“Mr. Voss, a word, if you please.”
A few simple words, yet the lighthearted moment fled at the stern tone, and Frederick’s pulse quickened as he turned to face Thea’s father.
Chapter 15
Mr. Keats stood a short distance away, hat firmly upon his head, hands clasped behind his back as though he’d been waiting in this exact spot for this opportunity. The man’s bearing was as precise as his words—straight-backed, composed, and carrying that unspoken authority which discouraged any hint of familiarity.
“Of course, sir.” Frederick managed a polite inclination of his head before turning to Miss Ashbrook. “Please, excuse me.”
The lady nodded to her uncle before wandering off into the crowd, leaving Frederick to face the gentleman. Mr. Keats offered no greeting. He stood in silence as the noise of the green raged around them, not speaking until Miss Ashbrook was well out of reach.
“The rumors aren’t fading,” said the gentleman. “Rather, they are growing in strength and number.”
Once more, Frederick found himself facing down his sweetheart’s father without a single thought as to how to defend himself. So, he remained silent.
“I investigated the issue, and what I discovered is concerning. Enough so that I must withdraw my blessing for your courtship. I cannot support your suit until these troubles are resolved,” said Mr. Keats, his tone expressionless, as thoughtossing out a minor detail as inconsequential as the lawn boules just behind him. A little nothing to be quickly swept aside.
And with a bow, Mr. Keats turned on his heel.
“Is that all?” Frederick scoffed. “A grand pronouncement and then walk away?”
Pausing, the gentleman frowned. “Is there more to say?”
“I love your daughter, sir. And she loves me. Had my father not passed, we would already be engaged or even married,” said Frederick.
“That may be, but no promises were made or licenses procured, and a courtship is easily broken,” said Mr. Keats in that matter-of-fact tone of his, as though his statement weren’t tearing at Frederick’s heart.
“Please, sir,” he said, stepping closer. “I will sort it out—”
“A father’s primary duty is to provide for his daughters, and I will not allow her future husband to jeopardize that. Had you approached me in your current condition, without any assurances that my daughter’s future is safe in your hands, I would never have given my blessing.”
“I am still a gentleman of standing,” said Frederick, forcing his voice to remain calm. “I am plagued with troubles at present, but I am working alongside our steward and solicitor to set things to rights.”
Mr. Keats’s brows rose at that, giving the first sign of emotion beyond the general air of boredom he exuded. “How long will that take? And in the meantime, will Thea’s dowry be drained to prop up Dunsby Hall? Will she then be made to go without, like your mother and sister?”
“You speak as though they are being neglected,” replied Frederick.
“Can you honestly say their needs are being met?”
“Going without dinner parties and dress allowances is hardly neglect.”
Stepping closer, Mr. Keats lowered his voice, ensuring that even if anyone were eavesdropping, they couldn’t hear. “The creditors are circling, Mr. Voss. The blood is in the water, and I will not allow my daughter to be dragged into the frenzy that will follow. If you had any decency, you wouldn’t dare ask me to turn a blind eye.”
It was as though those words were plucked from the deepest part of his heart—from the dark corners where the terrible truths he did not wish to acknowledge lay hidden. The small, insistent thoughts that plagued him when his guard was down, whispering that no matter what he did, he would ruin Thea.
“I take no pleasure in this, Mr. Voss,” he added, giving another bow before disappearing into the throng.
But Frederick did not move.
Ringing within him, loud and unmistakable, that conversation drowned out the chatter and laughter that surrounded him until the brightness of the day faded to nothing. The music grated, and the air grew heavy with the sour tang of spilled cider. Someone called his name, but it barely reached him as the world shifted, leaving him unmoored.
Frederick crossed the green without looking at the world around him, his feet cutting a clear path to Dunsby Hall. His home may be the source of his troubles of late, but at present, it was his only refuge.
*
The cheerful din and excited revelries ought to have kept her mind occupied, but Thea’s would not be still. No matter how she tried to focus on the conversation around her, her gaze strayed again and again to the far side of the field where her father stood speaking with Frederick.
Slipping in beside her, Mina nudged her cousin with her shoulder.
