Charlotte didn’t know why George allowed such belligerence from her brother. She was nearly sure that George, with his strong arms and big hands, could beat Christopher in a fighting match.
Ever more livid at Christopher’s deceitfulness, her shaking hands threatened to throw the door wide open and accuse them right there. But Christopher cleared his throat, and she restrained herself, eager to learn more. His voice dropped lower. “We must watch her every move. I’ve informed the groomsmen and told the butler and the footmen to make sure she does not leave our property unawares and that no one enters whom we aren’t expecting. Understood?”
“Understood,” George said, but it sounded like a sigh. “Though, I do think you are being too extreme.”
“You always were soft,” Christopher muttered. She heard a tight exhale and listened harder as one set of footsteps seemed to walk away with agitation. If she guessed, the heaviness of those footfalls belonged to Christopher.
Opening the door a hair wider, she saw George rubbing the thumb of one hand against his other palm, trouble warring on his brow. She hoped that meant that, deep down, he didn’t agree with Christopher. Shehadalways liked George the best of all her brothers.
She turned the door handle and closed it once again. Leaning her back against the door, she counted to ten as she tried to still her breathing. As soon as she could, she would make a private appointment with their solicitor and attempt to learn every last detail of her contract. But tonight there was nothing she could do. She must behave as if nothing had happened. That was the curse of the privileged female. Regardless of the turmoil within, one must always present oneself as flawlessly composed on the outside.
Summoning her courage, she grasped the door handle once more, donned a smile, and stepped into the corridor, where George remained. He started and stood straighter when he saw her.
“George.” She sighed, not having to mask her gratitude for him. “Will you escort me to dinner? I’m in need of strength, and you seem poised to give it.”
“Of course,” he said, and the practiced Roylance manners each of them possessed for public consumption immediately washed over his face, erasing his darker emotions. “You look absolutely stunning, Charlotte. I will make sure Lord Ainscough knows how lucky he is if you but look in his direction.”
“I am sure you will,” she said, tamping down the frustration that roiled in her gut from the conversation she’d just heard. “No doubt it will be a lovely evening.”
She descended the stairs and immediately noted the back of Lord Ainscough’s wavy blond hair. He always wore it long, but it suited him. His jacket was perfectly tailored, a blue a few shades darker than her own gown. It wasn’t faded around the seams like the one Alex had worn, but she shouldn’t think of that now. As she came down the stairs, Ainscough turned and smiled. She had to admit he was rather fetching, though always a little too practiced.
It would be best not to utterly despise the man she would have to spend the rest of her life with. She searched her heart, hoping for any romantic or exciting feelings there, but found nothing of the sort. At least Lord Ainscough was good and kind.
“Miss Roylance, you are simply breathtaking.” He walked toward her and inclined his head toward George. “May I?”
“As long as you do so with utmost care.”
“You have my word,” Lord Ainscough replied, and despite all her internal anger, Charlotte believed him.
Just before they went in for dinner she caught Christopher and their mother analyzing her. From the few glances she observed, they seemed pleased. She’d begun to accomplish it, apparently—the outward appearance of perfection while the inside was nothing but a desecrated battleground on the losing side of a war.
“Miss Roylance.” Lord Ainscough drew her attention away from her inner captivity. “London was not the same after you left, but tell me, did Northumberland invigorate your senses? You seem to have benefited from the beauty of nature.”
“Indeed,” she answered, further resigning herself. If, by some miracle, she looked improved after all her crying, it wasn’t just the wilderness that had assisted her. It was the light that had come from spending time with someone she loved, but she couldn’t explain that to His Lordship. “Do you ride much, Lord Ainscough? Our grounds are quite singular.”
“I do.” He smiled. “And, if you’d be willing, I’d very much like to ride with you tomorrow morning.”
George, who had been a few paces away, took two quick strides toward them both. “Mind if I joined you?”
He must have been listening, making sure she’d be watched. Charlotte consented, knowing full well she’d been monitored, albeit tastefully. If her brothers were this insistent on tracking her every move, how would she ever make it to the solicitor’s office?
All in attendance walked into the dining room according to rank and took their places as they began one of the most gluttonous feasts her family had ever hosted. She sat next to Lord Ainscough on one side and Lady Eloise on the other. Lady Eloise said little more than the absolute pleasantries, and it infuriated Charlotte. Did she think herself that superior? This was how the Quality behaved? If Lady Eloise was the paragon of a titled lady, why on earth should Charlotte aspire to be like someone so superficial?
By the third course, Lord Ainscough had planned two different outings for them, the second of which Christopher had declared he’d wish to join with Lady Eloise. By the third course, Lady Eloise had expressed, though it seemed begrudgingly, that she and Charlotte should spend time around the castle so she could learn its history while the men planned outings like hunting, archery, and a trip to the pond. No doubt Eloise wished to know all the facts behind the house she’d one day be mistress of.
By the seventh course, Charlotte found her stomach in a knot due in part to the heavy food and in part to the weight of her facade, which was quickly wearing thin. Everyone had planned nearly every moment of the next week until the masquerade, and she hoped she’d have the stamina and determination not to crack before it was over. She doubted there would be any time to discover the secrets of her land holdings.
Once they had played a few rounds of cards after dinner, the party broke up and Lord Ainscough escorted her as far as the stairs. She thanked him politely and curtsied.
Ready to swallow up the short distance to her room, Charlotte hastened up the stairs and was nearly there when her mother stopped her and took her by both hands.
“Well done tonight, Charlotte. I am so glad your health has improved. I could not be more pleased with your behavior or with what a superb gentleman Lord Ainscough seems to be. You two are well-suited, you know. I saw how he followed your every move tonight. I fully expect an understanding between you two before he leaves.”
“Yes,” Charlotte said. In all her memory, she couldn’t remember her mother ever being so effusive or complimentary. Her soul felt like stone, and her heart was so ruined, she almost didn’t care. “That will be splendid, won’t it?”
“So very splendid, my dear. Sleep well.”
The warmth of her mother’s hands in hers lingered as she called Ellen to help her undress and then hastily crawled under the covers. The room collapsed into darkness as she snuffed out her candle, and all her emptiness seeped into her blankets and threatened to choke more tears from her throat. Would every night feel like this?
