“As you wish, Miss Armitage,” said the marquess through tight lips.
Beth dropped him a straight-backed curtsy.
Insolently, he gave her a full court bow, then walked out of theroom.
Chapter Four
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The next day, waiting for the marquess to arrive, Beth was prey to adistressing degree of nervousness, not helped by Miss Mallory’s poorlyconcealed anxiety.
“Are youquitesure, Beth? Do but consider. Once away from here anythingcould happen to you.”
Beth summoned up a cheerful smile for the woman who had been like amother. “Please don’t fret, Aunt Emma. I have the twenty guineas you gaveme in my hidden pocket. If anything goes amiss I will fly back to thenest. And when I have my philosophical salon established in London youmust come and visit me and meet Hannah More and Mr. Wilberforce.”
“Even that is not worth selling yourself for, Beth. The marquess is nota sympathetic man. I can sense such things. How will you endure it?”
“I think you malign him,” said Beth., hugging Miss Mallory. It was nota total falsehood. The marquess might be a man of fashion, but he had beensensitive to all the awkwardness of their situation, and he had not forcedany physical attentions or false sentiment upon her.
As the coach drew up, she saw he was showing his sensitivity further byriding alongside the luxurious chariot instead of inside with her.
After waving a last farewell to Miss Mallory and a few of the olderpupils, Beth collapsed back against thickly padded silk squabs and restedher feet on an embroidered footstool. A soft woolen blanket lay nearby incase she should be cold and velvet curtains could be drawn to ensure herprivacy. She admonished herself not to be swayed by such triflingluxuries, but she could not help feeling the contrast between this and herfew other journeys, which had been taken on the public stage.
She leaned out for a last acknowledgment of the farewells and onlyrealized as the coach carried her out of sight that one of the wavingsenior girls had been Clarissa Greystone, and she had been crying. Bethliked the girl and had talked with her from time to time, but she had notthought Clarissa would be so upset at her departure.
Then she remembered how Clarissa had tried to speak to her the daybefore. It was too late now, but she wished she had found the time. Thegirl had been unhappy lately. Perhaps she had a brother in the army,though Beth did not think so.
In truth, Beth told herself sternly, there was no justification for herown self-pity when the shadow of war hung over them all. If Napoleon couldnot be brought to see reason, many fathers, sons, and brothers would bemaimed or dead, which made a luxurious, if loveless, marriage seem a pettytragedy indeed.
She occupied herself for a little while in viewing the scenery. Springhad greened the grass and trees, and they rolled past occasional mats ofyellow daffodils and blue harebells. A hare ran twisting and turningcrazily across a meadow. In another field lambs frolicked near theirmothers.
It was Beth’s favorite time of year, but this spring heralded onlymisery, and though her problem was small in the greater scheme of things,it dominated her thoughts.
It would take most of the day to reach Belcraven Park, so Beth took outMiss Mallory’s parting gift to her ?Self-Control, a Novel,by Mary Brunton. It was supposedly basedon the most upright principles. Though Mary Wollstonecraft had despisedworks of fiction, Miss Mallory thought it wise to permit the older girlsto indulge their taste for novels, but only through directed reading. Shehad asked Beth to send back a report on the book as soon as possible.
By the time they paused to change horses, Laura Montreville hadrejected her dashing suitor for the excellent reason that he had firsttried to seduce her before attempting the more subtle lure ofmarriage.
By the time the next halt was called, the handsome colonel hadpersuaded Laura to allow him two years in which to prove himself areformed character, and Beth was becoming a little impatient with theheroine. If she did not love the man she should give him no reason tohope. If, as it appeared, Laura did love him, it was silliness to demandthat he give up all outward show of his feelings for her because of somenotion that uncontrolled emotions paved the way to hell.
Mary Wollstonecraft had urged the honest expression of feelings andbeliefs, and that meshed very well with Beth’s naturally honesttemperament.
Beth found herself wondering what Laura would have done in her ownsituation. She decided the young lady was so lacking in reality and commonsense she would have sunk into a decline and died. Nowthatwould serve the marquess and his father as they deserved, thought Bethwith a grim smile, and ruin their plans into the bargain. Unfortunately;,she could not see how it would do her any good at all. She decided shejust wasn’t the stuff of which heroines were made. She lacked the rightkind of sensibility.
Beth conceived a better plan than meekly fading away. The marquess wasobviously unhappy with the marriage plan. If she was sufficientlyabrasive, unattractive, and unpleasant, surely he would think a lifetimetied to her was too high a price to pay for a pure-blooded heir. It wouldbe no effort at all to be abrasive and unpleasant.
The horses were changed frequently and with lightning efficiency, butwhen the team was unhitched at Chipping Norton the marquess opened thedoor.
“We will break the journey here,” he said. “You will be glad of a meal,I’m sure.” The hours of riding had ruffled his curls and brought a shineto his eyes. His smile was genuinely friendly as he asked, “I hope you arenot finding the journey too tiring.”
As she descended the steps Beth repressed an urge to respond favorablyto this goodwill; she was not normally ungracious, but such good humorwould not answer at all. She put an edge on her voice as she said, “Howcould I, my lord, when everything is of the first stare?”
His smile dimmed. “It is going to be very tiresome. Miss Armitage, ifyou are to carp at everything that is better than utilitarian.” They hadreached the door of the inn, and the host was bowing low to usher suchexalted guests inside. Beth quailed. She had never been treated so in herlife.
Lord Arden, however, appeared oblivious to the man as he added, “And ifyou will not make any effort to consider my feelings, then I perhaps willsee no reason to consider yours.”
Shocked back into consideration of her main problem, Beth stared at herhusband-to-be.
“Truce?” he asked.
