She collected herself and managed a smile. “Thank you, Mr. Cooper.”
“If you could please ask him to come speak with me next?”
Charlotte nodded. It was the oddest thing, having a guest use her father’s study to interview them each in turn. She quit the room on numb legs and returned to the parlor.
“Well?” Mama asked the moment Charlotte arrived.
“Um…” Charlotte glanced at both her parents before she focused on her father. “Mr. Cooper would like a word with you, Papa.”
“To discuss the wedding details, no doubt.” Papa crossed to the door. “Ladies, you must not wait for me with dinner. I shall join you as soon as I can.”
Charlotte watched him go. With a rough idea of the conversation he was about to have, she dreaded his return.
“What did he say?” Mama asked.
“I think it might be best for us to wait for Papa before I tell you.” Charlotte wrung her hands.
“Come now,” Mama pushed. “At least tell me if he kissed you.”
“He did not.” Finally a question she could answer without hesitation.
“Well. Such things are overrated anyway,” Mama said. “All that matters is that he is well situated and wealthy.”
It took tremendous effort for Charlotte not to roll her eyes.
“Shall we?” Mama asked when dinner was announced shortly after.
Charlotte nodded and followed her mother to the dining room. Food was served – a soup of some sort – and Charlotte ate while doing her best to engage in the subject her mother wished to discuss: her plan to redesign the garden in the spring.
They were almost halfway through the second course when Charlotte’s father returned with a cross expression. He glanced at Charlotte, then at his wife. “The wedding is off.”
Charlotte’s heart made a joyful jump. Until this very moment, she’d not dared believe it.
Mama stared at Papa in wide-eyed dismay. “I beg your pardon?”
“Mr. Cooper will not be proposing to Charlotte after all,” Papa said. He strode to his chair and lowered himself to the seat. “Instead, he means to marry the Earl of Dervaine’s youngest daughter, Lady Fiona.”
“But…” Charlotte’s mother blinked in rapid succession. “He came here byyourinvitation and for the sole purpose of marrying Charlotte. He cannot just…just…change his mind.”
“Clearly, he has.” Papa poured himself a large glass of wine. “In fact, Mr. Cooper has made himself perfectly clear. An announcement declaring him engaged to Lady Fiona is due to appear in the paper tomorrow.”
“But what about your agreement with him?” Mama asked. “I mean, you offered him Charlotte for a reason.”
For the money, Charlotte was tempted to say. She managed to hold her tongue though.
Papa took a deep swallow from his glass and sank against his seat. Incredulity lent a glassy appearance to his eyes. “He gave me a promise note worth one thousand pounds as a means of compensation.”
Charlotte’s mouth fell open. Mr. Cooper hadn’t mentioned this to her.
“But that’s extraordinary,” Mama said.
“It’s only half as much as I would have gained if Charlotte had wed him, but it is substantial enough to clear my debt and improve upon my financial situation.”
Shocked by the startling turn of events the evening had provided, Charlotte tried to work out what had occurred. And failed. Until something Daisy had said when she’d returned from The Black Swan came into sudden focus.
Things have a way of turning out as they should. This won’t be any different. I’m certain of it.
Charlotte frowned. This couldn’t possibly be Blayne’s doing. Could it? She pondered this possibility during the rest of dinner. She hadn’t asked him for help with anything besides reacquiring the rights to her book – a task she’d received no progress information on yet.
