Page 59 of A Perfect Engagement
Daniel stood up. “No, ma’am. Charlotte is not ruined. The only thing that has happened is what you just saw. Just the kiss, I swear, and the other kiss. But just the two.” He gazed imploringly at his brother. “We never meant for this to happen.”
But Miles sat stone-faced, refusing to meet Daniel’s eye. Daniel faced her father. “Lord Markham, I want to marry your daughter. I can take care of her. My estate is not two hours from here. I can make her happy.”
Her mother wailed again. A low, keening sound that had everyone turning toward her. “No! She is going to marry the marquess. Everyone knows she will marry the marquess. She can’t marry the brother. Oh my Lord, the scandal!”
Her father agreed. “The contracts are signed. There is no way I would allow her to marry you, son. Out of the question.” His hand sliced through the air.
“Here’s an idea, why don’t we ask Charlotte what she wants?” Lucius spoke up.
She glared at Lucius. What was he doing? He gave her an encouraging smile. She looked over at her father, who stood red-faced and glowering. Her mother lay against the back of the chair, fanning herself with her white handkerchief. Miles sat ramrod straight on the edge of the sofa, his face an impassive mask. And Daniel, she met his hopeful gaze.
This was her chance to say something, to choose the life she wanted. But she could not form the words. The scandal, and the gossip which would ensue, it would ruin her reputation forever. She would never be able to show her face in town again. Her parents would most likely never speak to her again. She strove to suck in a breath but found it difficult to get it past the hard lump in her throat. She had promised Miles to marry him. They made sense, and the contracts were signed. He would also be publicly embarrassed by the scandal. It would be unfair to put him through that just for her own selfish desires.
Her gaze held Daniel’s, and her eyes filled with tears as she sought to convey her regret. She slowly shook her head. The hurt which flashed in his eyes caused her heart to rip into two jagged pieces. Then his expression shuttered.
He turned back to his brother. “I guess the better man has won the lady today. Congratulations,my lord.” Daniel’s long legs ate up the distance to the door in seconds. Then he was gone without so much as a backward glance. Charlotte’s knees gave out, and she dropped onto the bench.
Miles stood slowly. “If you will excuse me.” He also exited the room.
Charlotte’s mother, suddenly animated, jumped to her feet. “Markham, go after him. We must smooth things over. We can’t let him get away!” She grabbed her husband’s hand, and the two of them rushed from the room.
Lucius sat down next to Charlotte. “Well, Lottie that was certainly dramatic. Why did you let him walk away?”
Charlotte burst into tears, her feeling of loss too painful to hold inside. Lucius wrapped his arms around her. She sobbed fat tears of regret for a life she hadn’t the courage to grasp when offered the chance.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Charlotte took adeep breath and assessed her appearance in the tall mirror in front of her. Amazed, she appeared calm and serene…if one didn’t look into her eyes. They showed all too clearly the turmoil raging inside. Lizzie pushed the last two pins into her hair.
“There, miss, you’re all put back together. No one will be able to tell you were crying.”
Lizzie had been a godsend. After the scene in the drawing room, Charlotte sent Lucius to make sure the guests in the breakfast room were distracted and to find out if anyone had heard the shouting. She had rushed up the servants’ stairs to her room. Lizzie took one long look at her and immediately bustled her over to her favorite seat by the window. Lizzie hadn’t asked any questions but prepared a wet cloth with cold water and laid it against Charlotte’s burning red eyes. It took Charlotte another thirty minutes to calm down enough to even begin to process everything which happened that morning.
“Thank you, Lizzie. I don’t think I will be going downstairs today. But I feel refreshed and much better thanks to you.”
The door to the room burst open, and her mother swept into the room, shutting it behind her with a sharp click. She crossed the carpet to Charlotte and slapped her across the face. The stinging pain spread across her cheek like fire. Lizzie gasped from behind her. Her mother raised her hand again, but Charlotte stepped back out of her reach.
“Mother, stop.” She held up her hands in front of her.
“You may have ruined everything we worked so hard for. I should whip you!”
“I’m sorry, Mother.”
“Sorry hardly matters when you have disgraced yourself by sneaking around with the man’s brother! Disappointment doesn’t even cover how I feel. I’m appalled at your behavior!”
There was no use trying to explain any of the circumstances to her mother. She cared not for Charlotte’s feelings. Realizing this truth made Charlotte sad. She was a commodity her parents had used to make a deal with Hawksridge. Her future happiness hardly mattered to them. As long as she had done what she was supposed to, said the proper things, made the appropriate friends, they had shown her approval. But their love was conditional. She fully understood this now.
“I’ll make you sorry if you don’t go right now and grovel at Hawksridge’s feet. Beg him to marry you if you must. Go now. Make it right. Whatever it takes.” Her mother’s voice sounded shrill and desperate.
“He may have left. I have no idea if he will even speak with me,” Charlotte protested. She wasn’t ready to face Hawksridge.
“He is in the gardens. I saw him by the lake not ten minutes ago.” Her mother grabbed hold of her arm roughly and dragged Charlotte to the door. “Lizzie, her gloves and hat. Right now,” she barked.
*
Charlotte took ina deep breath as she approached the folly. She could see Hawksridge silhouetted by the sun, his back to her as she approached. She had no idea what she would say.Start with an apology.
She entered the covered folly. The ivy-covered columns and shadowed silence lent themselves to a sense of privacy. “Lord Hawksridge, may I speak with you?”
