Later that afternoon,Charlotte visited the nursery to greet her niece, then went downstairs to the drawing room to join her sister for tea. She had barely put her lips to the tea cup when Dorothea recited the following days’ planned events.
“We shall begin with some shopping tomorrow morning and luncheon out so that everyone may see you are not in the least affected by Mr. Morton’s ill-timed and hasty marriage.”
“Why should we care, Dorothea? He had hardly made his feelings for me common knowledge in the county.”
“That was my belief as well, but as it turns out, dear Mrs. Sanders had made it quite well known all throughout the area of his affection toward you.”
“Why?”
Dorothea made a peeved face. “Well…it is perhaps a bit of my own doing, I am sorry to admit. I was so certain of his intentions I may have…let drop to Mrs. Sanders a hint or two about our expectation of an offer. I do apologize, but you see, that is why we must be very visible in town so that all may witness you are not in the least put out by his abrupt marriage to Miss Graham.” She scrutinized her sister. “Youareover him, are you not? It would not do for you to gocomparing Mr. Shelby and Mr. Cartwright to our neighbor. Their properties are not as grand, but they are entirely respectable gentlemen and either would be a good match for you.”
It was time to share the news. Charlotte set her tea cup down and turned on the settee to face her sister.
“It would not matter to me whether either of those gentlemen were heir to the crown itself. I would not take them. Oh, Dorothea, I am already engaged to a man I adore above all others.”
Dorothea nearly choked on her cake at Charlotte’s pronouncement. “What do you mean?” she asked, setting her plate down. “You are engaged? How? To whom?”
Beaming with pride, Charlotte replied, “To Mr. Frederick Morton—the new pastor at Clayton Parish. Oh, Sister, I did not believe I could ever be so satisfied in love. I had convinced myself that Frederick did not care for me except as a friend. But, when he made his feelings of admiration toward me known, I could do naught but reciprocate my similar esteem. And, I pray you will wish me happiness.” Charlotte’s smile faded as she saw Dorothea’s lips press firmly together and a stern expression overtake her countenance.
“His feelings of admiration?” Dorothea asked. “No, my dear, I assure you, his felicitous manner has more to do with your dowry than with your personality.”
Startled, Charlotte gave a little laugh. “Whatever can you mean, Sister? My dowry is but a thousand pounds. Certainly not enough to attract a fortune hunter, which I should never accuse Frederick of being in any case. He loves me despite my small dowry.”
Dorothea shook her head. “Allow me to make this intelligible to you, my dear. Your dowry isnota mere thousand pounds. Thanks to my husband, your dowry is now six thousand. Reginald was generous beyond all measure, and his contribution was all to a mind of getting you a true gentleman as a husband—one with land and esteem—not a pitiful pastor. So, if you believe Mr. Morton wants to marry you, Iassure you—it is not for love but for the money that will enable him to live a life of ease and luxury.”
Charlotte jumped to her feet and paced the room.
“I can hardly believe my ears, Dorothea. You secretly increased my dowry? Isthiswhy I so quickly became the most desirable single lady in the county? This is why men were so eager to dance with me and come calling—because of a large dowry of which I had no knowledge? How did word get out? Oh, let me guess—you dropped a small word about it into the ear of that grand gossip, Mrs. Sanders. Howcouldyou? You, who constantly are urging me to ‘know my own worth.’ What a joke. The truth is—without Reginald’s help I should be ignored and slighted by all those gentlemen at every dance. Nobody would come calling for me.”
“Now settle yourself, Charlotte. You are a gentleman’s daughter and therefore as desirable as every other lady at any assembly. Reginald and I merely wished to sweeten the pot, so to speak. It merely made you more visible to gentlemen and increased the likelihood of them coming to get to know you better. But, I certainly would have made sure you chose wisely. I would never have allowed you to marry a fortune hunter or someone ill-suited to your temperament.”
Charlotte stopped her pacing and turned to face her sister. “My God—is that why Mr. Robert Morton wanted me? For my money? Is that why he pushed to have me elope, so that after we had our anvil wedding at Gretna Green the six thousand would be his? But, no, it doesn’t make sense—Brentwood is a fine, profitable estate.”
