by Anna Macy
Marian nodded, still not meeting his eyes. “I like her. I truly do. Mama and I have noticed how different you’ve been, how happy.”
Robert laughed, gently shaking his head. “After everything with Juliet I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to marry, to have a family. But Georgiana changed all of that. I want a wife, and I want Georgiana to be that wife.”
Marian nodded, a ghost of a smile across her lips. “You’re right. Mama will be thrilled you want to marry at all after the year you’ve had.”
Robert laughed, studying his sister. “I still have to speak with her family. You know how these things are done.”
Marian snorted lightly, her chin raised as she stared at her brother. “You don’t need to lecture me on matters of etiquette, my dear brother. Next time you decide to smother her with your mouth, try to start in a different room than the foyer. It affects the whole mood of the house.” With a saucy toss of her head, Marian went to leave the room.
“You sure you are okay?” Robert asked just before she moved out of view.
Marian stilled her face to the floor. “Just be careful, Robert. Please. You deserve the best.”
“She is the best,” Robert said.
“Then I wish you only the best when you speak with your family. Let me know when we can celebrate a new sister in the family.” She chuckled, eyes shyly darting to him. “May I ask just one thing?”
“Of course.” Robert straightened.
“Is Teddy miserable with his American wife?” Marian’s grin spread wide across her face, the thrill of gossip brightening her face.
Robert burst out laughing. It was good to see more of the old Marian again. Nodding enthusiastically. “She seems positively foul, and I’m sure he regrets every moment.”
“Wonderful,” Marian said with a smile, swirling in place and marching happily back through space. She disappeared through the hall and out of sight, leaving Robert alone in the foyer with only servants for company.
Happiness bloomed in his chest. Not only was Marian happy, but the impending wedding would thrill his mother. And Georgiana Conning loved him. Life for Robert Wains couldn’t get any better. He went to find his stationary. It was time to set up a formal call at the Conning household. Georgiana was correct about one thing; he couldn’t wait any longer.
TEN
Georgiana was horrible at being patient. Since she had left the Devonshire townhouse, she felt like she’d been walking on eggshells, waiting for Robert’s note to arrive. Logically there was no reason to be worried. Her father had told her that he would support the marriage. After all, it was in his best interest to keep his spy as close to the competition as possible.
But she couldn’t help the nervous squeeze in her chest when she pictured Robert speaking to her father.
Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she reveled in the change in her face, her mind. She was, in a word, glowing, and there was nothing she could do to change it. Every time she thought of Robert, her whole body seemed to vibrate with this unseen energy. Each moment they were apart, Georgiana couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Remembering how he had gotten down on his knees, a Lord in his own house and pleaded with her to understand how much he loved her. It had been the best moment of her life. Until today, if everything went according to plan.
A soft knock sounded at her door. “Georgiana, can we talk to you downstairs?” Edwin’s quiet tone seeped through the door.
“I’ll be right down,” Georgiana pressed a hand to her lower belly, trying to quiet the butterflies that were going wild there.
Biting her lip, she tried to wait an extra minute or two before descending the stairs and joining her brother in the library. To her immediate disappointment, her father stood in the corner, his pointed face quivering as he slurped at a dark brown liquor.
Georgiana curtsyed to her parent, then to her brother, her chest aching with the anxiety that seeing them both together created. Robert’s note must’ve arrived.
“Girl, we need to talk,” Bert Conning said, beady eyes biting into her skin.
“Good evening Father,” Georgiana answered respectfully, finding a seat close to the door. She took a long, deep breath, trying to steel herself against whatever would be coming her way.
Bert harrumphed. “I received an interesting missive today. Edwin too.” Her father paced in front of her chair. Georgiana stayed silent, waiting for the rest of the statement.
“Robert Wains, the same man that I told you to stay away from only a few weeks ago, it turns out that he is in love with you. How interesting is that?” Bert threw back his head, bellowing laughter, making Georgiana cringe. Something akin to disgust filled Edwin’s face.
“What did you do?” Edwin asked suspiciously.
“Very interesting, father,” Georgiana said flatly. She had sat up half the night, her body contorted with guilt and worry. Robert loved her. She should be walking on air, but instead, sleep had evaded her as thoughts of his finding out about her deceit filled her mind.
He was everything she’d ever wanted. Too bad, she had already ruined their future, long before it even began.
“Oh nothing, Edwin, nothing at all.” Bert grinned at his heir. “Are you suggesting our lovely Georgiana is not beautiful enough for the future Viscount to notice her?”
“Not at all, Father. I was referring to your glee over Robert’s interest, not at the possibility of Georgiana securing herself a love match.” Edwin’s soft brown eyes found his sisters. They were mirrors of the same worry.
