Penelope pulled herself up to lean against the pillows. “It seems very sad. I cannot think of Martin spending the rest of his life in such misery. It pains me.”
“How could you doubt your worth, Penny? The man trampled on your heart and you still worry about his happiness. Believe me when I say this, that you are a good person, a beautiful person. You have so much to offer the right man and you will be happy someday, I promise.”
“We had so much in common. He liked plants as much as I do. Why can he not see past the plain exterior.”
“You're not plain, Penny, that's what I'm trying to tell you. Just because you don't fit in some ideal set by someone who probably doesn't fit the mold either, doesn't mean you're plain. And for what it's worth, Townshend liked the look of you. I could see it in his eyes when he spotted you across a room.”
“He did ask me to be his mistress. He would never had done that if he found me plain, would he?” Her voice was earnest, as though discovering that she wasn't unattractive after all.
“No, Penny, he wouldn't have. If nothing else, he wanted you, even if he was too much of a...” Ginny had a variety of words to use, but figured it was best to be cautious. “...dummy to marry you first.”
Leaning over, placing her head on Ginny's shoulder, Penelope smiled. She only wished she understood why he wouldn't marry her. Without realizing it, she asked the question aloud.
Ginny automatically answered. “According to him and Oliver, he's afraid of his mother. How sad is that at his age? I think you should be happy to have dodged that bullet. Can you imagine her as a mother-in-law?”
Both girls laughed and moved on to other topics. After Ginny's last comment to Lord Conway before they left, Penelope had been dying to ask what she'd meant.
Releasing a sigh, Ginny gave her the story of how she was going to let Oliver share her bed that night. Penelope had turned around and was listening with rapt attention.
When she completed her story, Penelope asked, “Because of me you will deny him?”
Scrunching her eyebrows, Ginny responded, “No, not because of you. Because he's not the man I thought he was. That he thinks so little of women that he would defend his friend tonight.”
“So it is because of me,” she said, sounding forlorn over her friend's happiness.
Taking her friend's hand and patting it lightly, Ginny set out to make her feel better. “Don't blame yourself, Penny. If anything, you did me a favor. Why would I spend a lifetime with someone so shallow. I'm better than that, don't you think?”
“Yes, you are most definitely. You are my best friend.” Penelope felt stupid when tears formed in her eyes.
“You, too,” was all Ginny said. The two were silent for a few minutes as they thought about their miserable circumstances. After denying the storyline for so long, what was going without sex a little longer, Ginny thought. Meanwhile, Penelope considered that maybe being alone wasn't the worst thing in the world. The worst thing was being someone's mistress and having your heart broken when they finally tired of you and left. Ginny gave her friend a brief hug and left for the night. All would be better in the light of day.
********
Ginny made her way back to her room, a few doors down from Penny's. It wasn't too late and she could hear the sounds of activity downstairs. With a pounding head and disappointed heart, Ginny walked into her room looking forward to going to sleep.
As soon as she entered, she saw that it wasn't meant to be at that moment. Oliver sat in a chair positioned near the fireplace, staring at her as she made her way into the room. He figured she was with her friend, but a spurt of anger came across him as he saw her wearing only a nightgown and wrapper. With a great sigh of exasperation, Ginny closed the door and stood behind the other chair in her room.
“I thought I made myself pretty clear, Oliver.” Her tone was akin to a schoolmarm disciplining a naughty student.
Ginny spotted the glass in his hand and wondered how drunk he could have gotten in such a short amount of time. The decanter was on the floor next to him, but she couldn't tell how much had been taken. She'd only been in Penny's room for thirty minutes or so.
“As my future wife, you should know that I will not be ordered about.” Ginny recognized his “king of the castle” tone and wanted to clear up any confusion.
“Fuck off,” was all she said before turning and heading back to the door. She never made it as he grabbed her and spun her around to face his furious eyes.
“You will not speak to me that way, Sarah. Beside it being beneath you, you must learn that you have a place in this relationship.”
Turning her head sideways, she asked, “And what is that place, Oliver? You want me to just cow down to your needs and desires? Perhaps you'd rather I said very little at all. Is that it?”
“You know I love you just the way you are, Sarah.”
Looking perplexed, she wondered if he were too drunk to realize that he'd just contradicted himself. “Get out, Oliver. Go sober up and we'll talk in the morning. Right now, I want to go to bed. Alone,” she stressed, pulling her arm from his grasp.
Oliver went back to the chair and sat down again. Ginny rolled her eyes. Apparently, the evening was not over. Pulling her wrapper around herself a little tighter, she made her way over and sat on the chair across from him. He watched her every move with a look of hunger on his face. Ginny wondered if this was about his not getting laid that night.
“Why are you so angry?” he asked, putting the glass down beside the decanter on the floor.
“Townshend made Penny think he loved her. He came to her house, had tea with her parents. He danced with her at parties and made a special point of coming here because she was coming. Do you really think it was so hard for her to believe that he was courting her?”
