Jemma stopped and clasped her hands across her stomach. She shut her eyes against Augie’s harsh words.
“That I am willing to overlook your indiscretion and still marry you," Augie's voice raised an octave, “is a testament to the esteem in which I held your father.”
“How honorable of you. I’m sure Sea Cliff has nothing to do with your sense of duty,” Jemma said without thinking, her eyes snapping open to glare at him.
Augie took her arm again in a painful grip. “You are my betrothed, soon to be my wife. I will brook no further disobedience on your part. My mother says you are willful and reckless, traits which I will not tolerate once we are married.”
Jemma opened her mouth, then quickly shut it. She’d learned in the last few weeks that arguing with Augie did nothing but antagonize him further. The man who practically dragged her down the slope back to Sea Cliff was not her childhood friend, nor the gentle suitor of just a month ago.
She stumbled, her toe hitting a small stone jutting up in the path and used it as an excuse to pull her arm away from his grasp.
He let her go, shaking his head. “Do you really think you have a choice? Now? After everything that has happened? Does my touch offend you? Oh, I know,” he mocked. “You’re still pining for Shepherd, aren’t you? The very man who ruined you so he could extort money from your father. Betrayed by a fortune hunter.
A sob caught in Jemma's throat at the mention of Nick and his betrayal. She stumbled again and this time Augie let her struggle to stand. He laughed sharply, stepping back as she reached out to steady herself against him.
Jemma swayed, catching herself. The skirt of her dress spun furiously about her ankles as her footsteps quickened. Keeping her eye on the peaked roof of Sea Cliff, she hurried, determined to get far from Augie and his hateful words. She had no wish to endure another moment of his taunting.
He caught her just at bottom of the hill, grabbing her by one shoulder and twisting her around so she was forced to look up at him. “I am thebestoffer you will ever have, Jemma. At least outside of a brothel. You should begrateful, instead you insult me with your insolence. You wish to go to Hamilton?”
“I do not care to discuss this matter further with you, Augie.”
He let go of her abruptly, pushing her from him.
This time, she did fall to the ground, the shells that littered the path cutting into her palms, even through the gloves she wore. Clutching at the shells, she wanted to weep, but held back tears.
“Don't delude yourself, Jemma. My mother has put it out that the rumors about you and Shepherd are nothing more than the rant of a jealous Agnes Sinclair. But without the support of my family, without your status as the betrothed or wife of the Governor’s son…” Augie’s words hung in the humid air. “You are just the sullied daughter whose indiscretion killed her father.” He leaned down to look at her. “What? No sharp retort? No witty comment?” He gave a snort of amusement. “I thought not.”
He stood, turning his back on her and walked down the path to Sea Cliff, his steps confident and sure. The notes of the jaunty tune he whistled filled the air merrily as if he’d not just ground her into dirt with his words.
What am I to do?The words thudded in her mind as she sat, not yet ready to stand and face the future.I could run, but this is my home. And, I have nowhere to go. No one to go to.Nick’s features swam before her eyes and again the pain of his betrayal pierced her.
“Jemma?” Augie stopped but didn’t look back at her. “Are you coming? Mother wishes to discuss our wedding plans over tea.”He tapped his foot. “Hurry along. You know Mother doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
12
“Wife, do quit pacing, you will wear a hole in the carpet.” Lord Corbett slurped his tea. “And we cannot replace the carpet. Not yet, at any rate.”
Lady Corbett stopped and glared at her husband. “She is still being most disagreeable in regards to the wedding. I’ve had tea with her twice and she refuses to discuss any details or even to feign interest. She drags Mrs. Stanhope to every meeting, brandishing the woman at me like a shield.” Lady Corbett swatted at the air with her fan. “I’ve told everyone that it was William’s deathbed request that they not mourn him and marry posthaste. I’ve no doubt we will have to drag her to the altar with a gun pressed to her back to recite her vows. Think what a stir that will cause, and I’ll have no more scandal, George.” Lady Corbett stomped her foot. “No more. Bad enough we must contend with the fact that she is damaged goods. If not for her fortune, I’d never allow Augustus to wed her.” The faded red curls of her hair batted against her cheeks as she shook in agitation. “But, I want Sea Cliff. God’s truth, we need Sea Cliff.”
George Corbett took another sip of his tea, savoring the taste of the Earl Grey. June had worked herself into a fine fiddle over Jane Emily. The girl had always been a bit wild, to no one’s surprise. George blamed Willie for Jane Emily’s shortcomings. Allowing the girl to wear breeches and shoot a gun was beyond the pale. So contrary. The fact that Jane Emily hadn’t disgraced herself before now was actually a bit of a miracle.
“Do sit down, June, and calm yourself.” George pinched his nose between his fingers. “You are causing my head to ache with your rantings.”
His wife sputtered at his comment but seated herself, arms crossed, in the chair across from him.
He bit into a biscuit and ignored her combative demeanor. Jane Emily would marry Augie. She had no other choice. He supposed she could try to leave the island, but her efforts would prove fruitless. June had already put out the story that Jane Emily was quiteunhingedover her father’s death. Her questionable sanity coupled with the story of William’s “deathbed request” led not one person to object to the immediacy of the marriage. No one would assist Jane Emily if she tried to seek passage off the island. “You worry needlessly, wife.”
“I will not lose Sea Cliff, husband. I’ve waited too long.”
“And we won’t, my dear. The girl displayed outlandish behavior even before William’s death. None will gainsay our claim that she is a bit mad if she doesn’t marry Augie willingly.”
Lady Corbett chewed at her bottom lip. “What if she tries to flee or enlist the Stanhope’s aid?”
“June,” George sighed in frustration, “we are her guardians as decreed by William in his will, years ago. All of Bermuda, including the Stanhope’s, think her eccentric behavior a sign of mental illness which allowed her to fall prey to a man like Shepherd. None will stop us if we force her to marry Augie, for her own good, of course. None will aid her.”
“Shepherd? Must we still call him that? I cannot believe I did not see through his disguise immediately.” Lady Corbett’s cheeks puffed in agitation. “How silly you must think me not to have suspected what he was.”
“Perhaps next time, you will heed me, wife. Do not blame yourself. I didn’t see through him at first either. I never suspected that family would ever find William.”