Bert snorted, swatting the air with bony hands. “Georgiana has done what no one else in this family has managed to do. And quite quickly if I say so myself.” He winked at Georgiana, and she drew back with a gasp. Whatever he was implying, she wanted nothing to do with it. A hot blush crept up her neck as she looked to Edwin.
“I love him, Edwin. Please do not make this difficult. Rather, please do not make this any harder than it already has been.” Georgiana’s words were broken, her throat thick as she begged her brother.
Edwin’s face fell. “So there is something more to this?” He gripped Georgiana’s shoulders tightly. “Tell me, Georgiana, what is going on?”
Georgiana shook her head, her eyes dry as regret filled her chest. “I can’t,” she began.
“We set the boy up, Edwin. Maybe we acquired a few company details out from under his nose. Not that it matters now, since he’s in love with her,” Bert said.
Edwin’s jaw went slack as he stared between the sister he still held onto and his father. “You set Robert up?”
“Don’t look at me like that; it was just enough to give the boy a shove towards Georgiana. That family is all the same, driven to heroics at every opportunity.” Bert shrugged.
Edwin’s grip tightened so much that Georgiana flinched. “Georgiana, are you alright?”
Georgiana couldn’t meet his eyes. She nodded. Edwin released her with a sigh.
“So what now Father? He means to ask for her hand.”
“Let him! You should see the things he tells her. Imagine what she will be privy to as his wife.”
Georgiana’s eyes shuttered close, hot tears slipping silently down her face. She would never be rid of this task. For as long as she would have Robert, she would have her family’s shameful requests breathing down her neck.
“Father, I cannot stand by and let you continue to construct this farse. As a gentleman, I owe Robert the truth.”
Bert carefully considered his son. “Go ahead then, gentleman. Tell Robert Wains that his new love has been stealing company secrets.”
Georgiana stared at her cold-hearted father with tear blurred eyes. Edwin’s face jerked from Bert to Georgiana.
“Then see if he’ll still want her,” Bert said.
“But this was all your doing. Surely he would understand.” Edwin said.
“Are you willing to risk your sister’s chance at a life as a Lady for your chance to be a gentleman?” Bert raised his brows as all
eyes turned to Edwin.
Edwin flushed, his mouth working silently.
“That’s what I thought.” Breathing deeply, Bert turned his back on his children. “Until Robert and Georgiana are sealed in holy matrimony, our lips will remain shut about all of this. Understood?”
Georgiana nodded. She understood her place in this house now. She was and would forevermore be a spy for her father. And her reward for these wrongdoings was Robert himself.
“Tell your mother to prepare for Mr. Wains to be calling here tomorrow. We have a plan to set into motion, don’t we?” Her father winked at her; his face pulled into a nearly absurd grin.
Georgiana left the room in a blur. Maybe, she thought, love was an impossibility. There would always, always be something standing between her and true happiness.
Now, instead of the bubbling giddiness she’d assumed future brides must feel, she felt only the sickening tang of dread and fear. Without waiting on Edwin’s agreement, Georgiana stole from the room. She was tired of crying in front of her family.
***
Two days later, Georgiana sat in the family’s parlor, her eyes glazed over with horror. Not only was her entire family present, but they all seemed aware of what her father had asked her to do.
She was to steal from Robert. Generous, loving Robert who would’ve given his left arm had she asked for it. If she hadn’t deserved him before, she would never deserve him after she did this.
Looking about the room, she caught Serena’s dark lashed eyes studying her carefully. Since that rare moment of bonding a few days ago, Georgiana had noticed Serena observing her more often. She still couldn’t tell if it was in appreciation or annoyance.
Georgiana tried to smile at her, and to her surprise, Serena gave her a small, sad smile back. She must know the plan, yet somehow, she wasn’t preening like Bert or hiding in a corner like Edwin. She looked solid, sure, and unemotional. For one insane moment, Georgiana realized that she might be the closest Georgiana had to a friend right now. The thought both horrified and relieved her.
A sharp knock brought all their eyes to Georgiana. He was here.
She didn't bother glancing at the clock; she knew he was exactly on time, as he was with all things in his life. She rose from her chair, letting the soft cornflower blue, her favorite day gown, flow down to her toes. It emphasized the small but lovely curve of her bust and made her skin glow with pale lushness.
It had been the dress she’d worn that first day they’d gone strolling. The first time she’d dare think that he might look at her like something more than an enemy. Now he would propose to her while she wore it.
Georgiana gulped, her fingers clenching into the silken fabric. The butler’s slow, rhythmic steps consumed her thoughts. All around her, the Conning family rose, standing at the arrival of the man she loved.
“The Honorable Robert Wains of Devonshire,” their butler announced stoically, immediately turning to leave. Only a small amount of room was left in the cozy parlor, and Robert quickly filled that.
