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“Aye, but it’s unlikely, isn’t it? She’s penniless, you say? Then she’s not likely to miss such an opportunity.”
“You make her sound horribly avaricious, Pa,” Will said, although he was not so far from such an opinion himself. He had been manoeuvred into this, he was sure, like a bird ripe for the plucking. How gullible he had been!
“A woman doesn’t have to be particularly avaricious to want to marry a man of means. That’s only common sense, and I have to say, Will, for all I don’t much care for the fancy education you and Johnny went through, it’s turned you into fine young men, who look very much the part. Unlike me, eh? So I don’t blame this Eloise for wanting you, not a bit, and if the pair of you had gone about things in the usual way, I’d not say a word about it. But it’s not a good start to married life, if the man feels he’s been forced into it against his will. It’s better if he does the choosing for himself. But you don’t seem angry to be caught out this way, Will.”
He shrugged. “I am angry with myself, that is all. I should have been more wary, but then I always thought she detested me. If I had suspected for one second that she had any thought of marriage, I should have been very much on my guard.”
“And that’s precisely what concerns me,” Pa said. “She hid her true intentions from you, and very successfully, so you may have a lifetime of deceit and chicanery ahead of you. There is nothing wrong with a woman making a play for a man who’ll keep her in comfort, for didn’t my Lizzie do precisely that, and look how well that’s turned out, but there needs to be a proper degree of open-heartedness about the business. So don’t rush to the altar, Will. Take the time to get to know her properly first, and if you find in the end that you wouldn’t suit, well, there’s no shame in owning up to making a mistake.”
“I cannot back out, Pa. That would be dishonourable. I must make the best of it now.”
“Hmmm. Maybe you’re right. But a long engagement will do no harm. Bring her for dinner tonight, if Lady Carrbridge can spare her. I’d like to meet my future daughter-in-law.”
~~~~~
Will wore his newest coat and finest breeches and top-boots for his visit to Marford House. It was necessary, for the very building set his teeth on edge. It was so grandiose, so overwhelming in its magnificence, as if its owner were saying,‘Look up to me, all you commoners, for I am a marquess and greater than you will ever be.’And it was true — no mere Fletcher would ever possess such a title or such a house.
On the other hand, just a few short weeks ago he would never have dreamt of walking up to the front door of a marquess and requesting admittance, as he now did. The butler, considerably grander than Will felt, and no doubt the fourteenth generation to serve the family, received his card impassively.
“I should like to see Miss Eloise Whittleton,” Will said. “In private.”
“Very good, sir. I shall ascertain whether the lady is at home. Please wait in here.”
He was ushered into an elegant ante-chamber, stuffed, as was the whole house, with the idle collections of centuries of Marfords, strolling about Britain and the Continent snatching up vast numbers of valuable objects, as lesser mortals might collect garden butterflies or pressed flowers or unusual pebbles.
Will wandered about looking at this and that, with little interest, trying to get his thoughts in order. Would a flowery speech be expected? Probably not. He need not speak of love, after all, and there was no need to explain the reason for his offer. She would understand that well enough. A few plain words, then… but how plain? How would a gentleman offer for a lady in such circumstances? He would not lie but he must do his best to convince her he was willing, at least.
The door opened, and he turned expectantly. It was not Eloise. He was confronted with the slender but exquisitely fashionable form of Lady Carrbridge.
“Mr Fletcher, what a pleasant surprise.”
“Lady Carrbridge.” He made her a suitably respectful bow, and she waved him to a seat. So this was to be a formal interview, then.
“You wish to speak to Eloise, I am informed.”
“I do, my lady.”
“And in private. Might I enquire why?”
“For the usual reason, ma’am, that I wish to make her an offer of marriage.”
She nodded. “I see. And is she expecting this offer?”
A tricky question to answer. As always, the truth was best. “We had some conversation on the subject last night, but we were interrupted. I should be glad to have the matter settled.”
“And do you have reason to believe that she will be receptive to your addresses? For I must tell you, Mr Fletcher, this is a surprise, for I had gained the impression that there was no great attachment on either side.”
He chewed his lip. “It took me by surprise, rather, too.”
She laughed, but then her face became serious. “Mr Fletcher, I am very fond of Eloise, and I should love to see her suitably settled. She is one of a long succession of relations with limited prospects who come to town in spring to assist me with my social endeavours. I choose a different one every year, rig her out in the latest styles and take her about with me. Some make good matches when they are here and some do not, but in either case they generally disappear at the end of the season and become just another name on my long list of relations to whom I write periodically. I shall miss Eloise when she leaves me, of course, but there will be another cousin in her place next year.”
“I see,” he said, although rather mystified.
“Do you? I wish you to understand that her connection to my family… to myhusband’sfamily… is very tenuous.”
“You think I see her as a means of inveigling myself into Lord Carrbridge’s favour?” he said, in tones of rising indignation. “I assure you, ma’am, such a thought had never crossed my mind.”
“Then I beg your pardon,” she said evenly. “You would be surprised how many people engage in such stratagems, and it is best to be clear from the outset. Very well, I shall send Eloise to you.”
