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“Have there been any other letters?” Philip asked, his voice cracking with desperation even though he knew deep down that if he had received anything, the butler would have brought it directly to him.
“There has been no other post, Mr Radcliffe,” Reeves said with a shake of his head. He then raised one thick, bushy grey brow and asked, “Were you expecting something?”
“Not exactly. Thank you, Reeves. You may go,” Philip replied, cringing at the fact that he had even bothered to ask the question when he had already known the answer.
I do hope that Lady Daisy received my letter,he thought grimly, remembering all that had been said between them in the gardens at the ball. It had all he had been able to do before leaving Oxford to let her know where he had gone and that he would return with the promise he still intended to make to her. Yet he couldn’t imagine that she would remain silent as she had been.
A lady like her would not begrudge him for going home to care for his sick father; she was far more caring than that.I have to focus on my father,Philip reminded himself, knowing that no matter what had gone wrong in Oxford since his departure, he would soon be able to return and fix it. Yet sitting there worrying about something he could do nothing about until then would do him no good.
He debated writing to her again, but a feeling deep in his gut told him that it would be a waste of paper. Whatever had happened, he was certain of one thing: the moment he and Lady Daisy had shared in the gardens at the ball would not fade. She would wait for him just as he anxiously awaited returning to her.
Chapter 25
“Daisy, Mama is coming!” Bertha hissed as she hurried into the parlour. Daisy had been sitting to read a letter from Jennifer on how well her wedding planning was going. It was practically the same as every letter she received from her best friend nowadays, and she had only been giving it a skim over to be sure she did not miss anything important.
Yet the moment she looked up from the paper to see Bertha’s face, she knew her sister had come with a warning.
“What is it, Bee?” she insisted, pushing herself up from her chair to go to her sister. Something about her sister’s gaze unnerved her, and she quickly began to worry that perhaps Lady Balfour had somehow learned of Bertha’s late-night antics with the groom. “What is it? What does she know?”
Gripping hold of Bertha, Daisy struggled to stop herself from shaking the information from her.
“I don’t know,” Bertha responded, shaking her head and gripping Daisy’s forearms as if she needed the support to stop herself from crumbling with fear. “But she has just come from Papa’s study, and she appears to be on the warpath. She is looking for you.”
“For me?” Daisy exclaimed, startled. She had been quiet and subdued for several days now. It had been over a week since the ball where Philip had promised to ask for her hand and three since she had learned that he and his family had retired from Oxford, though she still had been unable to figure out why.What could I possibly have done to anger her now?
She was no closer to learning what she might have done when the sound of footsteps hammered down the hallway towards them. Both Daisy and Bertha quickly separated and dropped into a curtsey the moment Lady Balfour entered the room.
She stood before them with her hands clasped before her, glaring at them as if she was suspicious about why they looked so flustered. Yet when she spoke, it was not to question them but instead to announce, “Daisy, your father and I have been speaking, and we have come to a decision …”
Daisy’s heart skipped a beat, and she did not dare to lift her gaze to look at her stepmother. She was sure that whatever came next, she would not like it.
“Your father and I have concluded that you ought to be married as fast as possible,” Lady Balfour explained, and for just a moment, Daisy imagined that she might have missed something. Her father had been out in town several times on business recently. Perhaps Philip hadn’t attended the house because he had already spoken with Lord Balfour elsewhere and was awaiting news of his answer.
“I am willing to accept Mr. Rad …” Daisy began, her heart hammering so hard in her chest she was certain that Lady Balfour and Bertha would be able to hear it. But her stepmother raised an eyebrow and a hand to stop her from saying another word.
“Daisy, it has come to our attention that rumours of scandal have begun to surround your name,” Lady Balfour explained, and the hard look in her eyes made Daisy’s stomach churn. It was instantly clear to Daisy that she had got the wrong end of the stick.
How could I ever have believed that Lady Balfour would advocate for my happiness?she thought bitterly, her hands tightening into fists beneath the folds of her skirt. “It is rumoured, Daisy, that you are tainted.”
“Excuse me?” Daisy gasped, unable to believe what she had just heard. Her eyes flew wide with astonishment, but as her stepmother’s words sunk in, she couldn’t help thinking of the ball and her time with Philip in the gardens.Did someone see us?she thought, her stomach clenching so tightly that she thought it might never relax again.
“I … nothing has … Philip promised that …” Daisy stammered, unable to get a full sentence out due to how badly she had begun to shake.
Again Lady Balfour raised a hand to cut off anything she might have managed to say in her defence.
“Mama, whoever is spreading these rumours is clearly lying,” Bertha insisted, and Daisy offered her stepsister a grateful glance. She was silenced by her mother’s poisonous gaze.
“Bertha, you shall remain silent or risk implicating yourself in such scandals!” the lady snapped angrily. Still with her hands clasped before her and her shoulders spread menacingly, the lady stepped forward, bridging the space between herself and Daisy. Their gazes met, and Daisy struggled not to look away, determined not to be cowed by the woman.
“Daisy, you are a lucky girl to have such a wonderful father who has not already forced marriage upon you and even luckier still that a man is willing to take your hand even though he is well aware of the rumours surrounding you.”
Again, Daisy could not stop the hope that swelled inside her, knowing her father would never force her into anything she did not want unless it was absolutely necessary.
“I …” she began, but she could not get a word in edgewise when her stepmother was around.
“Lord Bessington has kindly agreed to save you from the mess you have made!” Lady Balfour announced, and bile rose in the back of Daisy’s throat. Though she liked the older nobleman and greatly enjoyed his company and the opportunity to ease some of his loneliness, she could not see him as anything but a friendly acquaintance, least of all her husband.
“But I can’t marry Lloyd!” she protested, finally finding her voice, though it felt raw in her throat.