Shaking his head, he muttered, “It was bad form, I grant you, but she had to know that someone like Lord Townshend had to make a spectacular choice in wife.”
“Why should she have known that? Why should she have believed herself too far beneath him when he was doing everything in his power to make her believe the opposite?”
“It is the way things are, Sarah. I know this is your first season, but surely you know there is a pecking order in society. Although she is the daughter of an earl, he is not powerful or rich enough to gain entrée into the highest circles. But Lord Townshend is.”
“So this is about you and your friends being shallow. You think yourself so much better than the rest of us...”
“Not you, Sarah. You belong to our group. You are a worthy wife for me.”
Ginny's glance dropped to her lap. Was there a way to make him see? She was beginning to doubt it and with her pounding head, she didn't want to take the time to try to find out. She just wanted him gone.
“I don't know how to get through to you, Oliver. I don't want to be worthy of any group that would treat fellow human beings like you and your friend did tonight. And I also think that if Townshend were more of a man, he would stand up to his harrigan mother and fight for the one woman he would be happy spending the rest of his life with.”
“There are things you do not understand, Sarah. Townshend and his mother... well, I cannot speak of it. Just know that his hands are quite tied.”
“Blah, blah, blah... Oliver, go to bed. I will see you in the morning.”
This time, when she opened the door, he went willingly. At her threshold, he turned to tell her that he loved her, but the door was summarily closed in his face. As he turned to walk back to his own room to lick his wounds, he spotted a figure at the top of the stairs, staring back at him. It was Lady Weston, and she had the biggest smile on her face. Turning on his heel and walking away, Oliver realized that like it or not, Sarah would have to marry him now.
Chapter 23
Early the next morning, Ginny woke with a strange feeling. Trying to pinpoint what it was, she realized that she had never gone this long in a story without having sex. Sure, she had made her men wait un
til she was ready, but this was the first time she still wasn't ready for someone's attentions. Partly because of Colby, but mostly because Oliver had ruined it. Ginny was beginning to wonder if she'd have her romance novel heroine card revoked due to lack of romance.
Calling her maid, Ginny hurried to get dressed. There was no clock in her room, so she had no way of knowing what time it was. After MaryAnn left, it occurred to her that she could have asked the maid, but once again, opportunity lost. Who cares , she thought as she left her room and made her way downstairs. She was hungry and not in the best of moods. God help the first person to come across her path.
As she carelessly made her way down the front staircase, she heard voices in the entryway. It was just her luck that the two men were Lords Conway and Townshend. Oliver was trying to convince his friend to stay the week anyway. There was the possibility that he could still convince Penelope to reconsider. The minute she heard his words, Ginny's hackles rose up and she flew down the stairs to confront the bounders.
“Good morning, gentlemen. What could have the two of you up so early?” The words were innocent, but the tone was not. Both men regarded her with weary resignation.
When neither responded, she turned to Lord Townshend. “I trust you are no worse for wear this morning, my lord. Nothing broken?” Feigning sympathy, neither man was fooled.
“No. I thank you for your inquiry, Lady Sarah. I was just about to leave the party.” He wouldn't even look at her, but stared slightly off her left shoulder.
“Pity,” was her only response. Turning to look at Oliver, she asked, “And you, Lord Conway? Do you plan to turn tail and run away too?” Her eyebrow raised in challenge. A small part of Ginny knew that baiting these men was probably not the best idea she'd ever had. But then, another part of her didn't give a rat's ass. And that part was bigger.
“If you would give me a moment, Lady Sarah, I have need to tell you something. I am just wishing my friend a good journey back to the city.” Dismissing her, Conway turned to his friend and spoke again trying to convince him to stay. Ginny decided that she'd rather not stand there being ignored, so she turned and left in search of the breakfast room.
A young footman directed her and she soon found herself in a room filled with food all alone. Taking a plate from the sideboard, she filled it with a few items and made her way to the large table. No sooner had she sat then a footman came and asked her if she would like some tea.
“Coffee, if it's available,” she responded and the footman retreated through a small doorway.
When he returned, he had a small pot of coffee, along with sugar and cream. He poured her a cup and Ginny thanked him before he could retreat again. Looking at the doorway, she wondered if there was a hole he peered through to see if anyone entered.
Ginny only got to enjoy her breakfast for a few minutes before Oliver entered. His face said it all. He was not pleased that she had walked away from him. Hiding her smile, she figured he needed to learn that she was not so easy to bully around. Sometimes, although she'd never admit it to anyone, she could be downright bull-headed.
Oliver filled a plate and took a seat next to hers. The footman reappeared and he was once again sent off to retrieve more coffee. Once settled, Oliver began to eat his breakfast as though nothing untoward had ever happened. Relief washed over Ginny that she'd be able to finish her breakfast in peace.
