Page 9 of Bluebell’s Fate

Bell nodded her agreement. “Eventually, I took pity on him and decided to lead him back to the road.” Her throat grew thick. She couldn’t tell a seven-year-old boy about a stolen kiss. “I believe the fairies didn’t like him much. Before long, their dark magic began working around us. But at last, we found the road, only to be discovered coming from the woods by mother and her friends.

“I think the dark fairies thought they were being very funny to this imposter,” she continued, “but I was led along beside him. And now, mother is very angry with me. She will likely make me marry this man so that I am not ruined.”

Her brother looked her over more closely. “You’ve been crying. But you don’t look broken. How could you be ruined?”

She took a deep breath. How to make him understand? “You know that society’s rules are strict.”

“Yes.”

“Well, coming out of the woods with a man is breaking one of those rules. In fact, I would say that breaking that rule is even worse than plucking a bluebell from the woods without good reason.”

His eyebrows pulled low. “But you didn’t pick the bluebell, the man did.” Ash squeezed Bell’s hand. “Our father is the Earl Gardner. He is powerful enough to break rules if he wants to. And I am his heir.” He puffed out his chest. “I’m going to speak with him.” He stood up and made a perfect bow toward Bell.

“Ash,” Bell pleaded before he left, “I don’t want to marry this man.” She pulled her lips between her teeth. Her brother nodded solemnly. She might as well have asked Ash to turn the sky purple. If Ash couldn’t persuade her parents to make other arrangements, he would likely be crushed. He’d never experienced a failure before, and Bell hated to be the one to inflict such a moment on him.

Bell watched the door swing closed behind her brother before she fell to her knees beside her bed and sobbed. She’d done all she could, even stooping so low as to involve her seven-year-old brother to fight for her freedom. She wished, for the thousandth time, that society, her family, and even the fairies had less control over her life’s story.

Chapter Six

When Nathaniel explained the bones of his situation to Lord Gardner, the man had been silent, only tapping his fingers on the edge of his desk while he looked down at his hands. After a few moments, Nathaniel was fairly certain that at least he would not be called to duel. This was a rational gentleman. He likely had to solve problems bigger than this most days when parliament was in session. Between the two of them, with his lordship’s years of experience and Nathaniel’s good sense, they could fix this, couldn’t they?

Nathaniel answered a few basic questions from Lord Gardner about his family and his home. He told him a little about his small estate and his reasons for traveling to pick up his grandmother. He held nothing back about his circumstances, wanting the earl to have all the information he needed to help them find a way out of this predicament. All the while, the earl jotted down notes on a piece of parchment. He slid the parchment across the table and pointed to the bottom where he’d circled a sum of ten thousand pounds, above it were the words “Bluebell’s dowry.” Ten thousand pounds. That was a large amount indeed.

Nathaniel had never thought much of his future wife’s dowry. It was hers, after all. A sum to take care of her should something terrible happen to her husband. It was almost the last act of protection a father could bestow upon his daughter. Which meant…oh no!

He swallowed. “Why,” his voice broke, “why did you show this to me, my lord?” Nathaniel’s fragile thread of hope snapped. He had been under the impression that Lord Gardner was working on a plan to extricate his daughter from an unwanted marriage, not deciding whether the basics of Nathaniel’s history was, at bare minimum, sufficient for him to make a marriage alliance.

Lord Gardner sat as still as a statue, the afternoon light that spilled through the west-facing window reflecting off his shiny head. “She will be your property after you are wed, will she not?”

“No!” Nathaniel shocked even himself with his proclamation. It seemed they were giving up solving the problem.

The earl set his jaw and rose from his seat. He placed both hands on the oversized desk and leaned forward, his eyes as dark and terrifying as the devil himself. “You had better marry her.” His voice came out as quiet as a whistle on the wind. “If you cannot even claim your responsibility to make her your wife, I will shoot you right here, right now.”

The blood drained from Nathaniel’s face. How had he miscalculated Lord Gardner’s reaction to his story? He cleared his throat. “I mean to say, my lord, that I only see property as land. She is your daughter, and I will care for her if that is what is required. Of course, I will claim her as my wife. But I believe that she is her own person. I do not own her. Only God can claim that privilege.” He prayed that his words came out as he intended for them to. He wasn’t trying to ruin the beautiful young lady. He would do the honorable thing, but he could not bear to hear her talked about as if she were a fine piece of furniture for sale. That was something his own father would do, and as successful as his father had once been, Nathaniel was not like him. That was always Edwin’s job. Guilt ate at Nathaniel’s conscience once again at the recollection.

A smart knock sounded on the door before it swung open. Nathaniel swiveled his head, thankful for a reason to break eye contact with the earl, and hoping the man couldn’t read his swirling feelings. A small boy with bright blue eyes and dark brown hair stood in the doorway. The boy’s similarities to Bluebell were too strong to miss. This boy would fit into Bluebell’s woods easily, except that he was dressed like he was a twenty-year-old beau. His tiny hessian boots came up to his knees, and instead of the typical skeleton suit, he was in a fitted blue waistcoat with gold buttons and even a neckcloth. Nathaniel blinked. This little anomaly of a boy carried himself with more authority than a captain in the army.

“Father, I have a matter of business to discuss with you.” He puffed his chest out and kept his chin high.

“I am currently busy, Ash. Please wait for me in the library.” Lord Gardner’s voice was one of pride mixed with frustration.

“No.” The boy, Ash, walked forward and took a seat along the side of the room.

Nathaniel’s eyes flashed between the two as quick as one might watch a fencing match. If he’d had the audacity to speak against his father’s wishes, he would have felt the sting of a leather strap. Surprisingly, the earl nodded to his son. “Very well. Mr. Payne, this is my son, Lord Winberg.” He turned to the boy. “What is it?”

Lord Winberg stood and glared at Nathaniel for a moment. It made Nathaniel want to straighten his cravat and press his clothes again. He eyed Nathaniel up and down and then looked away as if Nathaniel did not quite measure up to what was expected. That was a feeling Nathaniel was all too familiar with. He clenched his teeth together to stop himself from saying something he would later regret.

“I don’t want Bell to marry this man.” The boy’s high-pitched voice was the only thing that gave his age away. “I have just seen her, and she is sad, but she is not broken or ruined.”

Lord Gardner ran a hand down his face. “I’m afraid, son, that if your sister does not marry this man, she will be shunned from society and live a very long, sad, and lonely life. Is that what you want for her?” The earl sounded exhausted.

Nathaniel watched as tears filled the young boy’s eyes, making him appear much more his age. He shook his head. “You are the Earl Gardner.” A tear trailed down his round cheek. “You can fix this, right?”

It was as if Nathaniel wasn’t there, watching this father-son interaction. Jealousy, hot and white ran through his chest like a dagger. It startled him how much he reacted to their caring relationship.

“I could kill him in a duel. But your sister would still suffer for her actions today. Lady Dalrymple’s competitive nature will not allow for this meeting to be swept under the rug. Women wield their own powers, and this is one instance I cannot undo.”

Nathaniel had known that death was an option, and he found himself absently nodding his head. But even Nathaniel’s death would not erase the assumptions of society for Lord Gardner’s daughter.