AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I am in the company of family, though, and I mean only to prevent any harm from coming to you,” he said. He turned to face Sarah, deep concern showing in his face. Bridget had no idea if it was sincere. “Lady Sedgwick, you must be as disturbed as I am about this. I understand that you are close with the man’s family, but he has been in London for many years. Surely, he must have changed.”
“I have heard some unsavory things about the club,” Sarah said, shaking her head. Bridget could not believe her ears; her own mother was turning against a lifelong friend? “Bridget, perhaps it is best if you avoid spending time with the duke for a while. At least, until you are married. It is only proper.”
Bridget inhaled sharply. “But—”
“I’m sorry, but I must ensure I have not misheard,” Oliver interrupted. “You’ve been spending time alone with him?”
Bridget glared across the table at her mother, her chin lifted and her shoulders back. Sarah seemed to realize she had just revealed a secret—one Oliver had no business hearing. After all, she herself had allowed Bridget to walk alone with Graham back from the funeral, and she had known of Bridget’s visit to Foxglove Hall yesterday afternoon.
“They are grieving, my lord,” Sarah said with a grimace. She did not meet Oliver’s eyes. “I thought they could help one another in their hour of need.”
“A single word of that getting back to thetoncould be the end of Lady Bridget’s reputation,” Oliver said. “If the duke ruined her… Thank goodness we have already obtained a marriage license. Otherwise, it would be quite the scandal.”
“It shall not happen again,” Sarah said.
“No, it will not,” Oliver said. “Partially because I shall be writing today to Lord Sedgwick in France. He will be disappointed to hear how the ladies of the house have conducted themselves.”
Sarah’s brows shot up. “You are not the master of this house—”
“But I soon shall be,” Oliver snapped. “So, what will you do to recover yourself?”
The three of them sat at the table, the tension like taut threads between their chairs. Out of the corner of her eye, Bridget thought she saw Tilda shake her head.
“Bridget,” Sarah said, “you shall write a note to the duke, telling him that you will not meet with him again.”
“But, Mother, he is grieving!” Bridget protested.
“You shall write the notenow,” Sarah insisted. “Tilda, please fetch some paper, pen, and ink.”
“In front of everyone?” Bridget said.
“If you have something private to tell the duke, that troubles me even more,” Sarah said. “Bridget, your friend’s death is no excuse to forget that you are a lady first and, foremost, that you are engaged. Please, for the sake of us all, end whatever has passed between you and the duke.”
Bridget swallowed hard, desperately trying not to cry. She should have known that ending the engagement to forge a new one would be challenging. She suspected the Sedgwick coffers were empty based on her mother's brief mention of it. Thus, marrying a rich husband was her only resort.
If she broke her betrothal to Lord Bragg only for Graham to forsake her—and perhaps he would if he truly was a rake—then her whole family would be ruined.
Bridget maintained her composure as Tilda placed a piece of paper in front of her and took up the pen. A single tear threatened to fall as she wrote Graham's name,tryingto imbue the letters of his name with every ounce of her enduring love for him.
“Well?” Oliver said. “Are you going to linger on the man’s name all day, or will you do as your mother says?”
Bridget bit her lip. “I do not know what to say.”
“Tell him your little meetings give the appearance of indecency,” Oliver said. “It is only the truth. He cannot argue with that.”
“But they have meant nothing,” Bridget protested.
Even as she said the words, though, she knew they were a lie.
“I do not intend on leaving this table until we have brought this to an end,” Oliver said. “Write, Bridget.”
So she wrote.
My Lord Duke,
After some thought, I have decided that it is inappropriate for us to continue visiting one another as we have. I am truly sorry for the untimely death of your sister, yet I have my reputation to consider as a lady. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience or injury this causes you.
Sincerely,