As she sipped her coffee, Oliver finally dropped the bomb on her. “Your mother witnessed me leaving your room last night. I have no doubt that we shall be married within a couple of weeks.”
Ginny stiffened and slowly put her coffee cup back in the saucer. Considering what happened the night before, she had no one to blame but herself. After all, she had thrown him out without first checking the hallway to see if anyone was lingering about. If she resisted the formula, the plot found other ways to trap her in itself.
“She hasn't spoken to me yet this morning, but it sounds as if we will be having a long talk,” Ginny's tone filled with resignation.
“Sarah, can we not find some amity. I had not lied when I said I loved you. I want us to be married.”
Looking at his face, she almost felt sorry for him. It was not as if he understood the situation he was in. He was merely a fictional character, set on a path to fall in love with her character. On the other hand, wasn't she supposed to bring in her own experiences? Wasn't she supposed to teach him how to be a better person?
Looking away, she smiled. It seemed that her hubris had not been the least affected by her experiences. Still superior and arrogant. What a burden this could all be.
“I don't know what you want me to say, Oliver.” She turned and faced him head on. “Last night, I spent a half hour trying to convince Penny that there was nothing wrong with her, that she was a good person. She spent most of that time pining for a man who had just treated her like trash.”
It was Oliver's turn to look away. “I had a long discussion with Lord Townshend last night after I left your room. I can assure you that he had no choice in rejecting Lady Penelope's hopes of marriage.”
“Doesn't he feel badly about how he treated her?”
Once again looking at her, he responded, “Yes. He does.” When he saw her disbelief, he went about trying to assure her. “I swear he does, Sarah. His situation is not as it appears.”
“But he didn't have to pursue her, Oliver. He was trying to see what he could get away with. He was hoping that he could use her and never take responsibility.”
“I hate that this is driving a wedge between us, Sarah.” Looking around to see that no one had entered, he begged, “Come for a ride with me. Let us find a place to talk where we need not worry about being overheard.”
Dropping her lids slightly, Ginny thought that it was probably a bad idea. Once alone with him, anything could happen. On the other hand, something had to happen, didn't it?
“Fine. I'll go and change. I'll meet you at the stables in half an hour.”
“Thank you,” he responded as she rose and left the room. After seating himself once again, he slowly finished his meal and thought about how he should approach his reticent love. He knew that ordering her about was a bad way to approach her. Perhaps throwing himself on his sword would work. He continued to consider his options as he left the room and headed to the stables.
********
True to her word, Ginny appeared not thirty minutes later. In her time, she could change in minutes, without the aid of another person. But with all the dresses she had that buttoned up the back, she would need contortionist skills to dress and undress alone.
Sarah was not much of a rider, but Ginny's last character had been and fortunately for her, she seemed to retain those skills. Even in a side saddle, Ginny was confident to keep her seat. As she entered the stable, she saw Oliver standing there, giving a treat to a very tall horse. He looked handsome in his riding outfit of tight brown pants and a nicely tailored blue jacket. She could see that he had a well rounded butt.
Without smiling, he came to stand in front of her. “I had not known your skill with a horse, so I wanted to wait to saddle an appropriate one for you. Do you ride well?”
“I do, but would prefer a docile animal. I'm not really in the mood to ride hard or jump stuff.”
Raising his eyebrow, he called to the groom to saddle a pretty brown mare. As the groom set about his work, Ginny walked up and pet the animal. Oliver handed her half an apple to feed the beast.
After feeding the horse, whose name was Buttercup, Oliver assisted her in the side saddle. The two set off outside the walls towards the sea. No conversation passed between them for some time while they both admired the view. It was late spring, so the breeze still carried a kick to it and Ginny wished she'd worn a warmer jacket. Her cheeks were red from the wind, but she managed not to shiver too much.
They rode down a gentle slope and walked the horses on the rocky beach. At low tide, they had little to worry about with the waves. There was much activit
y around them, with fisherman about and further up the beach, a small market was still bustling despite it being late morning.
Still having nothing to say, Ginny turned her horse back toward the house. Before she could set their path, Oliver turned and cantered off toward the fields. Sensing that she would end their ride short if given the chance, Oliver was smart enough to move them in a direction away from their hostess's house.
After a short time, they came to a stream and followed it a couple of miles to a lake. No one was about, so Oliver dismounted and walked his horse to some tall grass. Ginny watched him as he patted down the horse's neck and spoke soothing words to him. When complete, Oliver came over and stood next to her with his hand up offering to help her dismount as well. Ginny accepted, not wanting to appear petty.
Once on the ground, Oliver took her horse's reins and led the mare to the same spot as his horse. Then he turned back to the only other person in the vicinity with a look that spoke of something serious. Taking Ginny's arm, he led her to a tree that had been blown over during some storm. Both took a seat and stared out at the lake.
A Lesson in Friendship Page 20