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Once he’d had his fill of her and she’d done her duty as a broodmare, he would indeed set her aside and pursue his pleasure elsewhere. It was what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? But could she really marry such a man?
The path that had seemed so certain to her before now seemed fraught with pitfalls. Only one other remained untried. But could she actually do it?
“I DON’T SEE how you can possibly get out of it, Sabrina,” whispered Augusta. “You’ll have to accept one of them.”
“No, I don’t,” Sabrina told her sister. She looked to the doorway with apprehension. Mama had gone to speak with cook about dinner before Montgomery and his sister arrived, but she could return at any moment. “I’ve a plan to avoid all of this unpleasantness.”
Her sister’s expression turned incredulous. “You call it ‘unpleasant’ to have men competing for your hand?”
“If you’d endured what I have, you’d agree with me,” Sabrina replied sourly. “But you had it easy.”
“Philip is a dear.” Augusta smiled, her gaze softening.
Sabrina snorted to herself. Philip was an unsophisticated country squire who’d inherited his title by the sheer grace of a cousin’s stupidity. To put it plainly, he was a bumpkin, and she suspected that Augusta visited London so rarely mainly in order to keep him that way. The variety of temptations offered here corrupted men all too easily. Victoria’s husband had certainly fallen prey to its lures. Augusta was extremely wise to cling so closely to her husband’s side when they visited.
“It’s a shame you didn’t pay mind to his brother,” continued Augusta. “Peter would have made an excellent husband. And don’t make that face! You always make that face whenever I speak of Peter,” she complained. “He’s a good man, and he would have come to scratch if you’d shown any interest at all.”
“Oh, Augusta! Must we revisit this every time you come home? Peter never showed the slightest interest in me. It’s a moot point, anyway, since he’s gone for the church, isn’t it?”
“He could still marry,” said Augusta. “He’d be here in a shot if you wrote to him with even the least amount of encouragement.”
“I doubt it. Even if he did harbor an unrequited tendre for me, he has a reputation to uphold now. His parishioners would likely start piling wood at the stake if he brought me home,” she added stubbornly. “Now, enough about Saint Peter.”
“Oh, all right. I was only trying to offer a solution to your problem,” grumbled Augusta. “Tell me about this grand plan of yours, then.”
She took a deep breath. “I’m going to find another suitor.”
“That’s your plan?” exclaimed Augusta. “Add to the ‘unpleasantness’ further? How many suitors does a girl need?”
“Just one. The right one. And don’t you dare lecture me! Half a dozen of the ladies in your own circle entertained several suitors before they settled.”
“Yes, but they weren’t in your situation,” said Augusta, pointing an accusing finger. “You really ought to reconsider. You can’t afford to take chances, not after the sort of scan—”
“I can, and I shall. I will not fall prey to the same tragedy as our mother and our sister. I assume Georgiana has told you about Victoria?”
“Yes. I received a letter from her two days ago,” said Augusta, her voice sinking to a whisper. Now she, too, glanced at the door anxiously. “Does Mama know anything yet?”
Sabrina shook her head. “She does not. She is afraid that if Mama finds out, she will come storm the castle and cause a complete uproar. What do you think she ought to do?”
Augusta cast her gaze to the carpet. “I don’t think there is much she can do, to tell the truth. You know menfolk hold all of the power. She has no recourse, no choice but to put up with his indiscretions quietly.”
“Just as Mama did,” Sabrina murmured sadly. “My plan will work, Augusta. It must.”
Their mother sailed into the room with Henry and Rebecca in tow, effectively curtailing the conversation.
“Sabrina, it’s happened!” the girl squealed happily, extending her hand and waggling her fingers.
“You didn’t!” Sabrina gasped, snatching up the girl’s hand to get a better look at the sparkling jewel.
Rebecca’s grin broadened. “Charles gave it to me yesterday.”
“I’m so pleased for you,” said Sabrina, forcing a happy smile. How could she be engaged after only knowing the man for a few weeks? “Rebecca, this is my sister, Lady Billingsly,” she told her, introducing them.
“Congratulations—and please, call me Augusta,” said her sister.
Sabrina listened numbly while Rebecca regaled them with her fairy tale of an engagement. “Are you not in the least bit concerned about how quickly this has all happened?” she interjected, unable to stand it any longer.
“Absolutely not. I love him, Sabrina. And he adores me!”
