Page 50 of Wagering for Miss Blake (Lords and Ladies in Love 4)

Are you telling me I lost that wager, as well?

“It matters not. Mother wants a man with a title for me, and, like you, what Mother wants, Mother gets.”

Her answer to Giles’s question played repeatedly in her mind as she tossed and turned in her bed that night. He was determined, and so was her mother. He was confident, so was she. He never lost, neither did Mother. She felt as though she were being pulled apart like a piece of taffy.

Of course, she hadn’t been able to answer him because a yes, you lost the part of the wager that I would fall in love with you, would be a lie, and a no, you did not lose would have been a disaster. She’d admitted to herself during the house party what she felt for him. It was the reason she’d allowed him to make love to her.

Thankfully, the dance had ended shortly after he’d asked his question, and her mother was right at her elbow, whisking her away to eat supper with her and Lord Ambrose.

Father had taken to the card room the minute they’d entered the ballroom, and Mother had spent her time watching Suzanna like a hawk, and had subtly, but firmly, brushed off those gentlemen who’d approached her who were not suitable. No title.

Blast it all to hell!

She cringed at thinking those words, even if only in her mind, but she was tired of hearing about the benefits of marrying a lord. If Mother was so enamored of titles, she should have held out for one herself. It was exceedingly unfair of Mother to expect Suzanna to follow her dreams. Was she not entitled to her own?

Love had always been a fond wish for her marriage. Nothing appealed to her more than a man who was besotted with her. And she with him. And children who were the product of that love, not born as a duty to merely secure a title.

What had Mother found so horrible about being married to Father? It was apparent he adored his wife and allowed her free rein over his life and their daughter’s.

Mother had held her tongue on the return ride to Lord Montford’s home. However, once they’d arrived back and ascended the stairs, she glared at Suzanna and ordered her to attend her immediately. With a great deal of trepidation, Suzanna followed her mother down the corridor until they reached the room her parents had been assigned.

Father had elected to join Lord Montford in the drawing room for a brandy, and Lady Montford had retired to her bedchamber, casting Suzanna a sympathetic glance.

Mother didn’t waste any time. The minute the door was closed, she rounded on her and went on the attack. “Young lady, the reason I rose from my sick bed to travel all the way to London is because of the rumors that reached me about you and this Templeton fellow.”

It always amazed Suzanna how her mother seemed to know absolutely everything, even though she’d been buried in the country. “I have no idea what you mean, Mother. Mr. Templeton is merely a man I’ve met this Season, initially becaus

e he attended Patience’s wedding. He is a close friend of the duke, and that is how I became acquainted with him.”

Perhaps Giles’s highborn connections would sway her mother. However, as Mother pulled the feathers from her head with enough vengeance to rip her hair from its roots, she snarled, “Don’t play false with me. I heard the two of you were quite cozy at the house party you both attended recently.”

Suzanna held her breath, hoping one of the messages Mother had received did not include their foray into the folly or the disaster of her walk in the woods. But that was impossible, since there hadn’t been enough time between the end of the party and Mother’s arrival for her to receive that news via a letter. The talk of them at the house party must have been something Mother had learned at the Eversons’ ball this evening.

Had she been questioning people? A mortifying thought, that.

“I will allow no dallying with Mr. Templeton. Do I make myself clear?” The pins flew from her head as she let her hair down.

The little girl who had always done what Mother said rebelled. She was a woman grown, and she had the right to her own opinions. “Mother, I don’t understand this need to marry a man with a title. I would think you would want happiness for your daughter.”

Mother leaned in and pointed her finger at her. “You will find a great deal of happiness as a secure member of the ton. As a nobleman’s wife, all doors will be open to you.”

Holding her ground, Suzanna crossed her arms over her chest. Maybe it was being away from Mother this Season, but she did not want to capitulate to her mother’s wishes. Especially on this matter that would affect her entire life. “All doors are open to you, and you’re not a nobleman’s wife.”

Mother sniffed. “I have never been held to the same level of esteem as my sisters. They both married titles, and by the time Father got to me, he was merely anxious to see me off, and didn’t care if my husband had a title or no.”

Oh, Mother. Perhaps she had ignored the gossip about the number of mistresses Cousin Eunice’s father had kept all the years of his marriage. That was not the sort of thing her father would do, and that should mean more to a wife than a man’s title.

“But Father loves you. He gives you everything you want. Doesn’t that make you happy?”

Mother dismissed years of pleasant conjugality with one sweep of her arm. “What would have made me happy was marrying a man with a title. Like my sisters.” With a great deal of enthusiasm, Mother tugged her earrings out and tossed them on the dressing table. “And then their two daughters married titles, too.”

“Eunice and Cousin Grace?”

“Why do you keep questioning me? You know precisely of whom I speak. I do not see much of Grace, with all those children she’s popping out every year, but Eunice has always lorded it over me.” Mother glared at her through the mirror on her dresser.

Suzanna’s patience snapped. “That is so untrue! Cousin Eunice is one of the nicest and most unpretentious women I know. She has done everything to make me feel welcomed and at home.”

Her mother’s lip curled. “You don’t see what I see, my dear.”