Well, there was no moving past a kneeling duke. By the time the last guest departed, word would already have spread to every corner of every parlor in London, mostly because of what she knew she would say. There wasn’t a choice.
Best get it over and done with then.
“No.”
Her mother gasped again.The other gentlemen went so still Sarah could actually feel their shocked expressions upon her skin.
Brunswick blinked. “I said, marry me.”
As if the disaster warranted repeating. Good lord. Perhaps she should try a different response.
“No, thank you,” she said. That was really the extent of what she could manage right now in terms of politeness. When Brunswick remained where he was, still holding his ring forth like some sort of trophy he’d won in a joust, Sarah turned to her mother. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I completely understand,” her mother said, frowning at the duke.
Determined to ignore him, Sarah addressed the other gentlemen present. “Thank you so much for coming. I’m much obliged to all of you for taking time out of your busy schedules in order to be here. Shall I expect to go fishing with you tomorrow Mr. Dunnings, or am I to ride with you in your curricle, Lord Endry? I’m not entirely sure we agreed on when I’d be seeing whom.”
“Ah...” Mr. Dummings said, sounding much like a man getting strangled. “Now that I think of it, I do believe I have some business that will take me out of Town for a while.”
“Me too,” Lord Endry quipped, to which Mr. Cummings and Lord Penwood hastily nodded as if they too intended to make themselves scarce for a while.
Sarah stared at them all as realization dawned. The spectacle Brunswick had caused, coupled with her act of publically turning him down, had made the other men re-think their interest.
“In that case, I bid you good day,” she told them curtly. Her only goal now was to escape the humiliation. And so she hurried away, without a backward glance to check if Brunswick was still on bended knee in the grass.
#
MATTHEW STARED AFTERMiss Townsbridge in baffled astonishment. She’d rejected him. A duke. The most desirable option available on the marriage mart.
For years he’d had to fend off debutantes and their mamas. And that was without taking into account the widows looking to aim a bit higher on their next trip to the altar.
“Would you like a hand, Your Grace?”
Matthew glanced at the young man offering assistance. He wasn’t the only one staring. A small crowd of onlookers jostled each other for a good look at the man who’d failed to secure the hand of a woman who ought to be thrilled with his offer.
“That won’t be necessary.” Irritated, he rose. Every gentleman here had been invited to vie for Miss Townsbridge’s hand. When Matthew had realized what was going on – that a very deliberate effort was underway to marry her off – he’d made a snap decision to snatch her up before anyone else had the chance.
It never once occurred to him that he might not succeed. And yet here he stood. Rejected.
“Perhaps you’d like some lemonade?” a footman inquired.
Only if it was spiked with brandy. Matthew scowled at the servant until the smile slipped from his face and he retreated.
“May I please have a word with you?” a woman asked.
Swinging around, Matthew dropped his gaze until he located Viscountess Roxley. “About what?”
She leveled him a dry look. “Your offer, of course. My husband will want to meet with you to discuss the terms.”
“But–”
“In the future, it might serve you well to treat people with the sort of respect you expect in return. After all, one never knows when a slight may come back to haunt you. This way.”
Lady Roxley swept past him with the regalness of a queen. Matthew stared after her a moment, glanced at the other gentlemen milling about, and decided to follow.
“Simmons,” Lady Roxley told the butler who’d admitted Matthew when he’d arrived, “please make sure the other gentlemen are shown out in an orderly fashion. Once they’ve gone, you may ask my husband to find me in the parlor. Come along, Your Grace.”
She ushered Matthew into a neat room with stylish yet comfortable looking furniture and gestured toward an armchair. “Please have a seat while I fix us each a drink.”
