‘Have you considered selling the estate and returning to India?’
‘I confess that it did cross my mind—but I considered it no further. I am bound by the ties of present and future relationships to the house of Barrington. I had a vision of my grandfather and his proud and noble bearing and of the long line of my forebears who suffered to preserve intact the honour and noble name of Barrington, who subdued their own lives and fought their own individual battles for that same sense of honour—some making the ultimate sacrifice in one battle or another. I owe it to them to see that Ashurst Park is made secure for future generations.’
‘Finding yourself in such dire straits, I am sure they would understand if you were to sell.’
He shook his head. ‘If I were to do that, then the Barrington ghosts would be justified in rising up in anger at my dishonourable deed.’
‘That is where I come in. You want a rich wife. I am available.’
Not a muscle flickered on William’s face. He was silent, looking at her hard, incredulously, as though she had suddenly changed before his eyes. His face instantly became shuttered and aloof. He looked her over carefully, as if to judge her for her worth, and appeared dubious as his brows snapped together and a feral gleam appeared in his narrowed eyes with angry disgust.
‘Contrary to what you might think, Miss Ingram, I cannot be bought. I am a man of honour and honour cannot be bought or measured in wealth. No matter how much money you may bring with you to shore up the walls of Ashurst Park, what makes you think you are worth it?’
Rosa stiffened her spine. ‘Now you insult me,’ she declared, a surge of anger rising up inside her like flames licking around a dry log, furious with herself to think she had been so stupid as to think he would accept her offer.
‘It is not my intention to give offence. Forgive me if I appear surprised, but I fail to understand why you would wish to marry a complete stranger. And why would you think I would agree to marry you? Since your sister is no longer available to me, there is nothing to stop me looking elsewhere for another heiress to marry if I so wished.’
‘Surely one wife is much like another if she comes to you with a fortune.’
‘I disagree,’ he replied, thinking that Miss Rosa Ingram would prove to be more trouble to his carefully held sensibilities than she was worth. ‘Although there must be hundreds of ambitious parents who would be only too ready to offer their daughters for an increase in position—a generous dowry in exchange for the grand title of Countess of Ashurst.’
Rosa looked at him directly. ‘I am sure you are right—which is exactly what my father was thinking. The choice is yours, of course. But, unlike Clarissa, I am not in love with another—so it is not as difficult for me to accept.’
‘Accept?’ His face might have been carved out of stone when he fastened his hard gaze on hers and there was a saturnine twist to his mouth. ‘I do not recall proposing marriage to you, Miss Ingram—or your sister, come to that.’
Lord Ashurst’s taunting remark flicked over Rosa like a whiplash. The hot colour in her cheeks deepened and her soft lips tightened as she exerted every ounce of her control to keep her temper and her emotions in check. ‘No, of course you haven’t. How could you? Where Clarissa is concerned I thought there was an understanding.’
‘No. Our meeting was brief. Nothing was decided.’
‘You must bear with me, sir. I have only recently come to England myself and I have much to learn. I frown upon marriages arranged without reference to the feelings of the bride—with sole regard to titles and the increase of family fortunes. When Grandmother has seen Clarissa settled in a marriage of her choosing, it will be my turn. An arranged marriage is what she intends for me.’
‘And your father, by all accounts. It is not my intention to be disrespectful towards your family, Miss Ingram, but from the little I know of him he set more importance to his daughters marrying a title than he did their happiness. Finding yourself in the same situation as your sister, how will you react if you do not approve of your grandmother’s choice of husband?’
Rosa’s face had taken on a youthful dignity as she looked at his directly. Her age and inexperience were evident, yet she was prepared to stand her ground to defend her father’s good name if required. ‘My father was a private man, Lord Ashurst, and benevolent, with a rational and cultivated mind. There was no one better.’
‘Yes—I am sure you are right and your loyalty towards him is to be commended.’
‘I have never defied either him or my grandmother. I loved my father and I love my grandmother dearly and understand perfectly why it is so important to them both that Clarissa and I make suitable marriages. But I will find it difficult to meekly submit to my grandmother’s rules as a matter of course, which is why I have decided to be my own advocate and make my own case. If I fail in this I will be completely helpless and defenceless before my grandmother’s determination to find me a husband of the nobility.’
‘No helpless female would dare to come all the way here—alone, I might add—and propose marriage to a complete stranger. A woman who can do what you are doing, Miss Ingram, is not helpless—or defenceless. Reckless, yes, but certainly not helpless.’
Rosa looked into his eyes, trying to read his expression. There was a moment’s silence and William watched her face with a slightly cynical lift to his eyebrows.
‘I salute your courage and your boldness. I feel this is your style—setting out on some impulsive adventure, with little thought of the consequences. I cannot for one moment believe you have thought it out properly. You are being a little selfish in throwing yourself at me, a stranger, daring me to take advantage of your offer. But have you not for one moment thought that you might be playing with fire? I will not satisfy your scheme.’
