“Hisengagement. The one that my parents were planning to announce tonight,” Della explained. “He’s just told Mr. Greenwood that he needs more time to think things over, and now half the people in this room are trying not to let the other half see that we’re at each other’s throats.”
“Oh.” Now Ashton understood her. The expression on his face was a blend of guilt and defiance, which didn’t bode well for the rest of the evening.
Peter had been infuriatingly vague about his reasons, but whatever had possessed him to do such a thing, it had come about while he’d been away with the men. “He was fine at supper,” Della continued. “Something must have happened while you were in the smoking room. And my father told me that he was speaking to you practically the whole time.”
Ashton cast a glance around the room, but with the additional guests filtering in for dancing after their meal, most of the household was occupied with greeting the new arrivals. They had as much privacy as they could hope for.
“I only told him that he should delay things until he was sure.” His green eyes flashed with resolve as he spoke. “I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”
Why should it be any of his business what Peter does?Ashton was hardly the sort to meddle in someone else’s romantic dilemmas.
“If he jilts her now, both their reputations will be ruined. Go andtell him to stop this foolishness before it’s too late. He has to marry Miss Greenwood.”
“Why? Because your parents say so? He deserves some control over his own life.”
“Our parents have nothing to do with it,” Della retorted in an urgent whisper. “Annabelle and I are the ones who arranged the match.”
Ashton drew back at this, surprised. “But why would you do that to your own brother? He doesn’t love this girl. They’ll be miserable together.”
Miserable?Miss Greenwood was pretty and wealthy—nearly the only two traits that everyone looked for in a spouse. Were it not for her indiscretion, she would have had her pick of suitors.
“Why would you assume they’ll be unhappy together? She has plenty of good qualities. Peter isn’t charming enough to find himself a better bride, but he’s harmless and won’t mistreat her. Happy marriages have been built on far less.”
“I can’t believe this.” Ashton was staring at Della as if she were a stranger.
Her heart began hammering. She hated when people were cross with her. If only she could make him understand that this was in everyone’s best interest! But how could she explain herself without giving away Annabelle’s secret?
“I know it might look like it from where you stand, but my sister and I had good reasons for proposing this match. It wasn’t done on a whim.” Everything would be ruined if the engagement fell apart now. Even if Della was starting to doubt her choices in the face of Ashton’s criticism, it was still the lesser of two evils.
Besides which, it was too late for Peter to back out. He’d already let Mr. Greenwood believe that he was the one who’d snuck from his daughter’s bedroom. The time for second thoughts has passed.
“What about Peter’s wishes? Doesn’t anyone care how he spends the rest of his life?”
“Of course we do,” Della protested. “But you’re presuming Peter will hate being married to Miss Greenwood, when we know nothing of the sort. Or that he would make a better choice for himself if left to his own devices, when the truth is that he spends most of his days in total idleness. A little responsibility might do him good!”
Ashton’s face was hard and unrelenting. He was plainly unwilling to even consider the possibility that Della might know more about the situation than he did.
“I know this must bring up unpleasant memories,” Della continued, “but Peter isn’t you. Your past isn’t his future.”
This had been the wrong thing to say. Ashton’s face closed off completely, the hard planes of his jaw tightening into stone.
“You’ll forgive me,” he said coolly. “I have somewhere else to be this evening.”
“Ashton!” Della must have spoken his name a touch too loudly in her shock, for he shot her a warning look. She lowered her voice again as she continued. “Trust me when I say that if you rush off now and Peter jilts his bride, the consequences foreveryoneinvolved will be dire.”
What if Mr. Greenwood challenged Peter to a duel? He would be well within his rights to do so, unless they could prove that Peter hadn’t really compromised his daughter. But there was no way to do that without throwing Annabelle to the wolves.
I can’t let that happen to her.As annoying as her little sister could be, Della would never want her to suffer.
But Ashton was unmoved. “I have no intention of persuading your brother to trap himself in a match he doesn’t want against the dictates of my conscience. Good evening, Miss Danby.” With a look of disdain that cut more deeply than his words, he turned and strode from the room.
Eighteen
They didnotannounce Peter’s engagement to Miss Greenwood that evening. And while Mr. Greenwood hadn’t yet challenged Peter to a duel, Della suspected this was only because he didn’t wish to raise any suspicions concerning his daughter. At present, only the two families knew that she’d been compromised.
In any event, Mr. Greenwood had some harsh words (exchanged in the safety of the family study) for Peter, the Danbys as a whole, and the state of society when a young man’s word was worth so little. Della attempted to placate him with the observation that perhaps the happy couple only needed more time in each other’s company to realize how happy they were.
She hoped it would prove true.
