Courting the Forbidden Debutante

by Laura Martin

  She felt her heart skip a beat at the idea of the man she loved being so far away, so unreachable.

  ‘The cabin is for two people, there’s a ticket in your name. Only you can decide whether you want to stay here and marry the Duke, or take a chance on the man who loves you.’

  He slipped her a piece of paper, folding her fingers around it.

  ‘The details of the ship,’ he said. ‘I’ll be waiting for you.’

  ‘I don’t...’ Georgina said, but Sam placed a finger over her lips to silence her.

  ‘Don’t answer me now. You have a week until the wedding and a week until my ship leaves. Have a long, hard think and decide what you want from your future.’

  He leaned in, looping one arm around her waist and pulling her towards him in a rustle of silks. As his lips met her own she felt the familiar contentment and a spark of desire. Quickly she began to pull away, but realised this might be the last time she was ever kissed by the man she loved, so allowed her body to relax and her lips to soften. Her body responded as it always did to Sam’s touch, with heat and desire, and she knew it would be a hard decision to make. If she listened to her head she would stay and become a duchess, but if she listened to the pull of her body and the overwhelming ache in her heart, she would find a way to be on the ship to Australia with the man she loved.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  With a heavy heart Georgina regarded the trunk sitting on the floor in front of her. She was meant to be supervising her maid packing, but whether that was for her new life as a duchess or for a voyage to Australia she still didn’t know. Minute by minute her decision changed. One moment she was adamant she would do her duty and marry the Duke as everyone would expect of her. The next moment she was dreaming of distant shores and spending the days enveloped in Sam’s arms.

  ‘How is the packing going?’ Caroline asked as she burst into Georgina’s bedroom, a whirlwind of energy as usual.

  Georgina motioned to the empty chest and grimaced. Of course she wasn’t expected to do the actual packing herself, but she’d sent her lady’s maid on an errand when it had become clear Georgina was dithering about what to actually pack in her trunk.

  ‘Hmm,’ Caroline said, frowning as she peered into the trunk. ‘You’re going to have to pack something at some point.’

  ‘I know,’ Georgina said wearily. It was three days until her wedding, three days until Sam left for Australia for ever, and she didn’t know how she was meant to make the hardest decision of her life.

  ‘I would run off with the muscular criminal,’ Caroline said with a huge grin. ‘But I suppose you’re not asking me.’

  ‘Would you, though?’ Georgina pressed her friend. ‘Honestly? If it meant hurting your family, leaving all your friends and loved ones behind?’

  ‘For true love?’ Caroline asked. ‘In a heartbeat.’

  Really that wasn’t the decision Georgina had to make. She’d already decided once she would leave everything she knew behind for a life with Sam. The decision she had to make now was whether to forgive him or not, whether she could trust him again or not.

  ‘You can’t blame the man for an agenda he had before he met you,’ Caroline said, rifling through Georgina’s substantial wardrobe.

  ‘I don’t,’ Georgina said honestly. She could understand his desire to confront her father, the man who’d so casually condemned him to a life of hard labour and transportation and his need for revenge on the man who’d been the reason he had never seen his family again. What she was struggling with was his failure to confess his true identity and agenda even when they had become so close.

  ‘And everyone makes mistakes.’

  ‘If I didn’t know you better, Caroline Yaxley, I’d think you were trying to get rid of me.’

  ‘You’ve caught me,’ Caroline said with a smile. ‘I want you out of the way so I’ve got my pick of the eligible bachelors who are always hovering around you.’

  ‘Any of them would be lucky to have you,’ Georgina said.

  ‘I love you, Georgie, and I want you to be happy. You positively shone during the time you were with Mr Robertson. Imagine a life of happiness like that.’

  ‘But what if that is all a lie? What if I give up everything and he doesn’t turn out to be the man I hoped he was?’

  ‘Surely it’s worth the risk.’

  ‘What is worth the risk?’ Lady Westchester said, marching into Georgina’s room. ‘Oh, Georgina, nothing is packed. Where is Fanny? She should have taken care of this.’

  ‘I sent her on some errands.’

  ‘She’s meant to be packing your clothes. The wedding is in three days, Georgina.’

  ‘I know.’

  Her mother looked at her shrewdly and Georgina felt a little bubble of panic. These past few years her mother hadn’t interfered much with her life or enquired much about what Georgina was thinking or feeling, but right now it was as if she was looking into her soul.

  ‘Would you give us a moment in private, Caroline?’ Lady Westchester asked.

  ‘Of course.’ Caroline squeezed Georgina’s hand and then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  Lady Westchester waited until the door closed and then sat down on the bed besides Georgina. They’d never been close, not in the way some mothers and daughters seemed to be, and Georgina couldn’t remember the last time her mother had taken the time to give her advice on life.

  ‘You’re nervous,’ her mother said. ‘Of course you are. It’s completely natural. I was petrified the day of my wedding.’

  Nodding, Georgina knew that her feelings of disquiet were nothing to do with her changing role in life.

  ‘But just remember, Georgina, this is everything we’ve worked for. This is the fruition of all those hours learning to dance, learning to play the piano. You’ve landed the best prize—a duke.’

