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“Arthur has been told by Wilhelmina that his girls should be married by now, so that is what he is trying to do.”
“What does Wilhelmina have over him?” Ryan asked. “Has she leant him some money in the past, or given him something, or does she know something about Arthur that she is using to blackmail him? Why does he seem willing to listen to her and only her?”
“I wish I knew. Nothing, not even his marriage, is as important as that hideous woman,” Mabel sighed.
“You do know that Sian is prepared to leave to avoid having to marry Cedrick, don’t you? I doubt you will be able to get her to return once she has gone,” Ryan warned.
Mabel squinted at the anger she could hear in his voice. “You care about her, don’t you?”
Ryan nodded. He could see no reason to lie to the woman. She had to know. Someone had to know, aside from Norman that is.
“I don’t care for my husband,” Mabel told him bluntly. “There is no point lying about it. He is not the man I married. I now bitterly regret marrying him. There, I have said it. It is scandalous of me, I know, and there is nothing I can do about it, but it is fact. Because of it, I will advise you to do everything you can to avoid being married for duty. Don’t do it to yourself. Nobody should feel forced or obliged to marry anybody for family honour, a family name, or any reason other than love. A marriage should be based on love and love only. A solid marriage can survive anything if it is based on a mutual desire, respect, and love. Take it from me, accepting anything less is not worth the misery.”
“I have no intention of marring anybody else. I am in love with Sian.” Ryan’s gaze fell to Sian, who was blissfully unaware of the conversation.
He knew the silence that lengthened between him and Mabel contained the question ‘why don’t you offer for her then’, but he wanted Sian to be the first person he discussed marriage with. Norman knew how he felt, of course, but then Norman knew everything about him, good and bad, and vice versa. Norman knew him well enough to be able to guess where his true affections lay years ago, not least because Ryan had shown very little interest in anybody else since he had met Sian. While Mabel knew he loved her daughter, she had no idea just how much Ryan’s love bordered on outright adoration.
“It will cause a scandal,” Mabel whispered.
“Her running away and having half the village out looking for her you mean?”
Mabel shook her head. “Her disappearing the day before her engagement is announced makes it clear to everyone that she is not a willing participant, and this is no happy union.”
Ryan nodded. “The villagers aren’t daft. You are likely to draw the attention of the gossips who will speculate why she must be married off at all, especially to someone like Cedrick. He is unconnected I take it?”
Mabel nodded. “The only connection I am aware of him having is to Wilhelmina.”
“Who is unconnected. Does Cedrick have wealth? A mansion of his own? A good income?”
Mabel shook her head. “I cannot say. Do you know something, I am not even sure Arthur knows anything about him? Wilhelmina has declared Cedrick and Sian to be a good match and that is enough for Arthur.”
“Well, we all know better,” Ryan snorted.
“What could we do to stop him?”
“The engagement is to be announced tomorrow?”
“God, I hope not,” Mabel breathed, looking horrified.
They were interrupted by a gentle knock on the door. A timid looking maid poked her head around the door.
“There is a gentleman downstairs to see you, sir. A Mr Arthur Mullens, sir.”
“I will be down in a minute,” Ryan sighed.
“He says he has come to collect his daughter and wife,” the maid continued.
“Is he alone?”
“He has a lady with him, and a younger man, sir,” the maid reported.
Mabel winced and paled.
“You stay with Sian. I will go and send them on their way. I take it you are happy to stay here with Sian while she recovers?” Ryan paused by the door.
“I would love to, but I cannot leave Martha and Lucinda to that harridan,” Mabel whispered. She looked so miserable that Ryan took pity on her.
“Well, then, they shall both have to stay here too. This house has eighteen bed chambers. I am sure we can find a room or two for them.” Ryan smiled. “It will stave off the gossips. Sian will have a suitable chaperone while she is here. God knows, it won’t do her reputation any good for news to get out that she has been staying at my house all by herself.”
