“And what of you, Hannah? You are only friends with him?”
She stared at the table, not wanting her mother to see the truth in her eyes. “Of course. I would not be foolish enough to fall in love with a man who is in love with someone else.”
“I think that is exactly what has happened.”
Hannah lifted her eyes, meeting her mother’s gaze. “He is only my friend.”
Mrs. Gibbons shook her head. “You are not allowed to see him anymore.”
“Mother, no.” Hannah stood, the chair almost falling over as she did so. “That is not fair. He has not done anything wrong.”
“But he has, Hannah. Clearly you are in love with the man, and he is stringing you along for his own little plaything whilst he waits for someone he deems better than you. I will not tolerate that. You deserve better. With a dowry the size of yours—”
“Stop it!” Hannah pressed her hands against her ears to block out the words. Her mother thought she deserved better. Not because of who Hannah was, but rather the monetary value she offered to a man. The beautiful words Noah had said about her all but vanished from her thoughts. The warmth of his touches turned cold, and Hannah felt herself shiver. “That is not true, Mother. Noah cares about me, just not romantically. But perhaps given time, he will get over Miss Lewiston and finally see me.” Internally, she begged it to be true. That someone as wonderful as Noah would see her and love her, flaws and all. Brash words and impetuousness—no obstacle too much for his love for her. It seemed too good a dream.
“No, Hannah.” Mrs. Gibbons stood, walking over and standing behind her. She took Hannah’s shoulder in her grasp, making her sit before removing the pins from Hannah’s hair. Hannah felt like a show horse, being primped and primed for the highest bidder. “No more afternoons with Lord Noah. It will only hurt you, and I need you to move your attention to someone else. Like Mr. Hodge. Assuming he will forgive your behavior from earlier. Or Mr. Swinton, perhaps.” She met Hannah’s eyes in the looking glass, then her face softened. She let out a sigh. “Hannah, I am doing this for your own good. I know it does not feel like it now, but I love you and don’t want to see you hurt any more than you already are. Lord Noah has behaved poorly.”
“But you don’t understand—” she tried saying again.
Mrs. Gibbons held up her hand. “No, Hannah. But, out of the goodness of my heart, I will offer you a choice. We can use this situation to your benefit and have your father confront Lord Chatham.”
“Or?” The word came out dull. Empty.
“Or you choose someone else. And quickly.”
Mrs. Gibbons began brushing out Hannah’s hair, and Hannah let her eyes flutter closed. Those were not appealing choices at all.
Chapter 16
Noahlefthisstudyand its uniformly papered walls, pleased he had a meeting in a couple of hours. He was starting to feel a sense of accomplishment that he had never felt before. For it wasn’t his family who had made him succeed. It was him. And, truthfully, it was because of Hannah and her assurance that he was capable. What would he do without her?
Needing a bit of company, he went to the main house to find his mother having her afternoon tea.
“Good afternoon, Mother.” He smiled as he peered into the morning room. He strode over and sat before pouring himself a cup of the warm beverage, then used his free hand to place an entire biscuit in his mouth.
“Hungry?” Lady Chatham asked, her voice laced with humor.
“Ravenous.” He grabbed another pastry, filling his mouth with it as soon as he swallowed the last.
Lady Chatham took a quiet sip of tea, regarding him, before she placed the cup on her lap. “We are having a dinner party later this week, but before that I had hoped to get your thoughts on some guests for an upcoming ball.”
“Mine?” He glanced up from the tea tray where he was selecting yet another treat. “Any particular reason why?”
Lady Chatham pulled her mouth to the side, her gaze watchful. “Yes. I want to invite some eligible men for Miss Gibbons.”
Noah’s head jerked back as a scowl formed on his brow. “Why would you do that?”
“Well, I do not have any daughters of my own, and she is a worthy subject. She is lovely, both in the physical and personal sense. I want her to do well in life.”
“That is very kind of you.”
“I guess it is a bit selfish as well. I never had a daughter to introduce to society. This could be my way of doing so without stepping on anyone’s toes. I would choose someone else, but what with Margaret being in London . . .”
Noah’s heart clenched. He hadn’t mentioned to his parents anything regarding Margaret. And he wasn’t particularly keen on talking about it now. “Yes. She is very busy.” Noah gripped his chin between his thumb and finger. “Did you have anyone particular in mind for guests to this ball?”
She studied him before picking up a piece of foolscap from the settee beside her. “Yes, actually. I have Mr. Hodge at the top of the list—”
Noah laughed. Goodness, he shouldn’t have, and yet, he couldn’t seem to stop himself. “Not Mr. Hodge,” he finally said once he gathered his wits.
