“I spend every day trying to determine how best to ensure no harm comes to him.”
“This is an odd situation we all find ourselves in,” said Fletcher.
Owen held up his glass. “Let’s toast to Lark’s and Anthony’s happiness. And Fletcher’s, too.”
All five men clinked their glasses together.
* * *
Louisa frowned at the pink blob that was supposed to be a flower in her embroidery project. She must have miscounted stitches. But then, of course she had; her mind was elsewhere.
Her father appeared in the doorway of the sitting room, which surprised her. He was rarely home at this time in the afternoon.
“There you are,” he said, as though he’d been looking all over for her.
“Hello,” she said. “Did you need something?”
Father walked into the room and sat next to her on the sofa. “Let me speak with you about something.”
“Please do.”
He frowned. “Fletcher Basildon came to speak to me today.”
Louisa’s pulse sped up, but she felt somewhat gratified that Fletcher had abided by his half of the bargain. “And?”
“Do you really feel trapped in your engagement to Rotherfeld?”
Lord George Petty had long been a bit soft, something Louisa had always appreciated. He was ruthless in business, but kind and empathetic with his family. The way he said the wordtrappedmade Louisa believe that he’d understand her plight in a way her mother didn’t.
“When Rotherfeld first started to court me last season, I was open to him,” Louisa said, deciding to start at the beginning.“He is very handsome, after all, and he was kind to me, and he was always a perfect gentleman. That all impressed me. It wasn’t love, but I know better than to expect love, at least right away. When he proposed, I couldn’t think of a reason to sayno, and I imagined that, over time, we’d get to know each other and grow fond of each other and have a perfectly agreeable marriage. However, this season, as we have gotten to know each other quite well, some…new facts have come to light.”
“Yes, Fletcher mentioned. But why don’t you tell me yourself?”
Louisa wondered how much Fletcher had told Father. “I did tell Mother, and she essentially told me I was being foolish, and I did not have a choice in this matter.” She sighed. “As for Rotherfeld, I don’t think we suit, is the main thing. I find him dull. He thinks my interests are frivolous. Often when we spend time together, we run out of things to discuss. And perhaps that is something that can be overcome, but I…” Louisa felt tears sting her eyes. These were petty reasons not to marry. She was reluctant to talk about Daniel’s affairs with men, but she didn’t know how else to convince her father. “And I believe he’s having an affair with someone else. I suppose I don’t have proof, and I am just operating on a gut feeling I have, but I’m certain I saw him with someone at the Atherton ball, and… Well, it doesn’t much matter. I confronted him yesterday, and he didn’t confirm my suspicion about the affair, but he didn’t deny it either. So I asked him to let me out of the engagement, and he refused. And he was honest. He wanted a wife. He as much as admitted that he chose me because I’m old enough to be on the shelf and he figured I’d be desperate. Iwasn’tdesperate, but he seemed like a nice man, and who was I to turn that down? But now he’s got this business arrangement with you, and I just think… I think he and I will make each other miserable. Neither of us wants to bemarried to the other, but Rotherfeld feels that he must marry, and so, yes, I find myself trapped.”
Father looked at the floor for a long moment. “There have been some unsavory rumors about Rotherfeld in the past. I ignored them because he seemed like such a good-hearted young man when we spoke. And when he came to me with this farm deal, I thought he was acting as my future son-in-law and introducing me to a good business prospect. I didn’t realize he was putting me in a position where I could not say no to him.”
“I don’t think he’s a bad man. But I don’t want to marry him.”
“Fletcher offered to marry you.”
So he’d really said it all. “Did he?”
“This cannot be a surprise. I take it you and he have been discussing it.”
“I… yes. He hasn’t formally proposed, but he told me he’d marry me if I ended my engagement to Rotherfeld.”
“Do you want to marry Fletcher?”
“Yes,” Louisa said, suddenly overcome with her emotions. The longer she stared down this situation, the more clear it was to her that she very much wanted to marry Fletcher. She could practically see their whole future together, laughing and teasing each other and making good on the promise of a few stolen kisses. She knew she would cry now, frustrated as she was with Daniel, and she hated it. She wanted to show strength. But the predicament she found herself in now weighed on her. “Yes, I want to marry Fletcher. I wish either of us had realized how much we meant to each other sooner than a month ago, but here I am now. Rotherfeld and I are not married yet. Please tell me it’s not too late.”
“Oh, my dear. I hate to see you cry.” Father reached over and wiped away an escaped tear with his thumb. “I do not believe it is too late, but it’s possible Rotherfeld intends to ruin me financially if you don’t go through with it. Which is not my way of saying you must marry Rotherfeld, but I do not know what I will do if you don’t.”
“Fletcher can help, surely. He just inherited his father’s business holdings.”
“I don’t want to ask that of him. Financial entanglements with one prospective son-in-law should not be cured with entanglements with another. On the other hand, I’ve always liked that boy.” Father shook his head. “I know not what to do about any of this.”
“In other words, you won’t force me to marry Rotherfeld, but there could be serious consequences if I don’t.”
