by Laura Martin
If she was wise she would suppress the rebellion that was surging inside her, apologise for defying her mother and promise to renew her efforts to catch Leonard Ashburton’s admiration.
‘We put the fire out,’ she said, raising her eyes and holding her mother’s cold stare.
‘The brave men who manage the firefighting equipment put the fire out,’ Lady Hummingford said brusquely. ‘You did not.’
Beth shrugged, a gesture she knew irritated her mother no end, even though she knew it was a childish rebellion.
‘I was a part of it. A small part, but I helped.’
‘You shouldn’t have been there. You should have come home with me.’
Beth held her mother’s eye, lifting her chin a notch. She didn’t want to seem defiant, but she also knew that sometimes she had to stand up for herself. Her mother’s character was so strong, her will so unbreakable, that sometimes it was much easier to just go along with her opinion, but Beth knew sometimes she had to assert herself.
‘I thought it important to stay and help.’
‘What is wrong with you?’ Lady Hummingford stood and began pacing up and down across the tiny room. It only took eight steps to cover the distance from wall to wall before her mother had to turn and start back the other way.
‘What is wrong with me?’
‘It is as if you are not aware how important, how vital it is you get engaged to Mr Ashburton in the next few weeks.’
‘Of course I know, Mother.’
‘But do you? Surely if you know how close we are to destitution, how near to complete and utter ruin, then you would not do anything that may harm your chances of an engagement even one tiny little bit.’
Beth swallowed. She knew they were living on a knife’s edge, that the creditors were circling and it would only take one to swoop in and they all would follow, clamouring for the money Lady Hummingford did not have.
‘Three months,’ Lady Hummingford said, pausing in her pacing. ‘Three months until we lose everything. Birling View, all the contents of the house, the horses. Three months, Elizabeth.’
Beth felt her hands begin to shake and clenched them together in her lap.
‘How?’
‘How? How?’ Her mother’s voice was rising shrilly. ‘Do you have any idea what a mess your father left us in financially? And then all the properties that were entailed went to your damn cousin. The sale of the London house barely covered half of what we owed.’
‘I didn’t know.’ She knew things were desperate. Their finances had been dire for years, but she hadn’t realised they were this close to the brink of complete destitution. She’d thought they would have a little longer to settle on a solution.
‘No. You didn’t. But you do now. Three months, Elizabeth, and you will be the daughter of an earl who is forced out onto the street. We’ll be forced to beg your cousin for charity.’ Her mother shuddered. Beth knew their cousin, Peter, would come to their aid in whatever small way he could, but he’d also been marred by their father’s debts, struggling over the last five years to maintain the properties he had inherited without the funds to keep them running properly.
‘Three months is no time at all,’ Beth whispered.
‘It is plenty of time to remind Mr Ashburton of his promise to your father and get engaged. Once our creditors know you are engaged to one of the wealthiest men in England they will give us a little more time. And when you are married...’ She gave a little satisfied nod to finish the sentence.
Then Mr Ashburton would solve their money problems once and for all.
‘Then Annabelle will be able to stay at Birling View.’
‘She will.’
Elizabeth nodded. It was important her sister got to keep her home. Annabelle had never left Sussex, never ventured further than a few miles away from the house on the cliffs, and Beth wanted more than anything else to allow her sister the security of staying somewhere she knew.
‘You owe that to her, Elizabeth,’ her mother said sharply.
‘I know.’
Lady Hummingford sat down, her demeanour softening a little now she had obtained Beth’s acquiescence.
‘You need to give this your whole attention, Elizabeth. You are a pretty enough girl, and heaven knows I strived to make you have all the accomplishments the daughter of an earl should.’
‘I know, Mama.’
‘Mr Ashburton isn’t opposed to the marriage, he just needs to see you will make him a good wife. Which means behaving as he would expect someone of your rank and the wife of a viscount to behave.’
‘Yes, Mama.’
