The Hawk and the Dove by Virginia Henley Page A

Jacob Goldman once more arrived at the large rectory house in Cheltenham, he was ushered in with the greatest deference, introduced to Mrs. Bishop, and served refreshments.
    “Reverend and Mrs. Bishop, the man I represent is Captain Hawkhurst, heir to the great Hawkhurst shipping enterprise. His father, Lord Devonport, is gravely ill and in the event of his death his title will be passed on to Captain Hawkhurst.”
    Reverend Bishop was suitably impressed to be dealing with the nobility. Therefore, when Goldman broached the subject of marriage, the reverend’s mouth fell open.
    “I bring an offer of marriage from Lord Devonport’s heir to your daughter Sara, providing the wedding can take place June fifteenth.”
    His youngest daughter, his precious Ann, jumped into the reverend’s mind, but as soon as he proposed her name for the brilliant match, he realized that of course the girl who owned the coveted land would get the noble husband.
    “Captain Hawkhurst sends his apologies for the unseemly haste, but I have drawn up the marriage contracts and he has most generously agreed to a settlement for Sara’s family as well as herself.”
    Mrs. Bishop was effusive in her praise for her child. “I always knew Sara would marry well. She’s special, you know.”
    “Then you don’t forsee any objection on her part to this proposed union?” asked Jacob Goldman, feeling most uneasy about broaching the matter to the beautiful young woman they were discussing.
    “Objection?” demanded her stepfather irritably. “I shall overrule her objections, sir. It is my place to accept or decline offers of marriage for my daughter—she has nothing to say in the matter!”
    “Ah, Reverend Bishop, that of course is true,” agreed Goldman tactfully, but don’t you think perhaps if Sara thought it was her decision to make, we would stand a better chance of a speedy and mutually beneficial conclusion to this matter?”
    “Yes, George, you do have a tendency to make Sara do exactly the opposite of what you wish, although I have no idea why that is so.” Mary Bishop sent him a look that beseeched him not to spoil their chance of being connected with the nobility.
    “Very well. Just to please you, my dear, we will have her down and
ask
her, rather than tell her.”
    When Sabre had heard the whole story, she couldn’t quite believe that this was happening to her. She looked from one to the other, hoping that she wasn’t dreaming the whole thing. She realized she had received the offer because of the land, but that was what it was intended for —her dowry. To marry a stranger was frightening, but it was also exciting, and the prospect of going to court waslike a dream come true. She realized that if she didn’t grab this chance, she might never have another. When offered two alternatives she had always chosen the bolder course. When she smiled at Jacob Goldman, his heart lurched. “May I sign the contract now?”
    Her mother was making a great fuss over her and even her stepfather looked fatuously pleased. Mr. Goldman directed her to read everything carefully and showed her where to affix her signature, and she signed
Sara Bishop
in triplicate, but all she was aware of was the bold, dark name already on the bottom of the contracts—
S. Hawkhurst.
    As if a magic wand had been waved over her, her life changed dramatically. Suddenly she had become the center of attention. As well as being the pivotal figure of the family’s fevered activity, she was the focus of great curiosity and envy from all the aunts and cousins, and word was spreading throughout the congregation and beyond to all the townspeople of Cheltenham and Gloucester.
    Sabre basked in her moment of sunshine. At every opportunity she emphasized, “My husband-to-be is a great favorite at court, you know; I will be spending much time there.” Her excitement grew daily until she could not sleep at night, and she could not resist sending smug little smiles in her half