“Who, exactly, are you?” David said with a voice more like the warning growl of a dog than one for polite conversation. His grip on his fork was forceful enough to make the veins in his hand stand out.
“Didn’t Mrs. Atwood mention me? I am Mr. Green. I have been this young lady’s neighbor and friend for the past six years.”
If byfriendhe meant unfortunate admirer, he was right. He’d claimed to have an attachment to me almost as soon as we’d movedfrom Atwood Manor to Cousin Agatha’s home. If I’d tried to meet or even converse with anyone else in town, he’d always been there, hovering, showing with looks and words that he felt I was his.
I’d thought I was finally free of him. And the sight of him brought back all the reasons we’d left. The man made me feel trapped and isolated, and even looking at him had me retreating into myself.
When I didn’t respond to his bow, Mr. Green found his seat and proceeded to dish up copious mounds of food on his plate. I barely spoke for the rest of dinner, but I didn’t need to. Mr. Green spoke enough for everyone. And when he proudly mentioned his fifteen hundred pounds a year, I thought I heard a huff from David’s direction.
David didn’t speak though. Even in the dim dining room, I could see red spots of color forming along his cheekbones. He chewed his food so quickly the muscles in his jaw contracted distractingly with every bite.
When the door was finally opened to the adjoining drawing room, I dashed for it as if I were a prisoner escaping Newgate.
“I will forgo smoking this evening,” Mr. Green said quickly as the other ladies rose from their seats, “and head directly to socializing with the women, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh,” Mr. Preston said, surprised. I froze, waiting for his response. Surely he wouldn’t allow Mr. Green to be alone with us. But he nodded. “That is a fine idea. Why don’t all the men join you, seeing as Mr. Tate doesn’t smoke, and I do so rarely.”
I silently blessed Mr. Preston. Mr. Green looked defeated, but that didn’t stop him from quickly reaching me where I’d stopped halfway to the drawing room. He put out his arm, and just as with every other aspect of our relationship, I felt as though I had no other option than to take it. David rose from his seat and offered his hand to his sister, then walked around the table and proffered an arm to Mama as well, leaving Mr. Preston free to escort Mrs. Preston in.
As soon as we crossed the threshold into the drawing room, I pulled my arm away from Mr. Green and made my way to the bookshelf. I fully planned on ignoring everyone and pretending to read a book. I couldn’t believe Mama had done this. Leaving Mr. Green’s society was one of the most freeing things I had ever done. He’d known about Uncle Atwood and anyone we may have visited in London, but Breckenridge? I’d chosen it as the one place he’d never know about. And now Mama had ruined everything by telling him where we were.
He followed me to the bookshelf, watching as I chose a book of poetry, then stayed on my heels as I sat on a club chair. Mr. Green looked for a place to sit nearby, but I had chosen the one seat far from any other.
“Mrs. Atwood.” Mr. Green didn’t look away from me as he spoke. “I would like to ask your permission to speak to your daughter alone.”
“No,” I said and was surprised to hear my answer echoed by David and Mr. Preston.
I looked across the room at them with surprise. David was standing between my mother and his sister with his arms folded across his chest and legs shoulder-width apart. Mr. Preston had a similar stance, and I could see in his eyes a firmness that implied he wanted to help. Mr. Preston’s answer made sense. He felt some responsibility for Mama and me since we were relying on his hospitality.
But David? What reason could he have for answering for my mother?
“I beg your pardon?” Mr. Green gave the two men a look of disbelief. He wasn’t used to people standing up for me.Iwasn’t used to people standing up for me. “I believe I asked her mother.”
“I begyourpardon.” David’s eyes were hard, and he spoke before Mr. Preston had the chance. “But an answer from Miss Atwood should be answer enough.”
Mr. Green took a step toward David. “I don’t believe I caught your name.”
“That is because you didn’t ask it.” David’s mouth twisted, and he did not extend a hand to Mr. Green. “Mr. David Tate.”
Mr. Preston stepped forward but David waved him off. There was no reason Mr. Preston should have listened to David. Other than Lord Murphy, the Prestons were the most influential family in the county. But Mr. Preston did.
“Well, Mr. Tate.” Mr. Green cleared his throat and sucked in his paunchy stomach. “I do believe this is none of your concern.” Mr. Green was not used to being denied anything. In Silverfork, he owned the butchers and the haberdashery, which also gave him an enormous amount of power with those who worked at the bank. Everyone had to keep on his good side.
For six years, I’d avoided him when I could, given him polite answers to his forward questions, and rejected his proposals, and yet this time, I didn’t know what to do. Our short respite away from him hadn’t been much of a respite at all.
The truth was, we had nowhere to go. Could I be happy knowing I had provided a home for myself and my mother, even if it meant succumbing to the man who everyone in Silverfork had succumbed to? At least no one would be surprised by the union. Everyone had expected him to win me over much sooner than this.
Mama was getting older. She deserved to be comfortable after these past few years. If we were careful in the writing of the marriage contract about my inheritance, perhaps a marriage to Mr. Green wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I could find some good to do with Papa’s money.
I stood. “I’ll speak to him.” My stomach felt sick, and my hands had started shaking, but what other option did I have? Moving here had been a mistake, but I had made Mama do it even though she’dexpressed her concerns about coming unannounced. She’d been right. There wasn’t a place for us here. There wasn’t a place for us anywhere.
Mama’s face brightened in surprise at my answer, but next to her, David’s face turned dark. He unfolded his arms and put them on his waist. “You will do nothing of the sort.”
“Pardon?” I asked, once again surprised by David’s interference.
“You have nothing to do with this.” Mr. Green’s voice rose by an octave, and the veins in his neck bulged.
David glanced at me, his face softening in a way I was certain he meant for me to understand. But I didn’t. There was a heat in his lingering gaze that belied how little we knew each other. In all our time together, he’d never looked at me like that. Indeed, as a fourteen-year-old, he wouldn’t have been capable of it.
