He was desperate to see her married and her inheritance in the hands of a capable man. Actually, at this point, he would probably be happy to see her inheritance in the hands of any man that would have her. Right now, he controlled her life and in his mind, kept her safe, but that would all change in just a few short months when she turned twenty-four.
“I want you to have one last season before you do something foolish, Elizabeth,” he bit out.
“And I don’t want to have to stay for the entire season,” she pointed out.
A long-suffering sigh reached her ears and she knew that she’d just won...for now.
“I expect your full cooperation. You will attend every single ball, dinner, and musical that your mother can gain an invitation for. You will allow men to court you, but you will favor the men that we approve of with your time. You will not sabotage this in any way, and, in return, I will accompany you to your north estate two months early,” he said and she knew that it was probably the best offer that she was going to get, but still…
“Three months early,” Elizabeth said, hoping that he’d accept her counteroffer.
“I’m not that much of a pushover, my dear,” he said with a snort of amusement.
He really was, but she decided that right now was not the time to point that out. It probably also wasn’t the time to point out that he’d just agreed to let her leave when the season officially started, Elizabeth decided as she unlocked the door and prepared herself for two months of pre-season hell.
2 Weeks Later…
London, England
“Really, Elizabeth!”
Elizabeth ignored her mother as she smiled down at the young man shifting nervously in front of her. Young man might not be a fitting description for a ten-year-old boy, but he was certainly acting like one.
“I c-can carry your bags, m’lady,” the little boy said as he pushed his too-long hair back with dirty fingers.
Elizabeth leaned down to look the little boy in the eye as she said, “That’s a very important job. Do you think you’re up to it?”
The boy nodded enthusiastically as he tried his best to bite back a smile.
“Hmm, I have a very busy day today. I’m going to need someone to wait outside the shops for me and to bring my packages to my coach. That’s a hard job and it may take a few hours. Do you think that you can handle such a big job?” Elizabeth asked in a serious tone, biting back her own smile.
“I can do it! Honest, I can!”
“What’s your name?” Elizabeth asked, unable to help but smile when she saw the determined look on his face.
“Really, Elizabeth! This is beyond the pale!” her mother said in a huff. “Do hurry up with this nonsense. We have too much to do today to waste time on the likes of him.”
She waited until her mother left, feeling her heart break when she saw the little boy’s crestfallen expression. “Your name?” Elizabeth asked softly.
“Toby, m’lady,” he mumbled sadly.
“Well, if you still want the job, I need a strong man to help me today. Now, as you can see, my first stop is here at this shop to make sure that my gown fits just right. If you could be available in an hour, I would truly appreciate that, Toby.”
Looking confused, he nodded slowly. “What do I do ‘til then, m’lady?”
Elizabeth pulled five shillings from her purse and handed them to the boy, watching as his face lit up. “M’lady, that’s too much for carrying packages!”
“Hush, I want you to take that and get yourself something to eat,” Elizabeth said with a pointed look at the two small boys trying to hide behind a carriage. “I suspect that your brothers could use something to eat as well.”
“They’re not my brothers, m’lady. They belong to the family I am staying with,” he admitted with a helpless shrug.
“Just be back in an hour and make sure that you eat a proper meal. Save the sweets for later,” Elizabeth said, shoeing him away with a smile.
Toby nodded as he took off running. Elizabeth watched as Toby gathered the boys, who couldn’t be older than four years old and felt her heart break. Biting back a sigh, she thanked the footman holding the door open for her and walked inside the shop, not surprised to find her mother and sister glaring at her.
“Really, Elizabeth, Papa does not give you an allowance to waste on the likes of them. He gives his alms every month. This is insulting him, to say the least,” Heather said haughtily, adding an indignant sniff as she tried to look down her pudgy nose at Elizabeth, but she didn’t care.
“Don’t bother asking your father for more money. If you choose to waste your allowance, then that’s your problem,” her mother added.
