“Well,” Amelia said. “I shall ensure that you are suitably prepared to meet him. He sent word this morning that he wishes to meet you at the lake where you first encountered one another.”
“Oh.”
That gesture would be almost romantic, if it had not been coming from such a frustrating and unlikable man. Well, notunlikable. Bridget was finding that she did like him just a little, as loath as she was to admit it.
“It will be a splendid outing,” Amelia continued, clearly oblivious to Bridget’s lack of enthusiasm. “It is fortunate that he was your rescuer. He is such a handsome man, if it is not too bold to say.”
Bridget sighed. “Well, I suppose no man can be composedentirelyof flaws.”
Amelia cast her a confused look, which Bridget purposefully ignored. She swept the bedclothes aside and clambered from the bed. Bridget’s eyes flickered to the window, the curtains spread wide, and imagined leaning forlornly against the glass, awaiting some truly noble and pleasant man to rescue her.
“Are you…unhappy with the match, my lady?” Amelia asked.
Bridget sighed. The lady’s maid was trying to comfort her, and she supposed that she ought to be charmed by that.
“It is a match,” Bridget said. “Nothing more. I cannot say that I am especially delighted with His Grace, but I doubt any other man will offer. I have discussed this extensively with Elias already.”
Amelia wisely said nothing.
Bridget washed her hands and face in silence before returning to Amelia, who presented her with the chosen gown for the day. It was one of her favorite gowns, lavender and trimmed with delicate pearls and fanciful floral patterns of white lace. The garment showed her delicate figure to its best effect, and Bridget had often delighted in the attention that she drew when wearing it.
“I suppose I will appear appropriate,” Bridget said dryly.
“More than appropriate, my lady,” Amelia said. “I daresay His Grace will be unable to look away from you.”
“Wonderful,” Bridget said, seating herself before the vanity. “All the better to gaze at me like an animal he wants to purchase at market.”
Amelia laughed, the sound anxious. “What a pointed comparison, my lady.”
“It is the reality of my situation,” Bridget said darkly. “The man has no real affection for me, and this marriage is entirely a matter of convenience. That is assuming that he continues to find me suitable, of course.”
“I am certain that he shall, my lady.”
Bridget bit the inside of her cheek, considering that. “Well, I do not intend on making it easy for him,” she said. “It is insulting enough that he has reason to doubt my suitability.”
Nottrulyinsulting, for Bridget knew all too well why her suitability might be questioned. Still, the man might have acted in a more respectable manner. It was not as if he did not know of her scandals, after all. What else could he be searching for?
“His Grace could not have meant all that,” Amelia said soothingly. “Perhaps he merely misspoke or wishes to learn who you are as a person before he commits to a marriage. Maybe he wants to determine if you are a woman with whom he might fall in love.”
Bridget shook her head. “If that was it, he would not be so eager to change who I am.”
Amelia hummed and rubbed her fingers with rose oil, carefully coating Bridget’s natural ringlets with the substance. The soft, floral scent drifted around her, and Bridget’s chest tightened. How many times had Amelia done this before her before she was to meet some fine gentleman? The memory of her previous Season burned painfully.
Those had been exciting days, seated before Amelia and flushed with excitement, for Bridget had known that she would have an enjoyable day and night ahead of her. She had known that she was desirable, that every head in thetonwould turn to her as she entered. The eligible bachelors would descend upon her like a flock of swans, eager to gain her attention first. But not if she married His Grace.
“I would not relinquish romance so easily,” Amelia said hesitantly. “There must be love for someone like you, my lady, who so earnestly wishes for it.”
“One would think,” Bridget said.
Amelia fell silent again, gently coaxing Bridget’s curls into order.
“But,” Bridget continued. “I have a plan, which is to prove myself unsuitable to him. I am certain that he only wishes to marry me out of some misguided, foolish sense of honor. If I show him that marriage to me will cause more damage than benefit, he is certain to change his mind.”
Amelia inhaled sharply. “Truly, my lady?”
“Indeed.”
“But how will you manage that? Aside from that little mistake with Lord Fourton, you are the perfect lady,” Amelia said, gesturing to the mirror.