He looked, in a word, perfect. Tight buckskin breeches showed off a fit physique, and his tall boots gleamed with fresh polish. White shirtsleeves, a silken cravat, and a brown waistcoat completed his midday look.
She glanced at his right hand, where he wore a sizable ruby ring, his family’s crest gilded along the pinnacle of the gem. It was his claim as the next Viscount of Devonshire, and he wore it effortlessly.
Georgiana wondered briefly if she might faint. Indecision tore through her. Perhaps if she could convince her father to let her marry him first, then she could tell Robert everything. Together they would find a solution.
But not before he would hate her. She’d been lying to him the entire time he’d been courting her. And not just lying, but also passing along information and interesting developments to her father as he interrogated her.
She swallowed hard, curtsying to Robert. There was no guarantee that her father would ever stop. Or that Robert would ever forgive her.
She straightened as the other females in the room did. Her eyes were locked with his, bright blue and practically glowing with barely contained joy.
Edwin moved first. After bowling to Robert, he moved forward, hand extended and a tight smile on his face.
“Mr. Wains, thank you for coming,” Edwin presented a polite greeting. Her father stood silently behind his tall, slim figure, his face devoid of all emotions.
Robert shook Edwin’s hand, offering a welcoming smile. “I thought we settled on using our Christian names the other day?”
Edwin nodded jerkily, his eyes shooting to Georgiana’s for a moment. She thought she glimpsed respect there, lurking beneath those dark circles.
“Robert then. The sentiment stays the same, and you are always welcome in our home.” Edwin opened his arms, gesturing Robert into space.
Robert stepped confidently into the room, his sizeable blond frame standing out against the backdrop of dark-haired and coppery Connings. If he noticed, nothing gave it away. He moved to her mother, who stood, per usual, away from the rest of her family.
He bowed towards her, a sign of respect, offering his hand for her own. She almost cringed as she offered it. Again, Robert ignored any reservations and greeted Georgiana’s mother in a low, warm tone.
“It’s lovely to see you again, Mrs. Conning.”
Her mother offered him a shaky smile, but the moment he released her hand, she retreated to her corner. Georgiana’s body felt a chill sweep through it. She couldn’t tell if it were embarrassment or remnants of the horror she knew they’d be witnessing any moment.
Finally, Robert turned to her father. Bert moved forward, butting Edwin out of the way as he moved to stand in front of Devonshire's heir.
“Wains.” Bert scrutinized Robert’s appearance, his eyes crawling over every well-dressed inch of the man in front of him. He didn’t take the hand Robert offered. Instead, pinning him with his flared brown eyes. “You look like your father.”
Shock hit Georgiana like a tidal wave. Could her father be any ruder? Robert’s body subtly stiffened.
“I’ve been told I resemble him. Convenient since we also share our Christian names as well.” Her love offered a polite smile to the room. His attempt at idle chatter did not go unnoticed. Serena and Edwin both nodded with their polite smiles. Teddy still sat there, blankly staring at the altercation between the families.
Bert nodded, his face pinched. “You seem to be doing well.”
“I’ve been blessed in many ways this year,” Robert responded, tucking his hand back to his side. “Your daughter is one of those blessings.” Georgiana couldn’t help it, and her face blushed with pleasure at the comment.
Heart hammering, she watched as Robert approached her, then confidently stood at her side. Looking back to Bert, his voice deepened, and he became even more sure.
“Perhaps you have guessed why I came here today?”
Bert narrowed his eyes, “You want to marry, Georgiana.” Her father gave a soft snort, crossing his arms across his body.
“I do, but I know how important it is for her family to support her.” Robert stepped closer, and Georgiana could feel the heat and affection radiating off of his body.
Again, her father snorted. This time even Edwin looked embarrassed at this show of callous social cues. “You know she has no dowry, no property. You could walk into any ball this next season and have your pick of the lot. Why my Georgie?”
Georgiana cringed at the hated nickname at the end of a horrifying confession. Daring to look up at Robert, just as he looked down, meeting her embarrassed look with a warm smile.
“She is a wonderful match, and her soul is among the purest, the most loving I’ve ever encountered. Dowry or no dowry, I know that I want Georgie in my life.”
If they’d be alone, Georgiana would’ve scolded him, swatting his shoulder for so openly teasing her about her awful nickname. But instead, her body was shaking, quivering with the painful realizatio
n that while she felt the same way about Robert, she couldn’t let him do this.
Marrying her meant danger for him and his family. She could never be the one to bring the horrible vein of her family into his own. Tears filled her eyes, and the ache in her chest spread to every part of her body.
Robert’s face changed, filled with concern as she tried to swallow back her tears.
“Georgiana?” His voice was filled with worry now. Georgiana looked around the room, begging for someone to interfere. When she saw her father’s face filled with glee and greed, the world went black.
***