Me?
My head spun. I knew enough of this town to realize that Mr. Frampton was the most eligible man for miles. He made a respectable living through the local parish, and was known to be a gentleman in every sense of the word. His wife had died a year before, leaving him with three small children. He had never called upon me privately before today. Nothing could have prepared me for the question he had just sprung upon me.
“I understand this may come as a bit of a shock,” he said, taking a glance at my expression. “I, myself, was shocked when the revelation came to me in the middle of the night. It is clear to me now that you are the one who is meant to nurture my dear children. I find you quite capable, and quite beautiful, and everything I could wish for in a companion.”
I blinked up at him. This man hardly knew me. How could he be so certain of such things? I tried to gather my thoughts, but they were tangled in one large knot. I wasn’t insensible enoughto think that I would have other opportunities like this in the future, or that I could live a comfortable life without marrying. Since my parents had died, I had never been one to dream of love or other fancies like that. Aunt Ruth’s obligation toward me was volatile. Now that I was over the age of majority, she could cast me out any time she wished, and I would be separated from my brothers, with no way of caring for them. I would no longer be able to protect them from her.
The thought made my shoulders tighten with fear.
But Mr. Frampton’s proposal was all too sudden—too much of my future hinged on my answer. I had much to think about. My throat was dry as I slipped my hand away from his. I wiped it discreetly on my skirts. “I—I thank you very much for your offer.” My voice shook. There was one very important question I had to ask. “If I did accept…would you be willing to take my brothers in? I cannot bear the thought of leaving them here without me.”
Mr. Frampton’s eyes lit up. “Of course. Your loyalty and love for them is most admirable. I am certain that your influence has caused them to be very well-behaved and agreeable, and I daresay they will get on well with my children. It will be a joy to see all of them playing together.”
I cringed.Well-behavedwasn’t the first word I would choose to describe them. What would he think if he knew they had a propensity for stealing? That was only the beginning of their mischief.
My heart hammered in my chest. “Will you allow me time to consider your offer?”
“You may have as much time as you require. I am a patient man.” He offered me his arm, and I met his sincere gaze. “I’ve made up my mind, and nothing can sway me. I shall await your answer as long as it takes.”
My head swam, but I nodded and took his arm. He walked me back to the front of the house and bid me farewell with a deep bow. I stared at his retreating figure, numbness spreading through my chest. What was I to do? It was most unexpected. I tried to imagine myself married to him, attending all of his impassioned sermons, raising five young children all at once, attempting to love him as I would a husband. It was overwhelming. I could hardly catch my breath.
“What did he want?” Edith asked from her seat on the front steps. I jumped. Peter still hadn’t unlocked the door, it seemed.
I searched for a plausible response. Until I made my decision, Aunt Ruth couldnotreceive word of Mr. Frampton’s offer, and neither could anyone else. I had to be alone to fully comprehend what had just happened, and to become absolutely sure of my answer.
I hid the shock from my face as I glanced in Edith’s direction. “Oh, he—well, he thought I missed the sermon on Sunday, and came to give me a summary. He was mistaken, though. I was there.” Now that I thought about it, I did recall catching his gaze on me many times throughout the meeting. My face burned as the puzzle came together in my mind.
Edith seemed to accept my response. Good. I walked past her toward the house, my legs shaking beneath me.
I pounded my fist on the door. “Peter! Open the door at once! Aunt Ruth will be returning soon.”
I caught sight of him and Charles through the sitting room window. At the mention of our aunt, Peter trudged away from the sofa. A short moment later, the door unlocked.
I released a tense breath as I stepped inside. Edith followed, whistling a happy tune as she took her basket to the kitchen. All I wanted was to run away to my bedchamber to process the events of the day, but my brothers couldn’t be left unsupervised—not while they were in this mood.
I stopped them as they tried to escape the entry hall. “Hurry and retrieve my bonnet from Aunt Ruth’s room. It won’t be long before she returns.”
Their smiles fell, and Charles twisted his fingers together. Peter didn’t move.
I sighed, bending over to look more closely at their faces. “You were brave enough to put my bonnet in her room, so you must be brave enough to go retrieve it. Make haste. She shall never know it happened.”
They nodded, racing off toward the stairs. I turned to the mirror on the wall beside me, examining the damage of my sunburn. The red seemed to have intensified. Another day in the sun had darkened the scarlet at least one shade. I sighed. At least Mr. Coburn hadn’t been entirely right about my inability to secure a husband. Mr. Frampton hadn’t been deterred.
How had I gone from being thoroughly criticized by one man, to being proposed to by another, all within one hour? My head felt light. I needed a glass of water. Mr. Frampton’s proposal was sudden and unexpected, but I would be a fool not to accept it. For five years, I had longed for escape from Oak Cottage and Aunt Ruth’s control. I hadn’t even left the town of Silton for all of those five years.
But if I married Mr. Frampton, I would be here forever.
A wrench of disappointment twisted my heart. I shook it away. Selfishness could not take part in my decision. Nor could silly dreams about adventure or romance. Taking a realistic approach to the situation was essential. I would never see a day in London, or Bath, or Brighton, or any social town, and even if I did, I would be dreadfully overlooked. Therefore, any prospects I hoped to find would have to be from Silton or some other small town in Dorset anyway.
Mr. Frampton was the best I could reasonably hope for. Love could have nothing to do with it. I would marry him, take mybrothers with me, and live out my days comfortably in Silton as the wife of a vicar. There were worse fates than that.
I tried to relax, but my chest was still tight and anxious. Why was I not overjoyed? I finally had a way to escape Aunt Ruth. I pictured Mr. Frampton’s sincere face and blond curls. Hewasa great deal older than me. I scowled at the floorboards as my mind continued to race. A loveless match was ideal, was it not? There was no man in the world who could ever steal a place in my heart, for it was already fully occupied by my brothers.
Distracted by my thoughts, I hardly noticed the door creak open behind me. I felt a rush of warm air at my back.
I whirled around. Aunt Ruth stood in the doorway, her silver-streaked hair pulled back tightly. My breath stopped in my lungs. She was home early and my brothers were still in her bedchamber. Panic crept into my stomach.
I didn’t know if it was her hard, grey eyes, or her strong, thick arms that frightened me more. She was large for a woman, towering at least six inches above me. It had taken five years, but I could finally speak to her without dropping my gaze.
