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“You are,” he whispered, amazed at the audacity of the woman. “You are ordering me out of the village.”
“You need to decide where your priorities lie and understand that Georgiana’s now lie here. With that in mind, please don’t do anything so foolish again as to call at the house at inappropriate times, or be seen in a private place with her. She is young. She is beautiful. She is unmarried. You are still a man who is engaged. It is not right in anybody’s book. You can leave this village. She will stay. It isn’t fair for you to ruin her reputation before you go.” She yanked open the door but stirred the pot one last time. “If you care about her, even a little, then you need to let–her–go.”
“No,” Will snapped.
“You chose Penelope Smedgrove,” Ruth retorted. She made it clear with her disparaging tone exactly what she thought about that idea.
“That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?” Will demanded. “Georgiana is here because I am marrying Penelope Smedgrove.”
The thoughts that slammed through him were so wildly fantastical that he instinctively dismissed them as impossible. But then the memory of her loving display of affection last night slammed into him, and he began to wonder.
“Does she-?” he asked only to find the doorway empty.
Slowly making his way back up to his room, he dropped the heavy iron key on the bed and took a seat at the small table nestled beside the window. The more he contemplated his future in Cranbury, possibly with Penelope Smedgrove as his wife, the more he discontent he became. Marriage to her just seemed like an extra burden he wasn’t prepared to carry. Downstairs, when he had first considered that Georgiana’s behaviour had changed because of his impending nuptials, he had been inwardly thrilled that she cared so deeply about him to be that upset. However, that wild rush of heady jubilation had been swiftly dampened by the realisation that he might already be engaged.
“Am I engaged given that I didn’t ask the chit to marry me?” he sighed.
He began to wonder just how far his mother had gotten involved in his supposed engagement. Without speaking to her, he had no idea if he was free and able to offer for Georgiana instead.
Determined to get the answers he needed–and quickly, before he left the village–Will dispatched several letters to people whose opinion no longer mattered. Once completed, he sat back to try to find a way to discover if Georgiana truly loved him.
It didn’t take him long to realise that whether she love him or not was irrelevant now. Georgiana was his, she just didn’t know it yet. If he was going to marry anybody, it had to be the delightfully wilful yet irritatingly stubborn young woman who lived down the street.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Georgiana tried to find a more comfortable position on the hard church pew, but to no avail. Bored, she studied the rest of the congregation, trying to persuade herself that she wasn’t looking for Will, but she was. When she found him, her heart leapt with joyous relief that he was there. He looked wonderful if a little stern. Suddenly, as though sensing her watching him, Will’s eyes met hers. Her stomach flipped nervously. Her cheeks began to heat as a wealth of understanding and shared memories flew between them. She waited for him to do something, smile at her maybe, or nod politely, but he merely turned away instead.
Hurt, Georgiana lowered her unseeing gaze to the hymn book in her lap. It was several minutes before she became aware that she was being watched again. When she glanced up her gaze flew to Will, but he was still studying something on the floor beneath his feet. Curious, her gaze scanned the surrounding congregation. It was then that she saw Simeon Findley-Wreake. She nodded politely to him. In contrast to Will’s cold disinterest, Simeon offered her a warm, friendly smile of commiseration. Georgiana’s own smile widened.
In that moment, the Vicar began the service. As the service progressed, Georgiana sensed she was being watched again, and looked at Simeon once more. She barely managed to stifle her gasp when Simeon winked at her and flashed a wide grin, and elicited a flirtatious smile in return. Unfortunately, his antics drew the attention of a rather patriarchal matron seated three seats behind him who gave her a stern glare in rebuke. Will also began to glower at her, clearly displeased with her happiness. With a defiant toss of her head she turned her attention back to the Vicar.
The longer Will sat in the church watching Georgiana flirt with the young man a few rows before him the brighter his fury burned. He had seen enough. Ruth was right. Someone in the village would eventually realise Georgiana was beautiful, funny, courageous, and clever, and marry her. While he lived and breathed, it wouldn’t be the oaf three rows away. He was far too smooth and had ‘womanising rake’ positively stamped all over him. Even from a distance, it was obvious that this eligible bachelor was no match for Georgiana. She deserved somebody better.
Like you, a dark voice taunted.
He tried to ignore it but the fact was there. He began to suspect that in his eyes nobody would be good enough for Georgiana except for himself. The surge of jealousy that was eating at him right now was becoming rather commonplace, and urged him to do something about it, whatever trouble it caused at home.
Georgiana heaved a sigh of relief when the service ended, and everyone was able to shuffle, duly chastised, out of the church.
“Good morning, ladies,” a deep baritone murmured smoothly from beside her as she followed Ruth down the path which ran through the churchyard. “Miss Bentley. Miss Bentley. I hope you are both well?”
“Oh, yes sir, most well thank you,” Ruth gushed in response. She was so effusive in her greeting that Georgiana stared at her in surprise. She had never seen her aunt so brash in her greeting before and looked at Simeon with renewed interest.
“I take it you are settling into the village well, Miss Georgiana?” Simeon said as he bowed over her hand, his gaze holding hers as he placed a lingering kiss on the back of it.
Rather than eliciting the shiver of pleasure she experienced whenever Will did the same, Simeon’s kiss had little or no effect whatsoever. In fact, it made her rather uncomfortable.
“Yes, thank you. It is wonderful here. I am quite enjoying myself.”
“I didn’t realise you two had already met,” Ruth said hesitantly as she looked from one to the other and back again.
“Mr Parker kindly introduced us just the other day,” Simeon said. “I must say that it was a delightful experience indeed.”
Georgiana shifted uncomfortably. While he conversed with Ruth, Simeon’s gaze remained locked on Georgiana, and was too probing for comfort. While his gaze was friendly, there were shadows lurking in the depths of his eyes that warned her he had hidden sides to his personality, and they were more calculating than friendly. As if realising Ruth was still there, Simeon suddenly gave a start and looked at her aunt.
“I should like to call upon you later, if I may? I need to discuss the arrangements for the forthcoming church fayre next month,” he declared blandly.
“Of course,” Ruth replied. “Although I understood the arrangements had already been settled with the church ladies.”