Lady Hummingford fell silent and tapped her long, elegant fingers on the tablecloth for a moment.
‘We need to get him out of London, away from distractions. He’s a country man, and he needs to see you will make an excellent country wife. A wife who is capable of running a large household and a country estate.’
‘It’s the middle of the season, surely he won’t want to leave London.’
‘You have to make him want to leave. We’ll have a small house party, say we are taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and invite a select few to the coast for three or four days.’ Lady Hummingford took Beth’s hand but the gesture wasn’t particularly warm. She squeezed it so hard Beth winced. ‘He will propose in that time. You will make sure of it.’
‘Yes, Mama.’ Something inside her felt as though it were shrivelling but Beth decided not to examine the feeling too closely. Everyone had duties, responsibilities for other people. She hadn’t been called to war or asked to sacrifice her freedom or her life. All she had to do was marry a man who everyone told her was good and kind.
‘We shall call on him today and issue the invitation.’
That was evidently the end of the discussion as her mother stood and swept out of the room, probably already making a mental list of everything that would have to be done to make the party a success.
Slumping back in her chair, Beth closed her eyes. Even though she wished it weren’t the case, her mother was right. She needed to step up and take responsibility or her family would face ruin. It might not be fair that all their hopes rested on her, but it was the way things were.
For a moment she allowed herself to picture Joshua Ashburton’s smiling face and examined the spark of warmth she felt whenever she thought of him. She was attracted to him, she enjoyed his company more than that of any man she had ever known and she would miss the excitement and anticipation she felt whenever she knew she would see him.
Resolutely she made herself push thoughts of him aside. He was not her future. He was not her duty, and her mother was right. It was time to start focussing on the man who could save their whole family from destitution.
* * *
‘Mr Ashburton,’ Lady Hummingford said as she stepped towards him, all smiles and warmth.
‘The wrong Mr Ashburton,’ Josh said quickly. ‘My brother is out unfortunately.’
Lay Hummingford didn’t lose her smile but it stiffened somewhat and he could sense the frustration held coiled inside her.
‘He’s gone for a ride.’
‘Do you know when he will be back?’
‘No.’ Josh didn’t trust himself to look at Lady Elizabeth with her mother’s eyes boring into him so instead he gave a half-smile and gestured for the two women to have a seat. ‘I’m happy to pass on a message.’ He mirrored Lady Hummingford’s slightly brusque tone.
‘It is a matter of some importance. I think it best we speak to Mr Ashburton ourselves.’
Josh shrugged. He felt irritable this afternoon and less forgiving of Lady Hummingford’s snobbery towards him. It was probably due to the lack of sleep. Even after collapsing into bed as the sky was beginning to lighten, he had tossed and turned, his body and mind on edge from all the drama of the night before.
‘Perhaps you know where your brother has ridden to?’ Lady Elizabeth’s voice was quiet and lacked her normal vitality and finally Josh allowed himself to look in her direction. She seemed smaller than usual, as if she had withdrawn into herself, and she wouldn’t meet his eye.
Curious, he thought. Something had happened to sap the spark from her and he wasn’t sure it was just exhaustion from their endeavours at the opera house.
He felt a sudden compulsion to know what had caused such a change in her demeanour.
‘I’m sure we can find him,’ he said, forcing a smile. ‘I know the two or three usual routes my brother takes.’
‘I wouldn’t want to be an inconvenience.’ Lady Hummingford seemed torn between wanting to track down Leonard and not appearing overly keen.
‘Not at all. I’ve wanted to spend a little time with Lady Elizabeth—my brother has hinted we may be family one day soon.’
Lady Hummingford preened a little at the comment as he’d known she would. Josh was aware it was underhand, playing on her hopes in this way just to get a few moments alone with Lady Elizabeth, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel too much remorse.
‘Well, if you’re sure, Mr Ashburton. It really would be kind of you.’
‘Wonderful. It’s a pleasant day for a stroll.’
