Heat ran up Evan’s neck. “I was out of my element. I didn’t know what to do.”
Uncle Hastings put his hand on Evan’s shoulder. “No offense, but you’ve been out of your element since you got here, my boy. Let’s only hope we can find some mode of repair.”
Evan looked at his boots. They had been polished that morning by a staff member whose job it was to polish Evan’s boots. Before coming to Leagrave, Evan had never considered anyone but himself responsible for such a task. Before coming to Leagrave, he had never considered a great many things, including the proper way to break off an engagement.
When Uncle spoke again his voice was softer. “I’m here to help you, my boy, and I’m glad you asked me to come today. Despite my objections to God in general, I feel sure we can work things out with Mr. Wilton.” He stepped forward and rapped three times on the door before stepping back. “Let’s get to it.”
When Mr. Wilton answered the door, Evan could only meet his eye briefly before looking back at his gleaming boots. The first time Evan had met the vicar, the encounter had been awkward but cordial. And the times Evan had seen him at church had been pleasant enough. But no longer. The vicar’s face was clouded now, and his tension high. Evan was the man who had scorned and shamed his daughter—and on paper, no less. Even a clergyman, it seemed, could not forgive such an offense.
Evan was beyond grateful when Uncle took the lead. “Thank you for meeting with us, Mr. Wilton.”
“Of course. Do come in. I’m afraid I haven’t any refreshment to offer. Mrs. Wilton usually sends the maid from the house for such consideration, but under the circumstances, I felt it better to keep our meeting a private one.”
“Understood,” Uncle said as he stepped into the office.
Evan followed, removing his hat and looking around the rather cluttered office. There was a desk piled high with books and papers, as well as a large hutch behind it that seemed to be groaning under the weight of its contents. There was something comforting in the chaos of the place, a reminder that Mr. Wilton, at his core, was a man with strengths and weaknesses too.
“Please have a seat,” Mr. Wilton said, indicating a settee and two mismatched chairs set before the fireplace, cold this time of year. This end of the room was not so cluttered as the desk, though there was a newspaper draped over one arm of the settee and one of the legs of the chair did not match the others.
Evan followed his uncle to the settee, where they sat in tandem, hats in hand. Mr. Wilton took the chair with the mismatched leg.
“We would like to settle the situation between us, Mr. Wilton,” Uncle said. He nodded sideways to Evan. “My nephew regrets how he went about the matter. We want to make it right.”
Evan swallowed under the vicar’s penetrating gaze. “I should have come to you immediately when I realized I could not follow through with the engagement. I added insult to injury in the manner of my leaving. I am very sorry—so very sorry—for the embarrassment I caused through my actions.” It was everything Evan could do to hold the man’s eyes.
“As I said,” Uncle continued as soon as Evan finished, “we would like to make things right, and I’m prepared to offer an additional settlement to make up for the expenses incurred—”
“I don’t want your money,” Mr. Wilton said, a snap to his words. He shifted in his chair, drew a breath through his nose, and then continued in a calmer tone. “While I appreciate your offer, Mr. Glenside, the offense caused to my family is not a financial one, and I pray you will not insult me again with the insinuation that there is a monetary resolution to the difficulty.”
Evan felt his neck heat up again. What’s more, he could feel his uncle tensing beside him. He remembered the conversation the three of them had shared some months earlier in the Glenside drawing room. For the first time, he feared Uncle’s presence might make things worse. He couldn’t have that, which meant he would have to take more initiative than he had expected.
“I am so sorry for the offense,” Evan said in hurried words. “Hurting Lenora was the last thing I wanted to do.” He paused and decided to simply speak his mind. Surely it could not damage his character any more than his other actions had. “My uncle has told me the proper thing to have done was follow through with the marriage, but I hope you can understand why I was unable to do that, why I felt the better course was to sever all ties.”
“He is young and hot-blooded,” Uncle cut in.
“No, I am not,” Evan said, surprising all three of them with his boldness. He fixed his eyes on Mr. Wilton. “I am an even-tempered man inclined to give a great deal of thought and consideration to the choices I make. Lenora—or the woman I thought was Lenora—was not a dalliance, sir, nor was my offer made lightly.” He swallowed in hopes it would alleviate the dryness in his mouth. It did not, so he continued. “The offer was made, however, under the belief that in time the woman I met through the letters we shared would be revealed in Lenora. When I knew that would not be, I could have no confidence in my decision. I hate that I have hurt Lenora, and Cassie as well, that I have caused embarrassment for both of our families and created such discord, but I am surprised that everyone feels I should have continued a course that could only bring additional difficulty to everyone involved.”
“You overstep your place, Evan,” Uncle fairly hissed. He came to his feet. “Forgive us, Mr. Wilton, but might I have a word with my nephew?”
Mr. Wilton, however, remained looking at Evan. After a moment he said, “Do sit down, Mr. Glenside,”
Uncle paused and then resumed his place on the settee.
Mr. Wilton folded his hands together. “You speak very plainly, Mr. Glenside.”
“He was not raised with genteel manners,” Uncle said.
