“Mary. You seem to be taking the long way around this story. What happened between you and Graham?”
“There is a lot to it, but if you want to get straight to the point, fine.” She hesitates for a moment, and I notice her cheeks turning red. “I went to his townhouse.”
“Unchaperoned?” I say, aghast.
“Yes.”
“Surely you knew that was a bad idea.”
“I did, and I didn’t care. I had argued with Mother because she was threatening to choose a husband for me, and I was tired of her trying to control everything I do. But more than anything, I wanted to be alone with him. He had kissed me the day before, and I thought I had died and gone to heaven, and I wanted to feel it again. So, I told Mother I was going shopping, and I went to Graham’s house instead. Now I have a terrible dilemma on my hands.” Her voice is thick with emotion.
“You’ve fallen in love with him, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” she whispers and falls into a fit of tears.
“Oh, Mary, it will all work out,” I console her while guiding her to come and sit next to me by the window.
“No, it won’t. My family will not allow me to marry an untitled man, no matter how wealthy he may be.”
“Have you spoken to your mother about it?”
“Somewhat. All I know is I will be disowned and considered a disgrace to the family name.” I help her wipe the tears away.
“It is hard to imagine your parents doing something so extreme. Perhaps she is bluffing, and if not, it’syourlife, not hers. If she’s more concerned with your status than your happiness, it’s her loss.” I say, knowing if I were in her shoes, it simply wouldn’t be that easy. “What about Graham? Has he made any declarations?”
“Oh yes! He most certainly has, one being that he will not tolerate a rejection based on the shallow mindset of the haut ton where title is the determining factor.”
“He told you that he wants to marry you?”
“I suppose you could say he did, although it may have been more of an indirect approach. I believe his words were,‘When you are my wife, you will quickly learn that I judge a man by his character, not by the lineage of his family.’”
“Oh my. Either you gave him a clear reason to make that statement, or he is arrogantly presumptuous,” I reply with a raised brow.
Mary looks away, avoiding my eyes while another flush of pink brightens her cheeks.
“Look at me, Mary.” She waits only a few seconds, then brings her eyes to mine. “The choice has already been made, dear cousin. I can see it in your eyes. You are simply having a hard time coming to terms with what that means because if your family truly does disown you, you will not have them to fall back on should things not go well with Mr. Knightly. It is a bit of a gamble, but if you are sure your love for one another is true, and in your heart, you know he is an honorable man, then I think you should let him know your answer is yes.”
Her face lights up with a contagious smile. “Thank you, Ella. It has been awful pretending that everything is well when I’ve been ready to collapse with the weight of this burden. I’m so happy I decided to make this journey to visit you. I knew if we talked about it, you would help me make the right decision. Now all I must do is figure out how to tell my parents. For all they do, especially my mother, I love them and would be heartbroken if they never wanted to speak to me again.”
“Yes, that is something I cannot imagine. Perhaps I can talk to my father,” I offer. “I know he will listen, and maybe he can help talk some sense into your parents.” If Mary’s parents disown her, it would be devastating to our family.
“I don’t know that it will help, but it is certainly worth trying.”
A knock at the door interrupts our conversation, and I turn to find Douglas entering with a folded letter in his hand.
“Hello, Douglas.” My heart ticks higher at the thought of finally getting a letter from Alasdair.
“There is an urgent letter from the garrison, m’lady.”
“Oh.” I suddenly don’t feel well. My hands shake as I take the letter from him. I break the seal and unfold the crisp paper, and my stomach sinks as I read the words that blur as my eyes fill with tears.
“Ella, what is it? Is everything well?” Mary asks with obvious concern.
“No.” A sob breaks free. “No. There was a battle. I…don’t know, but it says that Alasdair is on the list of wounded and deceased.” I’m going to be sick. I know I am. Oh dear God, no. I don’t want to live without him. I cannot live without him.
“Give me the letter, dear,” Mary says, leaning forward to take it from my lap where it fell. She begins reading aloud as I lie back and close my eyes, hoping to stop the room from spinning.
Dear Lady Galloway,