AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He figured he might as well tell her.If she became friends with Lady Holbrook, it was likely Mary would hear some version of what had happened from the woman.“Her father didn’t approve of the match, and so they’d planned to elope.But at the last minute, she broke his heart and married someone else with her father’s approval.Apparently she was very cruel when Cranston confronted her.”
Mary’s hands flew to her chest.“That’s terrible.Is that why he’s so… free with his attention to other women?”
Ashford found his own chest tightening as he thought of his friend’s heartache.“Not everyone is as happy as we are.”
“I was hoping to befriend Lady Holbrook.She struck me as being refreshingly honest, which is a rarity among the ton.And she’s a widow now.Maybe if I discover what happened all those years ago, we can help them.”
He cast a sideways glance at her, his eyes narrowing.
“Don’t look at me that way.We both know that women have little choice in whom they wed.Now that she has gained a measure of freedom, they may be able to find love again.”
“You’ve forgotten the part about her being cruel to him.”
She winced.“I was hoping that was an exaggeration.Perhaps it just felt as though she were being cruel.”
He shook his head.“We should let the matter drop.Nothing good can come from digging up past hurts.”
“But—”
“If Cranston wanted to pursue the matter, he would have approached her here, where he could test the waters in public.I think it was clear to both of us that he has no desire to renew the acquaintance.”
Mary folded her arms across her chest.“What if she’s the one woman who can make him happy?He hasn’t shown any interest—lastinginterest—in another woman.”
“Even if that were true, I doubt he’d be open to the possibility.”Mary opened her mouth to reply, but he continued.“Make no mistake, I love the man like a brother and would do anything for him.And I have, in fact, risked my life for him.But I don’t think he’ll ever forgive her.”
“So he doesn’t plan to wed?”
He’d never thought about Cranston’s prospects.Had never really thought about his own save for the knowledge that he’d wed sometime in the distant future.“I couldn’t say.But I do know that if he does decide to wed, it will be a practical union with someone he thinks will fulfill the role of his baroness.Love won’t enter into the equation.”
Mary didn’t say anything further, but the way she gazed off into the distance told him she was considering his words.He only hoped that the practical side of his future wife’s nature would win out over the romantic he’d come to know in the past few months.If his warning didn’t convince her that any attempt at matchmaking would end in failure, she’d find out for herself soon enough.
He'd just have to redouble his efforts to keep Mary’s thoughts on him and not on matchmaking.Ashford grinned as he imagined all the ways he could accomplish that goal.