  ‘I barely know him, Mother.’

  ‘That doesn’t matter,’ her mother said with authority. ‘I barely knew your father when we met. You’ll be a duchess, mistress of your own household. And over time I’m sure you and the Duke will find the best way to live with one another.’

  ‘Is that how it was for you?’ Georgina asked.

  Her mother had never seemed particularly unhappy—perhaps there was something to be said for affection that grew in a marriage over time.

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘And you’re happy?’

  There was a slight hesitation before her mother answered that made Georgina wonder if her mother was aware of her father’s indiscretions with the maids. The thought made her feel slightly nauseous. She didn’t know what would be worse: her mother knowing her father liked to corner the household maids or spending all twenty-five years of their marriage ignorant of her husband’s pursuits.

  ‘Of course, Georgina.’

  ‘And Father...’ She trailed off, unsure how to best phrase her next question. ‘He treats you well?’

  ‘The Duke is a good man,’ her mother said with authority, avoiding Georgina’s clumsy enquiries completely. ‘He will not hurt you.’

  Lady Westchester regarded her daughter for a few seconds before continuing. ‘It is our duty as daughters of the aristocracy to marry, to be good wives and mothers, to run the household and make our husbands’ lives easier. We remain at all times dutiful, respectful, and faithful.’

  ‘Even if our husbands do not hold themselves to the same standards?’ The question slipped out before Georgina could stop it.

  There was a momentary flicker of pain in her mother’s eyes that told Georgina that she was aware of every indiscretion the Earl had committed. For the first time Georgina saw her mother as just a woman, like the thousands of others in the world, having to put up with her husband pursuing the maids because she had no rights. No rights in her marriage, no right to protest.

  ‘Pack your trunk, Georgina,’ her
mother said softly, ‘and stop worrying about things you cannot change.’

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The room was a hive of activity, maids bustling backwards and forward with flowers and pieces of jewellery while Madame De Revere fussed over the dress, making last-minute alterations and checking it looked absolutely perfect. Even her father had popped his head through the door to check everything was going to plan. Georgina tried to believe his appearance was due to fatherly affection, but she had a suspicion he was just checking nothing would derail the union with a duke. Still she couldn’t look him in the eye in case her expression revealed the disgust that she felt for him.

  ‘Stand up straight, Georgina,’ her mother instructed, ‘and please try to smile. This is a happy day.’

  It didn’t feel like it. It felt as though someone was dying and Georgina had a sneaking suspicion it might be her happiness.

  ‘Still not too late,’ Caroline whispered in her ear after seeing her expression. ‘Two hours until his ship leaves.’

  Two hours until Sam started his voyage back to Australia, taking him for ever out of her reach. The past week had been an agony of indecision and only last night she’d resolved to slip away and join the man she loved, but the nagging doubt had remained and Georgina had convinced herself she couldn’t risk her entire future on a man she wasn’t sure she trusted.

  Now she wasn’t convinced she’d made the right choice.

  ‘I can’t leave the Duke at the altar.’

  ‘Georgina Fairfax, don’t make the biggest mistake of your life just because you don’t want to be impolite,’ Caroline hissed.

  ‘Caroline,’ Lady Westchester said sharply. ‘Why don’t you go and get changed yourself?’

  ‘Of course, Lady Westchester,’ Caroline said, flicking Georgina an apologetic look.

  Watching as her friend left the room, Georgina tried to avoid her mother’s penetrating gaze.

  ‘Everyone out,’ Lady Westchester ordered a minute later. ‘I need to talk to my daughter alone.’

  ‘Is anything the matter, Mother?’ Georgina asked, trying to keep her expression neutral.

  ‘This is about Mr Robertson, isn’t it?’

  Georgina had always thought her mother wasn’t the most observant person in the world, but right now it felt as though her eyes were boring into her and seeking out Georgina’s innermost thoughts and desires.

  ‘I don’t know...’ Georgina said.

  ‘Don’t lie to me. You’re still thinking about him, aren’t you?’

  ‘I liked him, Mother,’ Georgina confessed. ‘Very much.’

  ‘And I am fond of our housekeeper, but that does not mean I would throw away a good life for her.’

  There was no way her mother could know what she was considering, but Georgina felt like a naughty child all the same.

  ‘Remember, duty, duty, duty. Your father is relying on your marriage to the Duke to boost his political support. It isn’t every man whose future grandson will inherit a dukedom.’

  ‘But what about me, Mother?’ Georgina asked in a small voice. ‘What about my happiness?’

  ‘You will be happy,’ her mother said with a dismissive wave of the hand. ‘You’ll have a grand title, more money than you could imagine, and one day children.’

  ‘And did that make you happy?’

  Her mother’s silence told Georgina all she needed to know. Her mother had performed her duty in marrying the Earl, but, despite all the trappings and the fine life, it had never made her happy.

  ‘Forget that man, Georgina. In a couple of hours you will be a duchess.’

  * * *

  Finally alone Georgina glanced at the clock. An hour and a half until the ship left. An hour and a half until she was meant to be walking down the aisle in front of half of London and marrying the Duke.

