Chapter12
The following morning, Mary headed down to the breakfast room early, hoping to avoid her sister.Edwina had been out for the evening when Ashford dropped her off the previous day after their carriage ride, and she’d been able to avoid her sister for the rest of the night.Edwina hadn’t invited her to the rout she was attending, and Mary hadn’t asked to go along with her and Lord Fairbanks.Amelia wasn’t going to be there, so there was no point in tagging along and subjecting herself to her sister’s glares.
But despite returning long after Mary was already asleep, her sister was already up and was waiting for her in the breakfast room.It was unheard of for Edwina to be up so early.Unfortunately, Lord Fairbanks wasn’t present, so she couldn’t count on his presence to shield her.
With a forced smile, she wished her sister good morning and settled into a seat at the table.She reached for a serving of toast but ignored the eggs.She knew this conversation was going to be unpleasant and wanted to get out of the room as soon as possible.
Edwina said nothing as she poured her tea, which only caused Mary’s nerves to stretch further.The sooner Edwina berated her, the sooner she could move past it and on with the rest of her day.Maybe she could call on Amelia this morning.She’d been meaning to visit the lending library with her friend, and today seemed as good a day as any.
“Lord Fairbanks and I have come to a decision.”
Mary tensed.“About what?”
Edwina took a sip of her tea and smiled at her.Mary knew that smile.It meant that her sister thought she’d won.Perhaps she had convinced her husband to send her back to their country estate.
“Yes.We have decided that it is time for you to wed.And no, it won’t be to Lord Ashford.”Edwina’s mouth twisted on the man’s name.“I’m sure we can find a match that’s much more suitable for your prospects.”
The smirk on her sister’s face had ice flowing through Mary’s veins.She’d known her sister would be unhappy about Mary’s name being linked to Ashford’s, but she’d never imagined Edwina would try to force her to wed someone of her choosing.
Mary was glad now that she’d taken that first step toward freedom.She’d held back for far too long, nervous about the prospect of being on her own.But she had friends who would help her get settled.She’d imagined it would be Amelia who’d come to her rescue.And while she’d hated the idea of asking for such a favor, she’d known her friend would help her to set her plan in motion.
She never imagined that Lord Ashford would be the one to insist on helping her.But he was right.This pretend courtship had barely started and already it had turned her entire world upside down.
“I shall give this matter careful consideration,” Mary said, hoping her sister would let the subject drop.
She wasn’t surprised at the too-sweet smile that spread across Edwina’s face.“I’ve already given the matter much thought.I know that Lord Gravenhurst is searching for a wife.We’ll have to make a point of seeking him out later tonight.”
It took everything in her power not to frown.Lord Gravenhurst was ancient and had already buried two wives.
“Well, I’ll leave you to your breakfast now.”
Mary watched as her sister stood and swept from the room.She was aware of the footman who stood by the door and so she continued with her breakfast.She didn’t need the servants gossiping about her.Edwina would love to have proof that her declaration had caused Mary distress and would grill her maid about Mary’s demeanor during breakfast.
She finished her toast and her tea, her thoughts in turmoil the entire time.When she finally pushed away from the table, she already had her plan in place.
Mary was of age, and so Edwina couldn’t force her to wed.Still, her sister could make her life a living hell.The last thing Mary wanted was to sit through the throng of older men her sister was about to parade before her.No, it was time to begin taking her steps toward a life of freedom.
She made her way up to her bedroom and wrote a quick note to Amelia.Her sister would read it, of course, and so she kept it brief.
I am very happy to accept your invitation.
I look forward to seeing you this afternoon.
—M.Trenton
Amelia had invited her to move in with her and her husband while they were in town for the season, but Mary had assured her that wouldn’t be necessary.She’d vastly underestimated her sister’s displeasure when she learned Lord Ashford was courting her.
She handed the note to a maid and then settled in to wait.She wanted to start packing but couldn’t risk alerting her sister to her plans.It was entirely possible that Edwina would have her bundled up and sent back to their country estate if she learned Mary was about to escape.
One hour passed, and Mary began to question the wisdom of sending the note.It was entirely possible that Edwina had torn it up.But would she do that when she very much wanted to count the wife of a marquess among her personal acquaintances?Surely she wouldn’t risk doing something to jeopardize that connection.
Mary was beginning to think she should set out herself instead of sitting there, waiting.If she was going to begin a new life of independence soon, she needed to start taking action herself instead of waiting for others.
Her decision made, she stood and crossed the room.Her hand was on the doorknob when a knock caused her to start.Bracing herself for another uncomfortable interaction with her sister, Mary opened the door.Her tension fled when she found it was a footman.
He gave her a small bow.“You have a caller, Miss Trenton.”
Would Amelia be here already?Perhaps it was Lord Ashford.“Who is it?”