the other side of the room, Elizabeth turned her back to the earl and kept her voice low in the hopes that he could not hear. “I know we have already discussed this but it bears repeating — it is rumoured he killed his wife. Do you really wish to see me committed to him for life? It might not be for very long.” She knew he had heard her when she heard a soft sound behind her as though he were snuffing out a burst of laughter. She crossed her arms and shot a glare over her shoulder at him. “And how did you know to come looking for me here?” she demanded of her mother crossly. “We had just arrived. We truly did need to talk, nothing of a scandalous nature was about to take place.”
“That is neither here nor there, my darling daughter. Your little friends came and told me they were worried about you. They thought you had gotten lost because they saw you climb the stairs to the second floor and yet you had not returned. It struck me as being quite uncharacteristic of you, so I decided to follow you. And then the girls wanted to come too and his lordship. It all happened very quickly, really. But all is well that ends well, as they say, would you not agree?”
“No, I would not agree. I cannot marry him,” Elizabeth insisted.
“You certainly should have thought of that before you agreed to an assignation with the man,” came her mother’s unsympathetic reply.
“This was not an assignation!”
Elizabeth had lost count of how many times she had wished to disappear since she had come into association with the Earl of Heath, but once more the sensation swept her. She glanced over her shoulder at him again for the barest moment, wondering how he was taking the discussion he could obviously hear, and wondering why he did not speak up. Surely he couldn’t wish for this match! But the daft man remained where he was, at least on the surface looking as though he hadn’t a care in the world.
Elizabeth wanted to stamp her foot with frustration but managed to hold her composure, at least in front of her mother. She would truly die of mortification if her mother gave her another lecture in front of the earl. The dutiful daughter could just hear it, ‘a lady will never find a gentleman to marry if she cannot control her temper, my dear.’ She shook her head and dragged her attention back to her mother as she was replying to Elizabeth’s assertions.
“It certainly looked like it. Why else would you be in a private room away from all the other guests with a man holding your hands? You have no choice; you must marry him. You are just lucky that he had the good sense to see that. I am surprised and disappointed that you do not. Now I will give you five minutes to discuss matters while I stand outside, and then we will return to the ball and you will accept the congratulations that will be directed your way as graciously as you can muster.”
Elizabeth watched with a dropped jaw as her mother strode from the room on the heels of her words, leaving her alone with the earl. She couldn’t meet his eye. She was mortified at the turn of events. Elizabeth wanted to wail in frustration. Her one attempt at having an adventure had gone horribly wrong.
“I am so sorry, my lord, I had no idea things could possibly turn out this way,” she began to apologize before her anger overtook her. “But what were you thinking making a declaration like that? We could have brazened it out. Now we have to become betrothed. What were you thinking?” she repeated in her frustration. “You cannot possibly want to become leg shackled to me, do you, my lord? Was it not just this afternoon that we discussed the matter? You are searching for a much different countess than I shall ever prove to be.”
* * *
J ustice took her cold , trembling hands into his and chafed them, trying to bring warmth to her as he knew she was struggling with shock. It was most definitely not how either of them had foreseen their evening progressing, but he
“That is neither here nor there, my darling daughter. Your little friends came and told me they were worried about you. They thought you had gotten lost because they saw you climb the stairs to the second floor and yet you had not returned. It struck me as being quite uncharacteristic of you, so I decided to follow you. And then the girls wanted to come too and his lordship. It all happened very quickly, really. But all is well that ends well, as they say, would you not agree?”
“No, I would not agree. I cannot marry him,” Elizabeth insisted.
“You certainly should have thought of that before you agreed to an assignation with the man,” came her mother’s unsympathetic reply.
“This was not an assignation!”
Elizabeth had lost count of how many times she had wished to disappear since she had come into association with the Earl of Heath, but once more the sensation swept her. She glanced over her shoulder at him again for the barest moment, wondering how he was taking the discussion he could obviously hear, and wondering why he did not speak up. Surely he couldn’t wish for this match! But the daft man remained where he was, at least on the surface looking as though he hadn’t a care in the world.
Elizabeth wanted to stamp her foot with frustration but managed to hold her composure, at least in front of her mother. She would truly die of mortification if her mother gave her another lecture in front of the earl. The dutiful daughter could just hear it, ‘a lady will never find a gentleman to marry if she cannot control her temper, my dear.’ She shook her head and dragged her attention back to her mother as she was replying to Elizabeth’s assertions.
“It certainly looked like it. Why else would you be in a private room away from all the other guests with a man holding your hands? You have no choice; you must marry him. You are just lucky that he had the good sense to see that. I am surprised and disappointed that you do not. Now I will give you five minutes to discuss matters while I stand outside, and then we will return to the ball and you will accept the congratulations that will be directed your way as graciously as you can muster.”
Elizabeth watched with a dropped jaw as her mother strode from the room on the heels of her words, leaving her alone with the earl. She couldn’t meet his eye. She was mortified at the turn of events. Elizabeth wanted to wail in frustration. Her one attempt at having an adventure had gone horribly wrong.
“I am so sorry, my lord, I had no idea things could possibly turn out this way,” she began to apologize before her anger overtook her. “But what were you thinking making a declaration like that? We could have brazened it out. Now we have to become betrothed. What were you thinking?” she repeated in her frustration. “You cannot possibly want to become leg shackled to me, do you, my lord? Was it not just this afternoon that we discussed the matter? You are searching for a much different countess than I shall ever prove to be.”
* * *
J ustice took her cold , trembling hands into his and chafed them, trying to bring warmth to her as he knew she was struggling with shock. It was most definitely not how either of them had foreseen their evening progressing, but he
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