Despite the warm temperatures he paused in the hall to put on his jacket, silently cursing these English aristocrats who thought it scandalous to walk around without at least three layers even on the hottest of days. In India he would often be found just in his shirtsleeves, rolled to the elbow, and his shirt open at the neck. He longed for that freedom again but dutifully reached for the heavy hat once he’d donned his jacket.
‘Will you walk with me, Lady Elizabeth?’ He flashed her the most innocent of smiles.
‘Of course, she will,’ Lady Hummingford said. His comment a few minutes earlier must have lodged somewhere in the Countess’s brain as she’d realised he was as good a route into his brother’s favour as any. ‘You young people walk ahead, I’ll follow.’
Josh bowed his head, then offered his arm to Lady Elizabeth. She hesitated just a second, but he knew she could hardly refuse him with her mother standing right there. The Countess would demand an explanation and neither of them wanted that.
‘Are you well rested, Lady Elizabeth?’
‘I slept poorly,’ she said abruptly, not taking her eyes off the pavement in front of them.
‘Is something the matter?’
‘No.’
‘Good. Why do you need to see my brother with such urgency?’
Lady Elizabeth exhaled loudly and started chewing on her bottom lip. He thought she was going to ignore his question for a moment until she turned to look at him, her expression deadly serious.
‘I can’t do this,’ she said, an almost pleading look in her eyes.
‘You can’t do what?’
‘This.’ She waved her hand vaguely between them. ‘Talk to you. Be with you. Be anywhere near you.’
Josh raised his eyebrows. Yesterday she had clutched his hand whilst fleeing the fire and today she could barely look at him.
‘I’m confused.’
‘I need to marry your brother, Mr Ashburton.’ She shook her head. ‘I will marry your brother. In a matter of a few months. I have to focus on that and not allow myself to be distracted by...’
‘Me?’
She nodded, her expression forlorn.
‘Has something happened?’
‘My mother reminded me of my responsibilities and I realised just how important this marriage is. I need to marry your brother.’
It wasn’t anything she hadn’t said before but Josh felt a stab of something that felt suspiciously like jealousy. He wasn’t a jealous man and the last person he wanted to be envious of was his brother.
Lady Elizabeth glanced up at him and he realised she was on the edge of tears. He had the urge to stop and sweep her into his arms, his fingers twitching before he reminded himself of Lady Hummingford walking just a few paces behind them. She couldn’t hear what they were discussing in hushed tones but she could see every movement, every gesture. In the end he lifted his hand to adjust his collar, allowing his fingers to brush against Lady Elizabeth’s arm on the way. He saw her respond to the brief touch, saw the flush of heat on her cheeks, and felt his hand twitch as if contemplating less subtle contact. Next to him she pressed against him, her hand seeming to burn into his skin where it rested in the crook of his elbow. Josh had never known such an innocent touch could be so agonising.
‘You’ve needed to marry my brother the whole time we’ve been acquainted—what’s changed now?’
‘I have to focus on my future, not what I wa...’ She trailed off halfway through the word.
‘Not what you want?’
Finally she looked at him, her eyes large and filled with angst.
‘I think about you all the time,’ she said so quietly he wasn’t sure if he’d imagined the words. ‘Ever since that first night in your brother’s garden.’
‘I think of you too.’
‘But I can’t. I shouldn’t. I won’t, not any more.’
He saw the turmoil inside her and knew he should do anything he could to calm it. Still there was something stubborn that didn’t want to let this woman he barely knew go.
‘Sometimes our desires won’t be ignored.’
‘Then I can never allow myself to be in a situation where I could make a mistake again.’
‘The kiss we shared wasn’t a mistake.’
‘It was not...’ she hesitated as if she couldn’t bring herself to lie about it ‘...not an earth-shattering mistake, but a mistake all the same.’ She looked at him again, her expression more resolute now. ‘I need you to promise you will not stand in the way of me marrying your brother.’
