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“I’m worried about Jane and what might become of her.”
Charles shifted in his seat. “I might have a proposition for that.”
Edward looked at him curiously. “And what might that be?”
Charles smiled at him faintly. “I’m going to contest an election soon. It might be a good time to consider marriage.”
“And you want to consider Jane?”
“She’s pretty and kind and good as any. I don’t think I’ll do better than her,” Charles said.
“Say cousin, I think you just managed to solve my problem. But I will have to speak to my parents, her parents, and your parents before that happens,” Edward said.
Charles crinkled his nose. “That is one part of the conversation I’m not looking forward to.”
Edward chuckled at that.
“I want to meet the girl,” Charles said. “I want to see the extraordinary woman who has been able to change you so much in such a short time.”
Edward chuckled. “You will like her. But she might take a bit of time to warm up to you. She doesn’t take too kindly to lords.”
“Then how in the hell did she fall in love with you?” Charles said. The truth was Edward didn’t quite believe it himself. All he knew that he was lucky and he would do anything to keep Ariadne with him. And first things first, he needed to talk to his mother and convince her about it.
He bid goodbye to Charles and returned home where he found his mother sitting at the back garden writing some letters. When he approached, she looked up and her eyes lit up. “Oh, Edward there you are. I was just looking for you, but the servants told me you were out.”
He took the seat next to her and looked down at the off-white cream envelopes where she was carefully inking something. “What are you doing?”
“Sending out some personal invitations for your wedding,” she said. “We managed to secure the vicar and the church that will get you married four Sundays from now.”
Edward frowned. He had no idea his mother had gone so far ahead and booked the Church. Things were progressing faster than he had expected. “Mother, there is something I need to talk about.”
“Hush now, let me finish this address otherwise the lettering might get spoiled.”
“This is important,” Edward said urgently and when she didn’t look up, he took a deep breath and said, “Mother, I don’t wish to marry Lady Jane.”
The pen clattered to the table with a thud spilling the ink all over the white page. Edward took an ink blot and started dabbing at it before it could further ruin the expensive table. When he looked up, his mother looked shocked and appalled. “What are you talking about?”
Edward took her hand in an attempt to placate her. “I can’t marry her because I love someone else.”
The Duchess shook her head as if she didn’t want to hear him say that. She clutched her poor heart. “What are you saying?”
“It’s true, Mother. I cannot let her go,” he said.
“Is this the girl that saved your life? You found her again?” the Duchess asked. She didn’t sound angry—more resigned almost as if she had been expecting it.
“How did you—” Edward drifted off. He knew his father enough that he would never speak to his mother about Ariadne. He wanted to bury anything about her.
The Duchess gave a faint smile. “I’m your mother and while I’ve never experienced passionate love myself, I’ve seen it in others.”
“So you knew all along?” Edward blanched. His mother had guessed his feelings about Ariadne before he had.
She nodded. “You wouldn’t stop talking about her in the days after you came back to the house. You called her your angel. I suspected immediately that you felt something for this girl.” She looked away ashamed. “So I decided to expedite your marriage so that you can focus on time spent with Jane and forget all about her.”
Edward frowned. His suspicions were confirmed. His mother had known about his feelings for Ariadne before he had.
“So who is this girl?” the Duchess asked. “You never spoke of her freely.”
“Her name is Ariadne Davy,” he said. As soon as he began to speak, it was as if a huge weight was lifted off his chest. Unlike his father, his mother listened to everything including the information that his father had revealed. Finally, he said. “I seek your blessing for I wish to propose to her tomorrow.” There was a gasp behind him. When he turned around Maisie was standing behind.
