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“Mabel, be seated,” Papa said, his white eyebrows lifting.
How could she argue with him? It would be impossible to be honest when in such close proximity to the man she had come here to refuse. But what choice did she have? Closing the door behind her, Mabel crossed over the Aubusson carpet and lowered herself primly into the stiff, leather seat.
“Continue, Wright.”
Mr. Wright cleared his throat. “I can only promise another week, Captain. A fortnight, if I must.”
“I will take every day I can get, lieutenant.”
Mr. Wright chuckled. “Very well, sir.” He rose, bowing to her father before turning to bow to Mabel. He regarded her with a thoughtful expression before quitting the room. The door snapped shut behind his retreat and the study became stifling in its silence.
“He is a good man,” Papa said, claiming her attention.
Mabel glanced up, swallowing her sudden retort. Mac didn’t agree with her father’s assessment. Had Mac shared that with his captain? She thought it unlikely.
Gathering courage from the love shining in Papa’s eyes, Mabel squared her shoulders. “Papa, I cannot marry him.”
He held her gaze, his own failing to give any insight into his feelings. “You are certain? He’s given much of his time and effort to be here.”
“And for that, I must wed the man?”
“Not for that, no.” Papa sat back in his seat, gripping the armrests of his chair. “Is there another man?”
How should she answer that question? Mac’s image came unbidden to her mind, his lips spreading into a wide smile as the sea breeze whipped his hair around his forehead, his hazel eyes sparkling from the midday sun. If there had been any inkling of hope within Mabel’s breast that Mac would have said something to her father before his departure—an inkling that he had intentions toward Mabel—it was dashed at once.
For all she knew, he was not planning to return.
“I cannot marry a man who I do not hold in esteem. Mama has been gone for almost eight years now, but the memory of her regard for you and the love you shared is not forgotten. If I cannot have the love match I witnessed and longed for as a girl, then I do not wish to make any match at all.”
Papa stilled, but his throat worked as he swallowed audibly. He seemed to look at Mabel as though through a new light, and she longed to inquire if this was a good or bad development. She’d been bold to mention Mama, she knew, but it was the truth.
He stood and stepped around the desk, then reached for her. She put her hand in his and allowed him to pull her to a stand. Clasping her hand tightly, Papa gave her a sad smile. “I will not press you into a marriage that does not appeal to you, Mabel. It would be my greatest wish for you to find the love match I shared with your mother.” He looked her in the eye as if willing her to understand him. “But I do not wish a lonely life for you, and I fear that is what you might face if you refuse Wright.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to argue that Mama’s life could have been considered lonely to some, her husband so often away at sea. But Mabel liked to think her mother had found contentment in the life she chose, in Mabel and Charles and Gram. Much as Mabel would have for herself.
She was following her mother’s path far closer than she had realized.
She took comfort in that startling revelation and allowed her father to pull her in for a hug. It stood to reason that he only wanted what was best for her, as misguided as he currently seemed.
“I have reason to believe that Charles intends to take a wife soon,” Papa said, leaning back. “This comfortable life you have might become disrupted if that were to take place.”
Mabel nodded. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make, to step back and allow Miss Pemberton the role of mistress. After all, it was Charles who would inherit the estate one day, when Gram was no longer here to be mistress, and not Mabel.
“We found the most picturesque estate on our trip to the sea today, and Mr. Wright mentioned that it was vacant, and he had considered purchasing it.” Mabel chuckled, hoping to lighten the feeling in the room. “I had wondered if it would be worth marrying him only to become mistress of that house, but that, I fear, is not a good enough reason to sacrifice the possibility of a love match, nor my freedom.”
Papa’s eyes twinkled as he shook his head. “Sometimes when you speak, I am fooled into thinking your mother has returned, even for just a moment. You look and sound so much like her.”
Mabel’s heart burst. “I love you, Papa.”
