“I heard from Mary that your father’s gone and given you to Lord Bellamy.”
“It’s true. Lucy and Violet will be so disappointed their matchmaking efforts were for naught.”
“What will you do?”
Adeline shook her head. “Nothing, Louise. I will marry Lord Bellamy. What choice do I have?”
Louise patted her arm. “Well, I’m sure he has a fine house, and he’ll let you bring all your books. Mayhap he will turn up his toes sooner than later and leave you a wealthy widow.” She cackled.
Adeline rolled her eyes at Louise’s absolute irreverence. She supposed that when you reached a certain age you just said what you pleased. Adeline’s lips twitched in an effort to hold back her own laughter. “A girl can hope.”
*
Her mother hadnot come down for supper that evening. Neither had her father, for that matter. Adeline ate her food alone, missing the company of her brother. His jaw was so bruised that he couldn’t chew anything. Adeline had the kitchen send up soup for him. After finishing supper, she’d checked on him, but he had already been asleep. Now she was back downstairs in her library, staring at the beautiful statue of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. She ran her finger gently down the delicate porcelain, wishing she could be free to go off into the world and find her own destiny.
She heard the front door open and slam shut. “Where is the damn servant?” her father’s voice echoed.
“Right here, your lordship,” Mr. Boone said.
“Finally. Take these.”
Adeline watched her father stride down the hall past the library. Where had he been all afternoon? Didn’t the fate of his family mean anything to him? Or was he off gambling at the club? Wasting money he didn’t have again? She stood and sucked in a deep breath. It was time for her father to look her in the eye and tell her himself that he had sold her to pay off his debts. Maybe his guilt would make him change his mind.
She paused outside his study. He stood in front of the bar cart, pouring himself a brandy from a large crystal decanter. She knocked on the doorjamb.
Her father swung around. “Adeline, what are you doing up?”
“I can’t stop worrying about George, about what happened.”
He took a long gulp from his drink. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your concern.”
Adeline stepped into the room, crossing the dark wood planks to stand before her father. “I think it is very much my concern when you have sold me to Lord Bellamy for the money to pay off those men.”
Her father visibly startled.
“Yes, I saw those men when they came to threaten you.” She clasped her hands together and gathered her courage. “I don’t want to marry him. You promised me until Christmas to find a husband.”
“There is nothing to be done. You saw what they did to your brother.” He walked over to the fireplace. Picking up one of the irons, he poked at the fire. “Bellamy gave me the money this afternoon. You have already been paid for.”
Her anger bubbled over. She had been prepared to marry Bellamy, she really had, but her father’s casual disregard for her future was one too many cuts to her heart. Fathers were supposed to protect their daughters, not use them as pawns to fix their own mistakes. She had never stood up to her father, ever, but this was about the rest of her life.
There had to be another way. “I won’t do it. You’ll have to pay him back another way.”
Her father swung back around, his eyes burning with ire. “You will marry him and be happy about it. You should be glad that I found someone willing to take you on.”
The words were like a slap in the face. “Take me on?”
“You haven’t attracted a single suitor in four years. You’re far too clever for a woman and quite plain. I feel lucky Bellamy is so taken with you.”
“And what I want is no factor? Tell me, Father, how much am I worth? What did he pay you?”
“Five thousand pounds,” her father replied with no compunction.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, you didn’t ask for enough. All three of those pieces are priceless. They belong in a museum, not an auction.”
His mouth opened and closed like a fish on land. “It was simply a portion of what we will make to tide me over until the auction happens. Besides, Bellamy will certainly continue to be generous once we are family.”
Adeline dropped her arms to her sides. The truth was her father didn’t care for her at all. “Did you even once think about me? Do you care at all how I feel about marrying a man three times my age?”