‘I would never do that.’
‘Thank you.’
They were entering Hyde Park, treading the same ground they had walked the morning of Lady Elizabeth’s attack, and Josh knew the moment she set eyes on the path that led to the spot she’d been ambushed. Her grip on his arm tightened a little and her step quickened.
Luckily a distraction came in the form of his brother on horseback a few hundred yards away.
‘Leo,’ he called, raising his voice to almost a shout. No doubt eyebrows would be raised at his ungentlemanly behaviour but right now he couldn’t bring himself to care. He understood everything Lady Elizabeth was saying, agreed with it to an extent, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.
Leo frowned as he looked around, the frown relaxing a fraction when he caught sight of his brother. Josh knew Leo would not tolerate being called from such a distance by anyone else, he would find it rude, but, a stickler for the rules of society, he seemed to have a blind spot when it came to Josh. Perhaps it was the desire to make up for twenty-five years of lost time or just the fact that their reunion was going to be so short-lived he didn’t want to spoil it with unnecessary quarrels, but Josh knew Leo allowed him liberties he would not allow anyone else in his life.
‘Lady Elizabeth, Lady Hummingford,’ Leo greeted them from his horse. Josh thought he might dismount but his brother stayed firmly in position in the saddle.
‘Are you having a pleasant ride, Mr Ashburton?’ Lady Elizabeth had to shield her eyes from the sun to look up at him.
‘Quite pleasant, thank you.’
Lady Hummingford moved towards her daughter and jabbed her firmly in the ribs.
‘We are arranging a house party, Mr Ashburton,’ Lady Elizabeth said dutifully. ‘A little getaway from the heat of London to the cool of the Sussex coast. I am eager for you to come.’
‘That is kind of you, although I’m not sure I can leave London right now. My brother—’
‘Is invited too, of course,’ Lady Hummingford said quickly. ‘Eli
zabeth has told me of the limited time you have together. We hope Birling View would be a lovely experience of country life for you too, Mr Ashburton.’
‘What do you think, Josh?’
Josh shrugged. Being cooped up in a country house with Lady Elizabeth whilst she tried to prove she would make the perfect wife for a future viscount wasn’t his idea of an emotionally satisfying week, but he wasn’t going to voice that opinion to the present company.
‘Wonderful,’ Lady Hummingford exclaimed, drawing a quickly suppressed smile from Leo. Josh had to smother his own. Neither of them had ever had an interfering female relative and it was fascinating to watch one at work. ‘We won’t keep you from your ride, Mr Ashburton. I will send over the invitations in a few days when the details are finalised.’
‘I have an invitation of my own, Lady Elizabeth,’ Leo said, his expression serious. ‘Miss Culpepper is eager to get to know you better and I promised I would facilitate. She has invited us to take tea with her tomorrow afternoon.’
‘I would be delighted to accompany you,’ Lady Elizabeth said dutifully.
‘Good.’
With a short farewell Lady Hummingford swept Lady Elizabeth away as if worried the two men might change their minds about the house party if they dallied any longer.
Once they were out of sight Leo dismounted and took his horse by the reins.
‘What a peculiar woman,’ he said, looking after her. ‘The daughter seems normal enough, but Lady Hummingford is rather insistent.’
‘Do you know what you’re getting into?’ Josh studied his brother. He couldn’t imagine Leo would walk into this marriage without knowing the deepest secrets of the Countess and her daughter—he was so thorough in everything he did. But then again Josh wasn’t sure what the debt that Leo owed the late Earl was, and how much he was happy to overlook.
‘What do you mean?’
Josh hesitated. He knew how much this marriage meant to Lady Elizabeth and he had to be sure he was voicing his doubts for the right reason. Desire for his brother’s future wife was not a good enough reason to potentially make his brother think again, but as he contemplated he knew he had a duty to his brother. Marriage was for life, not a decision to be rushed, and Leo deserved Josh’s honesty about his misgivings.