  Suddenly she knew what she had to do. Sam had lied to her, he’d deceived her about who he was and manipulated her into a closer acquaintance. One day she would have to work on forgiving him for that, but she also believed he loved her. The kisses, the touches, every last sweet word he’d whispered in her ear, that had all been real. And there was no denying her feelings for him.

  If she married the Duke, she was condemning herself to a lifetime without love, perhaps without true happiness, just like her mother. If she took a chance on Sam it might all go wrong, but equally she might get to live her life by the side of the man she loved.

  Eyeing the window, she wondered if she was too late. There was no way to escape downstairs without being noticed. Her best chance would be to climb through the window and hope to hail a passing hackney carriage.

  Quickly she looked down at her dress and then back to the window. It would be almost impossible to escape with what felt like hundreds of layers of petticoats swishing round her ankles. She could try to take it off, but it had taken over half an hour to get her into it and Georgina didn’t fancy her chances on her own.

  ‘Ready?’ Caroline asked as she slipped through the bedroom door.

  ‘For what?’

  ‘Your grand escape?’

  ‘How...?’

  ‘I know you better than you know yourself, Georgie,’ Caroline said, hugging her friend. ‘We don’t have much time.’

  Georgina felt a bubble of panic welling up inside her. Now she’d finally made her decision it might be too late. She might arrive at the docks to find the ship had already sailed.

  ‘Fanny is distracting your mother with questions about last-minute packing,’ Caroline said, ‘so we can smuggle you down the back stairs.’

  Quickly they raced down the hallway and started to descend the servants’ stairs. As they reached the bottom, Harrison, one of the footmen Georgina had always liked, opened the back door for them with a grin.

  ‘Good luck,’ he said. ‘There’s a carriage waiting for you just outside.’

  ‘How long have you been planning this?’ Georgina asked as they crept through the small garden to the side gate.

  ‘This entire week. I hoped you would come to your senses.’

  ‘I love you, Caroline. I’m going to miss you terribly.’

  ‘Write to me every week,’ Caroline said. ‘And one day perhaps I will come on an adventure to visit you.’

  They hugged, using up precious seconds, and Georgina felt the tears begin to roll down her cheeks as she bundled herself into the carriage and Caroline shut the door behind her. Unable to stop herself, she poked her head out of the window as the carriage pulled away, taking one last look at the home she would probably never see again and her best friend’s tear-stained face.

  ‘Can we make a stop first?’ Georgina called out to the driver, knowing it would waste precious minutes, but refusing to let the Duke be humiliated at the altar. She would at least give him a short amount of time to compose some story to explain the abandoned wedding.

  * * *

  Feeling nervous as they pulled up in front of the Duke’s impressively large town house, Georgina hopped out.

  ‘I’ll be two minutes, then we can go to the docks,’ she told the driver. He nodded good naturedly and Georgina wondered how much Caroline had paid him to make this mad dash across London.

  The look on the butler’s face as he opened the door was one of complete shock and Georgina nearly offered the elderly man her arm until he composed himself. Luckily the Duke strode from his study at just that moment, looking perplexed at Georgina’s presence in the house when she should be preparing for her wedding.

  ‘You can’t marry me,’ the Duke said without preamble.

  Georgina was shocked by his directness, but felt her head begin to nod.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said as he led her into his study.

  ‘Sit,’ he instructed.

  Aware of the minutes ticking by, Georgina knew she owed this man some sort of explanation, even if s
he wished she were racing through London to meet Sam right now.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she repeated.

  He nodded, sitting in the chair opposite her. She was about to launch into a lengthy explanation when she saw he didn’t look terribly upset. Or surprised.

  ‘It is Mr Robertson, I take it?’ the Duke asked.

  Wordlessly Georgina nodded.

  ‘You love him?’

  ‘I do.’

  The Duke grimaced. ‘Then I cannot reasonably object.’

  ‘Of course you can. I made you a promise.’

  He paused for a long moment and Georgina found herself holding her breath. ‘I release you from that promise,’ he said eventually.

  ‘Really? Why?’ She’d expected anger, hurt, betrayal, not calm acceptance.

  ‘Did you know my mother was a governess before she married my father?’ the Duke asked. ‘From governess to duchess, rather a leap in social status.’

  ‘They were in love?’ Georgina asked, understanding dawning.

  ‘Completely. They loved each other with all their hearts until the day they died. And they were happy. If I...’ He trailed off, but then seemed to rally. ‘People always ask why I left it so late to marry. It is because I was hoping for even just a slice of what they had, but, alas, it has evaded me.’

  ‘So why did you start looking for a wife?’

  ‘At some point duty, the need to provide an heir, has to come first,’ he said with a shrug. ‘But that doesn’t mean we both have to be unhappy.’

  ‘You forgive me?’

  He stood and Georgina did the same.

  ‘I forgive you. I’m sure my bruised ego will recover and I can always make up some salacious tale about what happened. The debutantes will be swarming around me again in no time.’

  ‘Wait a little longer,’ Georgina urged as she stepped towards the door. ‘Just another few months. Maybe you’ll find the person you’re meant to be with.’