Page 50 of No Ordinary Lady

“Lady Scarsdale warned me that if I’m too bold, stating what I want too forcefully, I would repel some suitors.”

“Obviously, those men wouldn’t be the right man for you anyway,” Marian mused. “What exactly do you think you want in a man?”

“To have him fall madly in love with me as soon as possible,” Gabby said with a giggle and a wink. “Oh, and a title might be nice, too, but that is not a desperate wish.”

“I suppose those things are important to some. But why the rush to wed?”

“For my cousin’s sake, more than mine,” she said, with complete seriousness. “John gave up his life and ambitions when he became my guardian. Taking me in, raising me as a beloved sister. I would repay him poorly if I dragged my feet to the altar. What about you? What do you hope for in a husband?”

“I’m not looking for one,” Marian said, in equal seriousness. There wasn’t a man for her. Certainly not in this world of grand aristocratic matches.

“Don’t be silly. Of course, you are, and men will line up to dance with you next season.”

“Next season?” Marian shook her head. “I won’t be in London next season.”

“Will you be staying here, or will you be gone home by then?”

Marian only smiled at that question because she didn’t know where she’d be tomorrow, let alone next season. She’d always gone where the winds of chance or her uncle had taken her. It was so odd to have no one to answer to, although she supposed that for now, she answered to Mrs. Nolan. There was no one else to tell her what to do with her life anymore. It was a rather lonely feeling, actually. Being so disconnected from the people she’d always known was something she’d never imagined happening to her.

Marian turned around to look at the distant rooftops and pointed to them. “Is that the nearest village?”

“No, that is Mr. Wilson’s estate. Our village is in the other direction. You must have seen it on your way from Portishead.”

“I must have been asleep then,” she blurted, hiding the fact that she’d come from the other direction. “Where is your home?”

“Between here and the village,” Gabby said. “It’s quicker to walk there than come by carriage.”

It had been remarkably easy to find Danny’s home, honestly. He’d given such wonderful descriptions that night at the inn that every turn she’d taken had been the correct one in the end.

Gabby tugged at her sleeve. “What was your home like?”

“Nothing like this,” she blurted, looking around. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about that.”

“Me too,” Gabby agreed, and then smiled. “There’s sadness in my past as well.”

Marian breathed a sigh of relief that she wouldn’t have to explain how she didn’t belong here or anywhere. As much as Miss Kimble seemed to like her right now, learning the truth about Marian’s past could change that markedly. It was best if they became friends only on a superficial level. The fewer lies she spoke, the less she had to remember later.

“Tell me about your cousin, Mr. Kimble,” Marian asked as she looked back at the manor house and the five figures now sitting out on the lawn. Danny and Miss Wilson, she noted, were on opposite sides of the gathering.

“My cousin is a good man, amusing, too. I am hoping he finds a gracious lady to marry when we go to London next year as well.”

Did Gabby think of nothing but marriage for everyone around her?

When she went back inside, she ought to think seriously of leaving all this behind her. There were maps in the library, most likely, that could show her parts of the country she’d never imagined.

“It’s truly a shame that Lord Scarsdale came back when he did,” Gabby said, her lips pursing in distaste.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, she’s getting everything she ever wanted without lifting a finger to deserve it. Oh, she’s going to be insufferable now.”

“Who?”

Gabby took Marian by the arm and led her deeper into the gardens. “Miss Wilson, of course.”

“What do you know about that?”

“Her and her plans for the earl? Poor man? Miss Wilson has long claimed their union is written in the stars.”