“You are purposely being obtuse.” She sighed. “Listen, Rohan. I cannot be your wife. It would be a sham, a lie. How many times must I repeat it? Wait. Just a while ago you said we wouldn’t be breaking the law. What did you mean? Do you know something I don’t know? Were those wicked old ladies wrong?”
“Well, yes, I do know something you don’t know, and no, they weren’t wrong.” He drank down the rest of his tea. He carefully set the cup onto the saucer, then with even more care set the saucer on the marquetry table between them. There was hurt coming and he hated it, but there was simply no choice.
Susannah couldn’t stand it another minute. The damned man was toying with her. It wasn’t fair. She hurled her own cup and saucer at the fireplace, yelling, “This is just nonsense! Will you stop stringing it out? Say what you have to say and be done with it.” She sank back down in her chair, her hands covering her face.
“Sir.”
Rohan sighed. He should have known Toby wouldn’t simply take himself off to bed and accept Rohan’s word that everything was under control.
“Yes, Toby. Do come in. Your sister is momentarily in an unsteady state of mind. She will regain her balance in just a minute.”
“But, sir, she has never before hurled anything against the fireplace. It was a very lovely cup. Probably very valuable. Mrs. Beete won’t like it.”
“Ah, but that’s one of the benefits to being Lady Mountvale. She can break every cup in the place if she wishes.”
Susannah raised her face. “Toby, see that large, ugly vase over there on top of that pedestal? Please bring it to me. I am going to crack it over his lordship’s obstinate head.”
“Sir, she has never before threatened to strike someone, not like this.”
“Don’t bring her the vase just yet, Toby. My mother is quite attached to it. No, let us wait a moment. Surely her mental tumult will soon ease.”
“My tumult is building, not easing. Toby, you heard what he said, did you not?”
Toby nodded. He was standing very straight, closer to his sister than to the baron.
“Well, do you believe he is quite mad?”
“I believe he is trying to protect you, Susannah. Those old ladies were burying you beneath the carpet. They would have ruined your reputation. Isn’t that right, sir?”
“Yes. All three of them were in transports of malicious delight. I saved her, but she isn’t thanking me, Toby. There isn’t a shred of gratitude in her posture.”
“Toby, please hand me that statue of the man holding the world on his knee. It looks heavy, so be careful.”
Rohan raised his hand. “Yes, Toby, I know. Her bile has never been this elevated for such a lengthy period of time. Listen to me, both of you. I am being honest—”
“Like you were being with those three ladies?”
“That was different. I saw what I had to accomplish and I did it.”
“But, sir, why do you want us? Susannah’s right. We’re not your responsibility. You don’t even know us, at least not all that well yet. It’s true that you’re Susannah’s brother-in-law, but if you will just give her George’s twenty thousand pounds, then you will be free of us. I know that a man of your reputation doesn’t want children hanging on his sleeve, much less a wife. This is all very confusing, sir, particularly when you couldn’t even marry Susannah if you wanted to.”
“That’s right, Rohan. You’ll be free. You can simply tell your neighbors that it was all a jest and that you indeed kicked us out.”
He bounded to his feet, knocking his chair over, and yelled, “Damnation! Shut up!”
Brother and sister stared at the baron. He was flushed. The pulse was pounding hard in his neck. He did not at the moment look calm or sleek or aloof. He did not look amused.
“Oh, dear,” Susannah said, much calmer now. “All right, Rohan, I won’t throw anything at you. You are now taking your turn at agitation. But you must agree with us. For goodness’ sake, you don’t know me. Why could you ever think that you would want me for a wife? For a wife you couldn’t have legally? None of it makes any sense at all.”
Rohan looked first at Toby, then at Susannah. “I could marry you and it would be quite legal.”
She was shaking her head.
His voice gentled and lowered. He was shaking his own head as he said, “I’m sorry, Susannah, but you were never married to George. The ladies were right—Marianne is a bastard.”
She was shaking violently now, whispering, “No, no, it can’t be. No, Rohan, I showed you my marriage lines. It was a lovely ceremony, private, of course, but the vicar was kind and—”
“I’m sorry. Listen, the man should have been kind, for George paid him a goodly sum to pretend to marry you. I realized it immediately when you showed me the license back at Mulberry House. I know the man. His name is Bligh McNally. He is infamous in Oxford for doing this exact thing. He makes quite a good living at it. Many young girls have been taken in over the years. George didn’t really marry you. I’m sorry, Susannah. It was all a lie.”