“I do not need genteel manners to want what’s right,” Evan said, not appreciating that his uncle seemed determined to make him appear rash and immature. “I may not have been raised in this level of society, but I could not have pledged my life to one daughter while divided in my affections toward . . . her sister. Lenora deserves better than that. I did it as much for her as I did for anyone.” Speaking so boldly increased the tension in the room, and Evan paused for a breath. “If there is any way I can make things right between us, I will do so.”
“There is nothing you can do to make things right,” Mr. Wilton said.
Evan dropped his eyes, frustrated that no one seemed to understand what he was saying. Was a man’s character so singularly defined by his social reputation that his integrity held no merit?
“But I appreciate your candor.”
Evan looked up again. Mr. Wilton’s expression had not softened, but he seemed to be trying to look past Evan’s failings—and perhaps his own fatherly protectiveness.
Mr. Wilton shifted in his chair to a more casual position. “I learned last night that Lenora was made aware of the letters prior to riding out with you.”
The detail burned. Evan wanted to hear nothing of it while also aching for more information. So many pieces of the debacle had not been clarified in his exchange with Cassie in the glen—such as what Lenora knew and when she had known it—but such elements would satisfy nothing but his own curiosity, and there were a great many debtors ahead of curiosity that demanded satisfaction.
“You were treated very poorly by my daughters, Mr. Glenside, and I am ashamed of them both for their parts in the deception.”
“I don’t wish to dwell on such things,” Evan said, though the vindication he felt at Mr. Wilton’s words was immense. “Nor do I in any way wish to cause greater discomfort for anyone involved. I only want to make things right, sir, but I have no idea how to do such a thing.”
“Nor do I,” Mr. Wilton said, letting out a breath.
“A settlement on our part would at least alleviate any financial burden and help us feel as though we had done something by way of remedy,” Uncle said.
&nbs
p; “I told you not to offend me with such an offer,” Mr. Wilton said, the edge in his voice back. As before, however, his tone softened when he next spoke. “There is no price for what’s happened. And besides, it is not your responsibility to make things right when it was my daughters who were behind the deception.”
All three men went silent, and Evan felt as though he could breathe freely for the first time since entering the room. Mr. Wilton had admitted that Evan was not entirely at fault for the situation they found themselves in, yet despite the progress that seemed to have been made, they remained at the starting point. Evan was reminded of what had truly drawn him here.
“My sisters know nothing of what’s happened beyond the broken engagement, and they do not even understand the full weight of that. My mother knows, but she is as good and guileless a woman as God ever made. I do not want you to feel obligated to me or my family or perpetuate further discomfort.” He paused for a breath. “That was the other reason for wanting to meet with you today, Mr. Wilton. I did not want to refuse the dinner invitation and give the impression I was holding a grudge, but I do not want you to feel pressured into accommodating us tomorrow evening.”
“Cassie took us off guard with that invitation,” Mr. Wilton said.
“Yes,” Evan agreed. He had known she was not acting on her parents’ instruction. If only he did not admire her initiative. While he was still angry and embarrassed, he knew Cassie’s intent was admirable. Still, their families would not be friends. Even he knew that.
Mr. Wilton leaned back in his chair and let out a breath. “I cannot deny that I wanted to see Lenora settled. A part of me even now would like to see the two of you make a proper courting of one another.”
Evan’s stomach tightened. That was a restitution he could not make. He could not court Lenora, properly or otherwise, because Cassie remained the primary thought in his head. Had Mr. Wilton not heard that aspect? Did he not understand that Cassie appealed to him where Lenora did not?
“But I realize my hopes are more fairy tale than reality.” Mr. Wilton laced his fingers together and rested his palms on his chest. “We here in Leagrave are unused to scandal or having to forgive it, so I cannot promise how others will react, but I have no desire to make this more painful than it has already been. If you feel you can trust me as your vicar, I promise I will do my utmost to fulfill the charge to embrace each member of your family as a member of this parish. Perhaps if my family paves the way for inclusion, the rest of the village will follow, and we can all rise above this.”
Evan could hardly believe what he’d heard. “Thank you, sir,” he said with a grateful nod.
Mr. Wilton looked at Uncle Hastings, who nodded his own agreement.
“And we shall be glad to have your family for dinner tomorrow night.”
“To that point, Evan is to accompany me and my bailiff to an auction in Aylebury tomorrow,” Uncle Hastings said. “It’s not on a grand scale, being so late in the season, but it will be his first experience with the markets. If you prefer his presence at dinner, we would need to put it off a week or more. If it is acceptable, however, his mother and sisters could come without us.”
“Perhaps that would be best,” Mr. Wilton said, his eyes fixed on Evan. “It brings to mind an additional detail that must be made very clear to you as we work to repair this situation.”
“Yes, sir?”
“I believe, under the circumstances, that my family reaching out to yours is the right thing to do. However, I will not tolerate any of your attention directed toward Cassie.”
“No, sir,” Evan said though a thump of coldness reverberated in his chest at the finality.
