The weight on his heart eased. Perhaps he’d been wrong about her affection?
“My lady?” Nigel prompted.
Lady Louise simply stood there, staring at the man who’d just proposed while Marcus held his breath. He could only imagine what she must be going through at this moment. The chance to make an excellent match was being handed to her on a silver platter and yet, there was no denying her wanting to turn it down. Only she could not do so without embarrassing Nigel or herself. So there she stood, trapped like a rabbit caught in a snare.
God help him, he wanted to save her.
“She’d be delighted to,” a deep voice boomed.
Marcus flinched. And then Grasmere was there, striding forward in an obvious show of support.
“Please forgive my daughter. She’s clearly overcome by emotion.”
Nigel seemed to wince while Lady Louise shook her head. “I… I…”
“To the happy couple,” Grasmere shouted, raising his glass in salute.
“Hear, hear.” Applause and cheers filled the ballroom.
Marcus sat for a second absorbing it all. That was it then. She was engaged to Nigel. The reality of it was like a blow to his gut. He stood. “Thank you for your hospitality, Guthrie. Please wish Regina a good night on my behalf.”
“My sincere condolences, Marcus.”
“It was bound to end this way. I just didn’t think it would happen so soon.” Swinging away from his host, Marcus strode for the door. He needed to get home fast so he could drown himself in that excellent bottle of brandy he’d been saving for a special occasion. No better time for it than the present.
Nothing was as it should be. This wasn’t her life. And yet, she was being offered congratulations on her engagement to Mr. Fairbanks, the man she’d dreamed of marrying since she was seventeen. This evening, to her shock and dismay, she’d achieved her goal. It just didn’t fill her with the delight it would have two months earlier.
Desperate to find an anchor in the midst of the turmoil, she glanced at the balcony where Mr. Berkly sat, and blinked. Only Guthrie, the Duke of Windham, stared down at her now. Mr. Berkly was no longer there.
Louise’s heart clenched. She needed to speak with him, to explain the situation so he’d understand. Although, perhaps there was nothing for her to explain. He’d walked away from her without looking back, had refused to meet with her when she’d sought him out, and had given her no cause to hope he might feel as she did when she’d met him in the park.
And yet tonight, when she’d caught him watching her, she’d felt a charged pull unlike any she’d ever experienced before. It was almost as if the distance between them had vanished, and it had been just the two of them in the room, connected in a way that had forced her to second guess everything she’d thought she knew.
Was it possible Mr. Berkly returned her affection? Or was she just having a spell of overactive imagination?
“Congratulations, my dear.” Mama’s voice drew Louise from her reverie. “Mr. Fairbanks is an excellent catch. Handsome and titled. I’m sure the two of you will have gorgeous children together.”
“Mama!”
Mama chuckled and offered congratulations to Mr. Fairbanks next while Papa invited him to stop by their home the following day to discuss the settlement.
“To the winner goes the spoils,” said Mr. Newdale. He inclined his head toward Mr. Fairbanks, then smiled at Louise. “I wish you happy.”
She frowned, a little taken aback by the comment he’d directed toward Mr. Fairbanks. For a second, she wondered what he meant, but was quickly distracted when other members of thetonthronged around them, each more eager than the last to comment upon the brilliant match. All Louise wished to do was run from the ballroom as fast as her feet would carry her.
But then the next tune began playing, the crowd dispersed, and Mr. Fairbanks - Nigel, she supposed she should call him now - invited her to dance. It was expected, and since she had no wish to make a scene or make him look foolish, she placed her hand in his.
“I hope I did not overstep,” Nigel said while he turned her in time to the music. “It wasn’t my intention to put you on the spot and make you uneasy. I just thought we’d come to a point of mutual agreement and that I should act. Seal the deal, so to speak.”
“We’ve only been courting a little over two weeks,” Louise said, unable at last to hide her annoyance with what had occurred this evening. She’d never felt more manipulated.
“Two marvelous weeks,” Nigel said. His hand settled briefly against the back of her waist while he steered her between two other couples. “I see no reason to carry on any longer since doing so would just delay the inevitable. In truth, I made up my mind about you last week.”
Louise gulped. She envisioned him now, sitting at home with a checklist. Once every box had been ticked, he’d made his decision. Although, she was sure one box must have remained blank. “What about my inferior sight? Will it not bother you to have a wife who cannot function without her spectacles?”
“To some degree,” he admitted with brutal forthrightness. “But your sharp mind makes up for that. I’m sure you’ll do marvelously well with accounting.”
“Accounting?”