Dorothea rose and went to take Charlotte’s hands. “So we all thought. But word has gotten out that Mr. Morton’s father left the estate in such disarray when he passed that his son was about to lose it all. I must believe that is why Mr. Morton pressed you to go to Gretna Green and why he fled to London after we went to nurse our father. With you out of the picture, he became desperate. Somehow, hepersuaded Miss Phoebe Graham to do what you would not—elope with him. She had a dowry of five thousand and it saved Brentwood. So yes, I confess we had no idea of his designs on your money. I thought he had no need of your dowry, and I believed he truly cared for you.
“I am so very sorry for the pain he caused you, Charlotte. But now, you must comprehend that his younger brother is entirely no better. Mr. Frederick Morton also has designs on your dowry, most assuredly. For how could he be ignorant of the estate’s financial need or not know of the money his older brother sought? It only makes sense. On the other hand, Mr. Shelby and Mr. Cartwright have no urgent need for your dowry—I truly believe their admiration for you is sincere. You see? I am convinced Mr. Frederick’s desire to wed you is simply to bring his standard of living up to what he was accustomed to growing up on a fine estate. He may say he could be content as a middling-income rector, but after how his brother behaved, how can you doubt that Mr. Frederick’s true admiration is not for you, but your dowry?”
“Does our father know of all this?” Charlotte asked weakly. “Did you tell him of your gift to my dowry? For he gave his consent to our engagement.”
“No. I had not told him of Reginald’s generosity as I feared it would make him feel inadequate as a father to think the dowry he could provide was not enough. We intended to tell him later, perhaps. I am certain, however, that should he now know the particulars he would be in complete agreement with me that the Morton brothers just wished to get their hands on your richer dowry.”
“No. It cannot be,” Charlotte said in a thick voice. “I have been deceived again? I cannot but think that all men are insincere, hateful creatures who care solely for themselves.”
She wrenched her hands from her sister’s and ran from the room, sobbing.
Chapter Forty-Two
All was quietat Haverstone. It was late and everyone had long since gone to bed. In her room, however, Charlotte was unable to sleep. After fleeing from her sister, she had spent the rest of the day locked in her room, weeping over the betrayal of her dowry, and she had refused to allow anyone admittance. A supper tray left outside her door had gone untouched. Again and again, she tried to make sense of it all but found herself unable to bring her heart and her mind into any accord. Sorrow and anger were competing in a sort of sad warfare for her attention, and Charlotte felt herself in a state of anguish she had never before experienced. It was even worse than when Robert jilted her.
She was furious with her sister for deceiving her and increasing her dowry without informing her beforehand. Had she but known, she could have been far more discerning in her discourse with any potential suitors. She would have found a way to let them know that—because of her wealth—they would have to do much more than drop a few compliments to win her heart. As it was, Dorothea sent her into the marriage game utterly unarmed. Thinking her dowry was a mere thousand pounds, Charlotte had been guileless and therefore too easily duped into thinking it was her charm and personality that had won her suitors over. It was a cruel act to make her so easy atarget for romance.
She also felt shame for realizing how little it took for her to think herself desirable. She now thought herself a complete fool for believing any of the gentlemen who had so eagerly sought her out did so because of her witty banter, talent on the pianoforte, grace on the dance floor, or her handsome looks. She realized now that they all knew she was worth six thousand pounds and that it was the money, not her, that was the true attraction.
Pacing the floor, Charlotte fought back tears again as Frederick’s face swam into her mind. Just a few short hours ago she had been so blissfully happy—she would soon marry a man who loved her and whom she loved as well. It had all seemed so perfect. Instead, she now saw him for what he was: another man determined to raise his fortunes with her dowry. She recalled his anger when she had brought up the common practice of the clergy teaching in order to bring in more income. She thought at the time she had wounded his pride, but now she saw that he was disgusted at the very prospect of teaching. He clearly felt it beneath him after his upbringing at a fine estate. No wonder he wished for her dowry. It would bring his standard of living closer to what he felt he deserved, and if marrying her was part of the deal, well, so be it.
And him a man of the cloth as well. Such betrayal, she felt, could never be overcome.
Worst yet was the realization that she had to make a decision about her future, and no option seemed palatable.