“While I understand that certain . . . attachments were formed between the two of you, they cannot continue. I will not tolerate any connection. It would only increase the scandal and hurt Lenora. What we are doing flies in the face of tradition, and, in the eyes of some, propriety and manners. Society’s expectations are there for a reason, and I would never accommodate this . . . deviation from what is required for noble societies to continue. Should you in any way seek an attachment to Cassie, I shall make no further considerations, and you will have no place here—not in my church and not in this village.”
“I understand,” Evan said, feeling the fervor behind the man’s words. “I told her before I went to London that I would never see her again.” In his mind the words sounded like a slamming door.
“No personal conversation,” Mr. Wilton said, his eyes intent. “And absolutely no letters. Should she make any advances of her own, you are to tell me immediately.”
Evan nodded and held the man’s eyes as the turning of a lock finalized his commitment. To pursue Cassie would hurt Lenora and damage his family’s acceptance. He could only hope that his feelings for Cassie would fade in time. “I will neither pursue nor encourage any connection to Cassie, sir, and will report to you any action on her part. You have my word.”
Mama tried half a dozen different excuses to get out of Tuesday’s dinner, but each one came down to the fact that she didn’t want the Glensides to come. Cassie didn’t want to argue, and she understood Mama’s reasons, but she felt as though her head was going to explode with attempts to convince her mother without shouting.
In the drawing room after dinner on Monday night, Papa folded his paper and put the arguing to rest once and for all. “We will have the Glensides for dinner.”
Mama and Cassie looked at him in surprise.
“And we will all apply ourselves to being genteel and welcoming to the family.” Papa fixed his eyes on Cassie. “However, you are not to extend invitations again, is that clear?”
Cassie nodded, content with this singular victory.
“And you are to have no personal contact with Mr. Glenside. Not private conversation, not letters.”
“I won’t.”
“Should he engage you in either, I expect you to tell me right away.”
“Yes, Papa.”
Papa turned to Mama. “We will be as gracious and kind as we would be to any new members of the congregation. We must try to repair what our daughters have created for the Glenside family. My hope is that our actions will inspire a better welcome than the Glensides have received thus far.”
Mama nodded, but her jaw was tight.
Papa stood, a weary expression on his face. “I am going to bed.”
Mama gave Cassie one last unhappy look and turned to follow him.
Cassie let out a breath and rubbed her eyes, which ached in their sockets. She waited until she knew her parents were no longer on the stairs before putting out the lamps and making her way to her room. She was glad to have won, and yet the steel bands pulling tighter and tighter on her insides begged her to consider what it was she was getting herself into. Evan at her dinner table. Evan so close, yet completely out of reach. Her parents did not understand that advocating for the Glensides was harder for her than it would be for her to do nothing.
Cassie heard the excited voices of Evan’s sisters before they knocked on the door Tuesday evening because she had been standing in the foyer for quarter of an hour already. She smoothed her skirts and took a deep breath while Mama crossed from the parlor to the dining room, scowling slightly at Cassie. Cassie rolled her eyes and was about to open the door herself—they didn’t have staff to provide that exact service—when Papa came in from the back of the house.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said, hurrying past her to the door as he straightened his coat. She had not seen him since his pronouncement last night. “Lost track of time.”
Cassie stepped behind him as he opened the door, and she forced her face to show none of the anxiety she felt.
Mrs. Glenside stood in the center, with a daughter on each side. Conspicuously absent was the face Cassie could not banish from her thoughts. She looked past them and to either side before meeting Mrs. Glenside�
�s eyes. Cassie quickly looked at the ground, hoping that her interest had not been noted.
“Welcome, Mrs. Glenside,” Papa said with a slight bow. “And is it Catherine and Emily?”
“Natalie and Camilla,” Natalie answered, though she should have allowed her mother to answer. “Camilla’s the oldest.”
“My apologies,” Papa said with a smile.
“Mr. Glenside and my son asked that I send their regrets,” Mrs. Glenside said, a touch of nervousness to her voice. This must be so awkward for her. “They went to Aylebury for an auction this afternoon.”
“Oh, well, that is unfortunate,” Papa said with what sounded like falseness. Had he known the two Mr. Glensides were not coming? Had he arranged for it? Perhaps it was best that Evan was not there. Then she would not be distracted from her true goal, which was to welcome his family and help them find a place in Leagrave.
“Please come in,” Papa said. “Cassie, take their shawls, please.”
Cassie moved forward and gathered their shawls, fine silk ones she thought might have been recent purchases. She hung them on the rack near the parlor door while Papa waved them into the room.
Typically, Mama would have invited additional guests so as to further extend the acquaintance between families, but of course this situation was far from typical.
Mama didn’t join them until the others had been seated for a few minutes, and Cassie could only hope that since Mrs. Glenside did not know Mama’s usual grace, she would not find Mama’s disposition too off-putting. Mama was polite once she joined the party, but to Cassie her tension was in place like armor.
The six of them made small talk for nearly ten minutes, and Mrs. Glenside seemed to relax. The girls—Natalie especially—quickly settled in as though they were all long-lost relatives. Natalie told them of their journey here—in a mail coach of all the wondrous things!—and of the estate and the fine countryside. If Mrs. Glenside was embarrassed by her daughter’s prattling, she did not show it.
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