Rosa’s heart fell at his unexpected cynicism. She had agonised over the steps she had taken. Did he understand nothing of what she had said at all? ‘Whatever you think of me, my offer was well meant. If you think my coming here is nothing but a silly, reckless adventure on my part, then there is nothing more I can say to convince you that it is otherwise.’
William studied her gravely for a moment. ‘Perhaps you do have it all worked out. You are undeniably brave—and beautiful—and impetuous, with very little thought of the consequences of your actions. What you are doing for your sister is highly unusual, Miss Ingram—and commendable, though it leads me to question your motives.’
Rosa’s green eyes snapped with disdain and for a brief instant William glimpsed the proud, spirited young woman behind the carefully controlled façade. ‘I told you. Clarissa is in love with someone else. It would break her heart if she didn’t marry him.’
‘Then why put yourself forward? You didn’t have to. Your sister is twenty-one, old enough to make her own decisions. She could just walk away.’
‘Not Clarissa. Our father wanted the very best for her: marriage, title, everything he aspired to be himself—he always did have aspirations of grandeur—which was why, ill as he was and knowing he would not be around to see his wishes for both of us come to fruition, he placed us in Grandmother’s hands with the stipulation that she finds us noble husbands. Clarissa loved and respected him too much to go against his wishes.’
‘Your grandmother is a formidable lady.’
‘Yes, she is.’
‘So why me? If it is a husband you require, then surely London is full of gentlemen who would prove to be far less trouble than me—although in exchange for your wealth you would obtain a title if I agree to the marriage.’
‘Titles are meaningless to me. Besides, I know it is my father’s money that attracts them to me and nothing else. It would act like a beacon to every impoverished nobleman in England.’
‘Then I am no different from them—an impoverished lord who would be marrying you for your money.’
‘There is a difference. I chose you, Lord
Ashurst. I see marriage to you and being able to reside at Ashurst Park a good way of investing in my own future.’
‘I see,’ William replied caustically, getting to his feet and turning from her. In silence he took a thoughtful turn about the room. He was feeling more humiliated and degraded than he cared to admit.
His immense fears as his lawyer had told him the extent of the estate’s insurmountable debts was deep-rooted, and the shadow of Lydia continued to haunt him, making it impossible for him to get on with his life with ease. She had been a bright and beautiful beacon in his world and he had found an untold happiness when he was with her. She had used all her witchery to captivate him, making him her willing, pliant slave. He had later come to deplore the fact that he had kept such a large streak of naivete in his make-up and had found it hard to grasp the guile behind the soft smiles and fond words. He had believed she loved him. How soft and persuasive her voice could be. He could not have guessed for a moment what weight of treachery it concealed.
It was strange that Miss Ingram’s presence and her proposal had brought what had happened with Lydia—that ultimate betrayal when she had thrown him over for someone else—back to him with each sordid detail. He stopped in front of her, knowing he was right to turn her down. ‘I am sorry, Miss Ingram. I cannot help you. I cannot make rash promises I may not keep.’
Rosa stared at his rigid stance. ‘I do understand how difficult this is for you, Lord Ashurst.’
Struggling to keep the irritation out of his voice, he said, ‘Believe me, Miss Ingram, no part of this dilemma is remotely easy for me. You have so much money that what you do should not be a problem. You’ve had life handed to you on a silver platter. Wealth gives you an advantage over me I don’t like.’
Rosa stared at him. A great wave of crushing disappointment filled her heart, banishing everything but her regret that she had been foolish to come to Ashurst Park and humiliate herself before this stranger. She averted her eyes. She had at least done what she could. But it was small comfort. She knew with rising dread that no one could push the Earl of Ashurst into any decision not of his own making. She realised how misguided she had been. For the first time since she had devised this wild scheme, she knew the real meaning of failure.
Her small chin lifted primly and her spine stiffened, and before his eyes William saw her valiant struggle for control—a struggle she won.
‘Then I suppose there is nothing more to be said,’ she murmured in a colourless voice.
William hadn’t missed the flare of temper in her eyes. ‘I’m afraid not.’
‘And you will visit my grandmother to explain about Clarissa?’
‘Of course. Thankfully nothing was signed so your grandmother can hardly sue me for breach of promise.’
Rosa cocked her head to one side, trying to see beyond his cool façade. ‘Is there something you do not like about my family—something you object to?’ Frowning thoughtfully, she said, ‘I wonder... You must know how my father became rich—the source of his wealth.’
‘My lawyer did make me aware of the facts.’
‘And that his plantation was worked with slave labour?’
He nodded. ‘I don’t imagine there is a plantation in the Caribbean worked any other way.’
‘And that concerns you?’
‘Yes, as a matter of fact it does but it has nothing to do with my decision. Slavery is not something people in England are accustomed to. It is a shocking practice. To take a man by force from his native country, to be chained and taken across the Atlantic to be sold in the markets that deal in human flesh, to work the plantations without the right to call themselves men, is unacceptable.’
