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It felt odd, going through the hallways now, as though she was still liable to be caught unawares by someone she did not wish to see. As though her initial fears from last night had lingered, ghosts in the corners.
As it turned out, however, Evelina’s intuition was not so far off—upon reaching Father’s study, she heard his and Mother’s tense voices through the door. She nearly turned around and abandoned the endeavor altogether, but Father’s words stopped her up short.
“…Marquess of Newhey came by earlier to badger me again.”
“He is not badgering you,” said Mother, voice muffled by the door’s thick wood. “He is the betrothed of your eldest daughter.”
“Knocking on our door, interrupting the afternoon—not to discuss business, mind you, but to demand do know when the engagement ball will actually be scheduled—”
“It is his right as the other half of the wedding party to know such things!”
“Whether it’s his right or not, the manner in which he goes about these sorts of discussions is nothing short of appalling. If there were any other options, I would not hesitate to choose an alternative son-in-law.”
Evelina’s breath caught at her father’s words. Only then did she realize she had her ear pressed practically right up against the door.
So, Jerome’s brown nosing has not been lost on Father the way I had thought. It seems it has only gotten worse since the engagement was agreed upon between them.
That was all Evelina dared to think about consciously. Even so, the implications of an ‘alternative’ lingered at the edge of her thoughts, threatening to spill over and claim all her attentions.
“I know, My Love,” said her mother, her words soothing but her tone impatient. “But is such a match not necessary for the longevity of the business? I know I am only your wife, and know only the most basic elements of the situation, but from what I have heard from you, the Marquess of Newhey’s business is thriving. It would give the spark of new life to ours that we desperately need—”
“Do not prattle on at me regarding things of which I am already well aware,” Father bit out. His following words softened substantially. “Forgive me, My Love. I…you can imagine I am under a great deal of stress at the moment.”
Evelina’s ears perked up even further at this. She’d known, or at least suspected, that Father was under stress, given the way he was constantly trying to massage the tension out of his muscles, and looking weary and weather worn at all hours of the day.
She never would have imagined him admitting to that fact, not even to Mother.
“I know, My Dear,” said Mother soothingly. “I know.”
Father’s voice broke. “I feel so terrible about the whole situation. I fear that Evelina will resent the both of us from here on out, forcing her into a marriage like this.”
“Matters of practicality often outweigh matters of the heart.”
“If only it wasn’t for that blasted late Duke of Elvington! Next time I will know better than to invest so much on blind faith, with no documents signed yet between us. That’s what I get for acting out of trust—the family finances plunged into a hole.”
Evelina’s heart picked up in her chest. They were financially struggling? Beyond that, it truly seemed from this conversation as though it had been the late Duke of Elvington to pull out of the business deal.
Would Father lie to Mother about such things? It seemed unlikely to Evelina that Father would discuss these matters with Mother at all, yet here they were.
Tentatively, Mother asked, “You mentioned previously that you would settle for any other son-in-law if one were to become available.”
“Yes, and?” said Father, clearing his throat.
“Would it not hurt to at least write to the young Duke of Elvington, and see if Evelina’s suspicions of his intentions to court her were true?”
On the other side of the door, there was a loud shuffling, followed by a thud. Likely Father getting to his feet and knocking something over in the process. “Absolutely not! I have already been disgraced enough by the way the situation played out with the boy’s Father.”
“Child and parent are not always the same.”
“Perhaps, but I have taken enough risks with the Russells. I will not be such a fool as to add one more. Besides that, I got us into this financial disaster. I will be the one to get us out of it.”
By marrying me off to Jerome?Evelina could not help but think sourly.It seems as though I will be the one to get us out of it.
Mother sighed. “It seems you are set in your course of action, then.”
“Oh, do not take that tone with me, woman. I am doing all that I know to do, here!”
But the sound of Mother’s skirt rustling said all that needed to be said. Evelina understood that the conversation was over…
And that if she did not make haste, she would be caught listening in on the whole ordeal.
As Mother’s footsteps approached the door from inside the study, Evelina scurried away, the ledger still clutched tightly against her chest.
