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“Is that so?” she said. “You seemed quite intent on remaining at Foxglove Hall for a while last night. What has changed?”
Graham chewed on his lip, considering how much he should tell her. He wanted to share all his secrets—what had happened with Bridget, what he had learned about Mary and Lord Bragg. But his mother had become a part of it all, keeping secrets from him even now.
“Bridget wrote to me yesterday, and I did not see the note until after you and I had spoken,” he said. “She told me that it would be inappropriate for us to meet again.”
“Oh,” the dowager said, her brow furrowing. “Graham, I am so very sorry.”
“But it was worse than that,” he said. “For I ran into her at the lake this morning, and she grew distressed when I asked her about Mary and what happened.”
“Why ever so?” Fanny said.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Graham said, “but perhaps it has something to do with her engagement to Mary’s former fiancé.”
He could not keep the accusatory tone out of his voice, his eyes narrowing at his mother. She gaped at him for a moment, her jaw working as her eyes flitted past him and toward the window. The lake was somewhere out there, though they could not see it from his rooms.
“I beg your pardon” she said. “I fear I do not understand.”
“What are you missing, Mother?” Graham said. “Bridget’s betrothed is Lord Bragg—a man who, according to the servants, was courtingMaryprior to her death. Why did I have to learn that from the servants rather than you?”
“Graham, I did not even know!” Fanny said. One hand had travelled to her throat, and she played with the simple silver cross that hung there from a thin chain.
He could not believe it, yet the look on her face said she spoke the truth. If Fanny’s expression meant anything, it seemed she was just as much in the dark as himself.
“You truly did not know?” he asked. “Mother, how could neither of us have known of this?”
Fanny shook her head, and then gripped the wall behind her.
“Mother, are you quite all right?”
“I think I need to sit down,” she said. “If you would…”
Graham was already fetching a chair and placing it beside her, and she fell into the seat. His heart raced with fear for her, but she was already composing herself, still shaking her head.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I just cannot believe that Mary would have kept it from me,” Fanny murmured. “Your sister was bold, unruly—that, we both know. But she was never secretive. And that Lord Bragg would have asked her hand without so much as speaking to me, or to you! It is entirely improper.”
Graham paused then,consideringthat. Itwashighly improper. He'd been so astonished by the revelation itselfthat he hadn't given it much thought. Ladies did not usually make decisions about who they would marry on their own in their society. Before engaging in a courtship, a father would be asked for permission. In the absence of a father, the eldest brother must consent to the courtship—evenif the brother in question lived in London. Lord Bragg should have presented himself to Graham, or at the very least written him a letter.
Failing that, he should have spoken to their mother to get her permission for the time being. Graham had assumed that had taken place during his absence. Judging by his mother’s reaction, he’d been wrong. Even if she had permitted the courtship, they could not have wed without first asking Graham. Not unless they wished to feature heavily in the scandal sheets.
“So, you were unaware of this engagement?” Graham asked, though he already knew the answer.
“I knew nothing of it,” she said. “I would not have allowed it without writing to you first. And what is this about his engagement to Bridget now?”
Graham frowned, his heart aching. “Yes, he is her betrothed,” he said. “They’re to be married later this week. On the day of Mary’s funeral, he was in London fetching a special marriage license!”
Fanny grew pale at this scandalous turn of events, clutching the arm of the chair. In any other circumstances, Graham was certain she could have tolerated such news, but being as ill as she was, her constitution was too poor to stand it. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should not have told you.”
“On the contrary,” Fanny said. “Youmusttell me everything you know. I find this whole turn of events quite alarming indeed.”
“As do I,” Graham said. He slumped onto his bed, then raked a hand through his hair. “I only found it out this afternoon from the servants, and it got me thinking. Could Bridget have had ill intent toward Mary?”
Fanny shuddered. “Of course not. They were the very best of friends all their lives, and they had only grown closer in your absence.”
“But the servants say the Sedgwicks have fallen into debt as of late,” Graham said. “Money can drive a wedge between even the closest of people.”
“Bridget has never cared for such things, and you and I both know it,” Fanny said. “And Sarah and I spoke often of wanting a love match for our children. I cannot believe Bridget would have taken on such conniving ways so suddenly.”
