“Ah! You see, Lord Lempster? Such boldness Lady Margaret possesses. Poor girl does not know that money is precisely what her father lacks.” His brown eyes slid to Margaret. “One fiery daughter will settle the matter. Refuse, and I shall see your family cast out into the streets, your name whispered in scorn from London to Bath.”
Margaret’s eyes flashed with indignation.
Camelia’s chest tightened, while Iris grasped Margaret’s arm, gently pulling her back.
“Hush, Margaret. I will handle this,” Camelia whispered urgently, her eyes pleading.
Margaret shook her head, her eyes blazing. “No, Camelia! I will not stand silent while he treats me like a trifle! And you, Lord Montague,” she added, turning sharply to face him, “if you expect me to marry you, it will only be on the terms that my father’s debts are cleared in full and that I retain my freedom.”
Lord Montague laughed—a sharp, cruel sound that echoed through the room as he approached and leaned closer to her. “You dare to give me conditions? The audacity of youth!” His voice dripped with amusement. “Such spirit is precisely why I desire the youngest. You will learn obedience, mark my words.”
Camelia stepped in front of her sister before she could retort, her stance protective. “There will be no need for that, Lord Montague. I will raise the money and settle the debt myself.”
“Oh?” Lord Montague said, a thin, mocking smile playing on his lips. “And how do you propose to do that, Lady Camelia? Your father cannot pay his own debts, so how would you do it? A spinster with no husband to provide for her…” He stepped closer, lowering his voice until it was almost a hiss. “And if you fail… remember, I make the terms, and the consequences of unmet terms will only grow harsher.”
He brushed past Camelia towards the door, where Iris stood wide-eyed and silent. Margaret huffed behind her.
“Stay still, Margaret. I will protect you, I promise,” Camelia murmured.
“But it is not your burden alone, Camelia!” Margaret whispered back, still trembling with indignation.
Their father, shaking with fury or fear, swallowed hard. “Please… Lord Montague, surely?—”
“Silence, Lord Lempster,” Lord Montague interrupted smoothly as he stopped in the doorway. “Tomorrow evening, one way or another, I shall claim either Lady Margaret or every shilling owed. I encourage you to choose wisely.”
The Earl’s face darkened as his frail fists clenched.
Camelia watched as the last of her father’s defiance crumbled. It did not surprise her; he had always been a gentle, almost guileless soul. She recalled, with a faint pang, how her mother had once declared with pride that he was a rare gem among the rough stones of the ton.
If only Mama were here. She would know what to do.
Camelia drew a steadying breath.
“I shall find the means to repay you, Lord Montague. I beg you to grant us a little more time,” the Earl pleaded.
But Lord Montague’s smile was chilling. “Bold words, but empty ones. Tomorrow, I expect an answer.”
With a mocking bow, he swept through the doorway, his footsteps echoing down the hall.
The front door slammed shut, and the rumble of his carriage faded with his departure.
CHAPTER 2
The study fell silent, save for the crackle of the fire. Their father sank into his armchair, his head in his hands as he groaned in despair. Camelia and her sisters surrounded and embraced him.
“What have I brought upon us?” he mumbled. “My folly has doomed you all.”
Camelia took his hand. “Papa, we cannot yield to him. Margaret is too young, too innocent for such a fate. We will find a way to pay him back.”
“My dear, the—” He choked as he tried to still his shaking hands. “The debt… it is insurmountable. Thousands of pounds, and we cannot raise such a sum by tomorrow. I am ruined, and I dragged you all with me. I am sorry, my girls. I failed you, and I failed your dear mother.”
Camelia’s heart ached as she wondered how her father had fallen into such crippling debt. It was unlike him, yet she could not fault him. Grief over her mother’s passing had clouded his judgment over the years.
Her mind raced for solutions, but only one possibility presented itself, and it chilled her to consider it.
“We will be all right, Papa. We will find another way,” Iris insisted gently.
Camelia looked up at her older sister with a rush of gratitude. Iris was not one to lie, but in the moment, a small untruth offered the comfort they all needed.
