I will make up my own mind in my own time and agree to consider Sarah along with any other ladies who catch my eye when that time comes. That is the best I can offer you.’
‘That’s is all I ask, my love.’ His mother bustled towards the door at twice her usual speed, presumably wanting to quit the room before Reuben could enforce more caveats. Arthur hastened her departure by standing to open the door for her.
‘Well,’ he said, chuckling as he resumed his seat, ‘it looks as though you are about to fall prey to the parson’s mousetrap, big brother.’
Reuben threw a cushion at Arthur, then stood and poured large measures of whisky for them both. ‘Don’t count on it,’ he replied, taking a fortifying swig of his drink.
Sarah listened shamelessly at the door as the countess cajoled her son into at least considering her as a suitable wife. She felt her cheeks flush with humiliation—which came as no great surprise, since the situationwasintenselyhumiliating. She had fallen for Reuben Emory when she’d first caught sight of him during his school holidays. She had been twelve at the time, and he just sixteen, but his handsome if still boyish countenance had taken her breath away and she’d decided then and there that she would marry him.
Since then she had taken every opportunity to visit her godmother, using her mother’s ailments as an excuse to linger indefinitely and putting herself in front of Reuben at every opportunity. She had shared in the countess’s anguish when he went off to fight against Napoleon, convinced that he would perish on the battlefield. When he did not, Sarah’s conviction that they were destined for one another intensified.
They often rode out together when she was in residence at Amberley Hall. Or more precisely, she timed her morning rides to coincide with his, crossing his path as though by accident. He welcomed her along and spoke with her in such an informal manner that she had been encouraged to suppose he shared her aspirations and it would only be a matter of time before he declared himself.
Two years on she was still waiting, and becoming daily more desperate. God’s beard, he had shown more interest in the trollop who was about to take up residence at Fox’s Reach than he ever had in her, forcing her to concede that his conduct in relation to her had been the product of good manners, nothing more. They almost never rode alone since either Emily or Beth, sometimes both, accompanied them and she now knew that she was only included because he looked upon her as another sister.
Sarah felt anger ripple through her, but knew better than to let it gain any ground. She wouldn’t be able to control herself if that happened. If she had one of herepisodes,something she had moved heaven and earth to ensure did not happen here at Amberley Hall, then all would be lost. Everything she had worked towards achieving would finish in disappointment.
No one wanted a woman who couldn’t control her temper.
Not that Reuben appeared to want her at all, she was obliged to concede, which only reinforced her determination to change his mind. To make him notice her as something other than a sister. He obviously hadn’t taken note of how well her new, ruinously expensive and still not paid for velvet habit fitted her, emphasising every dip and curve. Nor had he taken much notice of just how well she sat her lively horse, jumping every obstacle that he did, keeping pace with his stallion and never once taking a tumble. Emily and Beth managed the same feat, it was true, but that didn’t signify.
The countess had cornered her just that morning, asking her outright if she had developed feelings for Reuben. Sarah flushed with pleasure at receiving the countess’s tacit approval. She lowered her gaze to her embroidery and admitted that she had. The countess had grinned broadly and told her she was absolutely sure that her feelings were reciprocated and to leave matters to her.
Sarah rolled her eyes, aware now that she should have protested. The countess depended upon her children’s devotion to get her way, and with good reason. They all adored her—except when it came to something as important as matrimony. She ought to have known that the earl would balk at her interference. He was very much a law unto himself, even if he did do his utmost never to upset his mother.
Now Sarah would have to face him at table and things would never be the same between them again. There would be none of the easy familiarity she had become accustomed to. Instead, it would be replaced with caution on his part and edgy silences on hers since she would be unsure how to behave now that he knew her secret. Not that the countess had gone so far as to say that she’d raised the subject of their marriage with Sarah’s prior approval, but she was sure that Reuben would have guessed the truth, thereby ensuring her complete humiliation.
