Before he did so, he fished out a folded document from inside his coat and presented it to her.
“Portia tells me you are not in favour of this marriage for Lily, though I cannot imagine why you are so against such a brilliant match.Her dowry is not large for her rank, you know, and we never hoped for such a great marriage.But in point of fact, neither you nor I have a say in it.As you will see, it has already been decided.”
She took the document from him with a murmur of thanks and sat down to read it.
“It is merely a copy,” Ralph said grandly.“The original is with my solicitor.”
The “contract” was a mere half page, and it was certainly not composed by anyone in the legal profession.In fact, Tabitha suspected it had been more in the nature of a drunken act of sworn friendship scrawled out by either Sark or Isbourne in a far less neat manner than the copy.She imagined the original peppered with ink blots and wine splashes, uneven lines of barely legible script.But if she could trust the copy, the original had been signed and dated by both parties on the same day in March 1787.And it did express the intention that the Duke of Isbourne’s first born son and heir should marry a daughter of Lord Sark’s.
“It is not witnessed,” Tabitha observed.“And I very much doubt it can be enforced, particularly against the wishes of the participants, since neither of them are named and indeed had not even been born at the time.”
“Nevertheless,” Ralph said primly, “it is my duty to respect the wishes of my uncle and his friend, the late duke, which are quite clear from this document.And you will find you are wrong about the wishes of the participants.”
“Am I?Young Isbourne is not exactly beating a path to your door, is he?He has not made an offer for Lily.At best, he plans to drop in to look her over at some point when he isn’t too busy and his health is up to it.”
Ralph flushed.“His grace is anxious to do his duty by the dukedom and the wishes of his father.Lord Hazlett assures me of that, and of the fond memories of Lily which the duke retains.”
“Lily doesn’t.She remembers him as a sick and dull milksop, and you know she has a horror of the sick room since her mother died.It won’t work, Ralph.”
Ralph’s eyes narrowed.“I won’t have you standing in her way, Tabitha.”
The threat was not subtle.There was indeed a Lisle bully beneath the excessive dignity.But he would never bully Tabitha.
“As I told Portia, I will receive him if and when he comes.If he offers for her, and if Lily likes him well enough for marriage, and if you and I find him unexceptionable, then I will never stand in her way.”
“But you are removing her just when he is most likely to visit!Leave her behind and go alone to your wretched party.You usually do.”
This was hardly true, and his flushed face told her he knew it.But she found it more interesting that he did not suggest that Tabitha should stay too.He did not want her here when the young couple met.In fact, he probably hoped to have them safely married by special license before Tabitha returned from Hawthorn Court.
“I have promised her she may come.I am not dragging her away from a beloved suitor, Ralph.She wants company of her own age and a little gaiety.”
“You are not a fit person to be in charge of an innocent young girl,” he said furiously.
Tabitha smiled.“But we are all compelled, are we not, by our duty to honour the wishes of my late husband, your dear uncle?Andthatdocumentisbinding.”
***
THE FOLLOWING DAY,as the sun peeped over the horizon, Tabitha and Lily set out for Hawthorn Court.Behind them, in the old coach, came Allison, Tabitha’s maid, with a mountain of baggage.As they drove briskly toward the main drive, the big house seemed to stare at them malevolently.Tabitha thought a curtain twitched at the upper window where the earl’s rooms were located.She shivered, for she sensed dislike on his part had just turned into enmity.
It was nothing to do with wanting the best for Lily, or even dislike of Tabitha’s defiance.He only cared for money and his own dignity, so for some reason he must really need this marriage.Lily’s wealthy suitor must have promised Ralph some outrageously generous settlements, settlements that would benefit him personally.
She looked forward to finally meeting this so-called Duke of Death and discovering exactly why.
