She took a deep breath. She had never liked him, and her dislike was only growing, not dissipating. She knew she could never be with Jude, but she also knew that regardless of that, she couldn’t continue to court Mr Beaumont, no matter what her father or her brother thought.
She was going to tell them tonight that she couldn’t do this anymore. She had tried to do her duty but had failed. Duty be damned.
Chapter 20
Evelina speared a piece of asparagus with her fork, glancing at her father at the head of the table. She had hoped that Richard might be out for the evening, but no, her brother was sitting in his usual chair and had already declared that he was intending to stay in tonight.
She clenched her teeth in frustration. She needed to tell Papa that she couldn’t and wouldn’t entertain Mr Beaumont any longer. He might be a bit angry with her, but she was certain that if he saw how distressed she was, he would eventually capitulate. But with her brother constantly present, she would not have a chance to talk to him alone. Not tonight, at least.
She stared down at her plate. She could wait and bide her time, of course. But Richard was always here, monopolising their father. It had taken days before she had a chance to talk to Papa privately the first time about Mr Beaumont. And the longer she waited, the more entangled she would become with the gentleman. He was already talking about calling on her again in two days and taking her to a Christmas garden party this Saturday.
Evelina took a deep breath. It had to be now, even with Richard present. Her hand tightened on her fork. She simply couldn’t bear the thought of pretending to be nice to the gentleman, suffering through his company again, for another minute.
But just as she was about to speak her mind, Richard took a sip of wine, staring at her.
“So,” said her brother, in a jovial tone. “How did the pantomime rehearsal go today, Sister?” He paused, taking another sip of wine. “I heard you had an accomplice.”
Evelina glared at him. She wouldn’t be surprised if her brother had set her up, encouraging Mr Beaumont to call today, even though he knew she had always been intending to go into the village.
“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. “Which was not very proper, Brother. I felt compelled to let Mr Beaumont accompany me to the village today because he insisted, but truth be told, it was unacceptable. We had no chaperone.”
Her brother didn’t reply, but Papa frowned slightly.
“Mr Beaumont accompanied you into the village without a chaperone?” He shook his head. “That is not good. I shall speak to Sir Henry about that. A courtship must be conducted in the formal way.”
Evelina’s heart leapt. Her father hadn’t known that Mr Beaumont had been planning to ambush her, which her brother clearly had known. He wasn’t pleased. This was the time to press her advantage.
Her heart surged with sudden hope, unable to believe that she hadn’t thought of it until now. She had been taken by surprise and hadn’t been able to think of an excuse to refuse the gentleman,but it was so obvious as to be blinding. She could have refused him easily and within reason; they had no chaperone. In fact, they had been alone in that carriage together, which could have caused a scandal if anyone had witnessed it.
She took another deep breath. “I am afraid that I must not see Mr Beaumont anymore because of it,” she said, sighing heavily, as if in regret. “A gentleman who does not conduct himself in the proper way, especially at the start of a courtship, cannot be encouraged.” She stared at her father. “You must see that, Papa. If anyone had witnessed us together, there would have been a scandal.”
Her father’s eyes clouded with concern. But before he got a chance to say anything, Richard butted in.
“There would be no scandal, Papa,” he said in a tight voice. “There may have been some talk, but it would have died immediately once we announced the betrothal.”
There was a deathly silence at the table.
Evelina gaped at her brother. “Pardon? What did you just say?”
Her brother looked harassed, but managed to shrug. “We were not going to tell you yet, Evelina, but it seems you have forced my hand,” he said. “You are already betrothed to Mr Beaumont. The courtship is just a formality to ease you into the idea of it.”
“It is for the best, Evelina,” said her father, looking slightly ill. “It truly is. I have known the Beaumont family for years and you will be well looked after, my dear.”
Evelina rose to her feet. She was appalled to discover she was shaking like a leaf. She simply couldn’t believe what they were saying.
“You are telling me that I have been betrothed to him since the beginning?” Her voice was shaking. “That you did this without even bothering to inform me?”
Richard sighed. “It was brokered the first time we went to visit Sir Henry, Evelina. But because we knew you would be… reluctant at first, we agreed to pretend it was a courtship at the start, to give you a chance to feel more comfortable with him.” He paused. “We did it as a kindness to you, Sister. I was all in favour of just telling you about the betrothal at the start, but Papa insisted.”
Evelina felt tears trickling down her face. She didn’t even bother to wipe them away. She turned to her father.
“How could you, Papa?” she cried, feeling like her heart was breaking. “You have taken all my choices away from me! You do not even care that I do not like the gentleman! You are dooming me to unhappiness for the rest of my life!”
Her father was pale, staring at her with horror.
“Evelina, that is enough,” growled Richard. “You are distressing our father. Have you no mind for how fragile he has been since Mama’s passing?”
Evelina whipped her head around, glaring at him.