“You think that she was attempting to escape with Lord Forthside.”
“I do,” Honora replied, quickly. “It does make sense - if one thinks about it clearly. What mother would want her daughter to wed a gentleman so far below her in status? Would a Duke be content with his daughter marrying a mere Viscount?”
“No,” Lady Albina agreed, softly. “No, they would not. And despite the fact that Lady Charlotte might have cared for this fellow, might have wished to wed him, her parents would not have consented.”
“And thus, she tried to elope, only for me to discover them, to think that Lord Forthside was attempting to steal Lady Charlotte away against her will, and to save her from him.”
“Which was not what she wanted. You inadvertently took away her happiness, her only chance of true affection between herself and her husband and, whilst she might have play-acted the part of being relieved and thankful, she has been working hard to punish you for what you did.”
Lady Albina let out a long, slow breath, shaking her head gently.
“Good gracious.”
“No doubt she would have been able to pay those she used to carry out her commands,” Honora finished, as Lord Crampton nodded slowly, his eyes fixed to the floor and his forehead lined. “The night that you took that glass of brandy, the one which I knocked from your hand, she was not even present! No doubt she wanted nothing to do with the event itself so that she could claim to be innocent and unaware, as she was not even there that evening. Meanwhile, the footman she had, no doubt, paid to do as she asked, did what was expected, and had you not had the glass removed from you, you might well have been taken very ill indeed.” A small shudder shook her frame, her hand tightening on his. “Deathly ill, mayhap.”
A few moments of silence spread between them as Lord Crampton closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his hand still holding tight to Honora’s.
“I do not know what to do.”
“You could confront her?” Honora asked as Lady Albina’s attention was caught by a passing gentleman who began to speak to her earnestly, leaving Honora and Lord Crampton to their conversation. “Tell her that you know of what she has done and what she intends.”
Lord Crampton shrugged, shaking his head.
“What good would that do?” he asked, heavily. “Even if I know all of what she has done, she can still continue with her intentions. My awareness of it does not change anything.”
Honora bit her lip, suddenly feeling hopeless. Lord Crampton was right. Her knowing what Lady Charlotte intended did nothing to prevent the lady from carrying out her plan.
“I could… announce my betrothal,” Lord Crampton said suddenly, his voice a little softer, a little tentative. “That would be the only way I could think of to succeed.”
A swell of panic rose in Honora’s chest. She dropped Lord Crampton’s hand and took a step back from him, horrified that the man would consider betrothing himself to Lady Charlotte.
“But why?” she managed to say, her voice hoarse. “Why would you do such a thing?”
Lord Crampton’s brows lowered into a frown.
“If I announce a betrothal, she will not be able to pretend that she is betrothed to me,” he said, rendering Honora all the more confused. “That is the only solution I can see.”
Honora was about to ask him what he meant and just who he would betroth himself to, when Lady Albina, who had been near enough to overhear their conversation whilst continuing with her own, turned back towards her for a moment.
“He means to betroth himself to you, Miss Gregory,” she said, in a half-whisper. “Toyou. Do you understand?”
With a smile, she pressed Honora’s arm and then returned to her own conversation, leaving Honora to stand, speechless, before Lord Crampton.
His face was quite red, his eyes darting from here to there without ever truly lingering on her features. He was unsure of her response, embarrassed that he had not made himself clear and now a little anxious in the lingering silence.
“You – you would wish to betroth yourself to me?”
Her voice was breathless, her hand clasped to her heart.
Lord Crampton spread his hands.
“If you would be willing,” he said, slowly. “Miss Gregory, I will admit that I had not thought of matrimony during the first few weeks of our acquaintance, but Ihavebegun to think of you in a way which I would never have expected.” His hand was still holding hers and he took a small step closer to her, his eyes searching hers. “I had hoped that, in a few weeks, I might ask to court you, once I had proved myself to you,” he continued, making Honora’s eyes flare in surprise. “I know that I only recently disappointed you, that the hurt from my forgetfulness must still be painful, and I wanted to give myself time to make certain that I might, one day, become the gentleman you deserved. But now, it seems, I have no choice but to beg of you to consider me as your future husband, Miss Gregory. You are the only lady I could ever imagine as being my bride, the only lady who has ever had such an effect on my heart and mind that I cannot forget her!” A small chuckle escaped him, and Honora smiled a little bashfully. “It is, however,” he continued, seriousness coming into his eyes, his smile fading, “a very great thing to ask of you. To ask you to trust me, to ask you to believe that the change in my character is a permanent one, to trust that I will provide for you, love you, and care for you as a husband ought when, only yesterday, I broke a promise to you. I understand fully if you choose not to trust me so, Miss Gregory. I will not hold it against you nor bear a grudge. In fact, I would urge younotto accept me, given that I still have so much to prove!”
Honora had been unable to breathe properly for the last few minutes. The astonishment of being offered a proposal of marriage was one thing, but to have it from Lord Crampton was quite another. The gentleman who had pushed her emotions from one thing to the next, the gentleman who had, as he had only just said, not yet proved himself to her, and the gentleman whom she could not seem to forget.
“I – I will accept.”
Lord Crampton’s eyes flared wide as Lady Albina moved tactfully away, keeping close enough to Honora to allow her a little privacy whilst being entirely within the realms of propriety.