‘It may surprise you when I tell you that I agree with you completely. I have despised the practice ever since I was old enough to understand it. It is as much an abomination to me as it clearly is to you. I make no excuses for my father but I ask you not to judge him too harshly. It is a subject I argued constantly with him about. Had I the power and the means, I would have changed everything. However, that is clearly not an issue since you rejected my proposal.’
‘I am glad to know you share my views, Miss Ingram, but that was not the reason why I refused to marry you.’
Rosa’s sense of defeat was augmented by the knowledge, which had grown on her since their first encounter, that she had made a fool of herself in attempting to appeal to such a man as Lord Ashurst. He was hard and unfeeling, and all that was left for her was to retreat with what dignity she could muster. She was too proud to let him see that she was confused and disappointed by his rejection.
‘Then I will keep you no longer. Thank you for taking the time to see me.’
‘It was my pleasure.’
To know that she shared his views on the abomination of trade in human beings touched him deeply, almost weakening his resolve not to become involved with her in the way he had been with Lydia. But he would not allow it. Rosa Ingram posed a threat, a danger to his peace of mind, and he could so easily become enamoured of her—and become completely undone into the bargain. He had been there once and had no mind to travel down the same road twice. However, he could not fail to notice the pain and discomfort she was feeling and admired the dignity with which she had received his pronouncement.
‘One moment, Miss Ingram,’ he said. She had turned from him but paused at his request and turned and looked at him. He looked down at her with gravity in his eyes, but a half-smile on his lips. ‘I have my own reasons for refusing you which you can know nothing about. As yet I have not become fully acquainted with the estate and the tenant farmers. I still have much to consider and discuss with my bailiff and lawyer—but no matter. I have enjoyed meeting you and I wish you well. You are a woman of spirit, even if a little too impetuous.’
‘I feel that I must agree with you.’
‘You should not have come here today,’ he went on. ‘Not that I do not appreciate your visit—quite the contrary. But this is a bachelor establishment, something which perhaps did not cross your mind—perhaps you also did not realise that since I live here and I am a newcomer to the area and few people know anything about me, it is a very dubious bachelor establishment.’
‘Please do not concern yourself,’ she replied stiffly. ‘My action was entirely innocent and I am persuaded than my reputation cannot suffer, as a consequence, in the eyes of those people who know me, and those who don’t will never know.’
‘A woman of spirit indeed! I would not like to see you cowed by gossip.’
‘Lord Ashurst, I know well enough what my impetuosity and my meddling has cost me today and I would thank you not to rub it in.’
Her words brought a broad smile to his lips and, in spite of her anger Rosa caught herself wondering why a man with such an unpleasant character should be gifted with such a lovely smile.
‘Excuse me. I will leave you now,’ she said, making for the door.
‘I will call on your grandmother shortly.’
Neither of them spoke as they left the room and crossed the hall. Rosa looked squarely at the Earl as he held the door open for her to pass through, and as she met his gaze her small chin lifted and her spine stiffened. William saw her put up a valiant fight for control, a fight she won. She looked as regally erect as a proud young queen as she went down the short flight of steps and took possession of her horse the stable boy was holding. The boy held his hands for her booted foot, hoisting her atop her horse. Riding astride as he had seen no lady do since coming to England—normally they rode side-saddle—that was the moment William saw she was wearing skintight buff-coloured breeches beneath her skirt.
Rosa sat on her horse unmoving, as if she were some stone goddess, insensate but powerful. She gripped the reins in her slender fingers and stared back to where he stood in the open doorway.
‘I realise how concerned you must be about the state of the finances. My offer was sin
cere. I would like to help—if you would let me,’ she offered.
‘Thank you. That is extremely generous of you. I appreciate your offer but I cannot accept it.’
‘Not now, perhaps, but think about it.’ About to ride off, she paused when she remembered something. ‘Oh—there is something I forgot to mention which you may like to know.’
‘Which is?’
‘At the inn—when I was leaving—I saw the man who I am certain pushed the boy. He was mingling with the other passengers and looked extremely angry.’
William froze and then he was striding down the steps to where she was trying to settle her restless mount. ‘Are you certain?’
‘As certain as I can be.’
‘What did he look like? Can you describe him?’
‘He was of medium height, gaunt looking, with short, straight black hair and dark skin. The look he gave me made me thankful I was not his enemy.’
‘Was he alone? Was anyone else with him?’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t see anyone else—but then, there were so many people.’ She jerked her horse round. ‘I must go. Good day, sir.’
Leaving the Earl staring after her as she rode away, she couldn’t help thinking that she had made things a whole lot worse. As she put a distance between her and Ashurst Park, something inside her, some hopeful light that had shone bright on her journey to meet with Lord Ashurst, faded and winked out of existence. But out of sheer pride she held herself tightly together against the disappointment and humiliation. She was sorry he had turned her down, but having such strong principles concerning slavery, she really could not blame him.
As soon as her grandmother had married Clarissa off she would be thrown onto the marriage market and she would be expected to go trustingly and placidly into the unknown. The man chosen for her might be old or ugly or both. The thought was intolerable. At least Lord Ashurst was a young man and handsome.
A Vow for an Heiress Page 5