“That is what I wished to tell you. I have a plan, and it is going to work. I have entered into a courtship.”
“Acourtship?That only means that I shall see less of you.”
“But it will protect you,” he sighed, exasperated. “This way, the courtship will command the attention of society, and if all eyes are on her, they shall not be on you. If it is her name in the scandal sheets, then it is not yours. No, it is not ideal, but it is what must be done.”
At that, he saw the tears form in her eyes. In spite of how she had spoken to him of late, she was not a cruel young lady, only a frightened one. Eliza was a pretty girl, with her dark hair and light eyes, but she had a habit of not fighting for what was best for her. That did not matter, not for the time being at least, for Nathaniel knew that he would not allow her to make the wrong choices for herself under his watch.
“You should not have to do all of this,” she whispered. “You should not have to sacrifice your own desires for my sake, nor that of an innocent lady. You did not cause this.”
“That is besides the point.”
“No, it is not. I got myself into this predicament, and I should be the one to bear the consequence.”
He knelt by her then, taking her hands in his as he fought to maintain his composure. It infuriated him that she thought thatway about herself, but he knew there was no changing it. She was as stubborn as he was, and when he saw that in her he wondered if it was something he needed to change about himself.
“You did not do this to yourself,” he said firmly. “It is only a courtship, Eliza. I would sacrifice far more for you without hesitation, and you know it. I do not do it out of duty to you, either. I love you, and that means sacrifice.”
She began to weep at that, and she tumbled forward into his arms. He caught her gently, and tried to soothe her. She was young, far too young to be in a predicament such as hers. It was not fair, and he cursed the man that had done it to her.
“I do not know how I got so lucky as to have a brother like you,” she whispered. “You should have sent me away.”
“I could never do that. Could you imagine what Mother would have said?”
She laughed through her tears at that, taking steadier breaths as she sat up straighter.
“I am horrible to you,” she sighed.
“I understand it. If I were in your situation, I would be far worse. Come now, let us set you right again.”
He helped her to her feet, and then took a handkerchief and wiped her tears away. He had done it rather often of late, andit had become more and more frequent since he learned of her condition.
“I miss John,” she said quietly. “I no longer wish to wear black, but I do miss him. Is that awful of me?”
“Not at all. You can miss him while wearing pink.”
She laughed softly again. Truth be told, Nathaniel also missed Lord Ashcroft. He had been a good husband to her, someone that made the right decisions for her and did not take advantage of the fact that she was easily led.
The man that came after him, on the other hand…
“What is she like, then?” she asked. “This lady that you are to court. Is she pretty?”
“Indeed she is. You shall like one another, I rather think.”
Her eyes widened at that.
“Surely you do not expect us to meet?”
“Should I not? Eliza, I believe she will understand your situation. She will not pass any judgment, and even if she did, I know enough about her that she would never share it with anyone else.”
“That does not signify. We cannot risk her knowing where I am. Does she even knowwhoI am?”
“I do not believe so. She did not mention you when she visited me this morning, in any case. If she does, there is no harm in it. Society knows what has happened to you, and where you are, and there have been no qualms with it thus far. You are mourning, that is all there is to it.”
“But it is not. Nathaniel, I do not know how to make you understand that my life is at risk, and that will affect you too. We cannot trust anyone, even if you think she is pretty and will like me.”
Nathaniel bristled at the accusation. He thought he had a good judge of character, and he had a natural instinct to trust Lady Margaret. He did not understand why his sister was so against her.
But then, he was not a young lady with child, and one out of wedlock at that.
