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“That is normal, Dorothy. I recall a distant cousin getting married to someone she had never met when she was nineteen. They’ve been married for twenty years and have four children.”
“It might have worked for them, but it wouldn’t have worked for me. My parents had to know that.”
“They did, but they still went through with it.”
“Are they still embarrassed by the failure of the engagement?”
Dorothy nodded. It was often brought up in conversation, to the point where it made Dorothy grit her teeth. She really didn’t want to discuss it at all.
“Well, that’s their own fault. They shouldn’t have done that.” Dorothy squeezed her hand. “Now you can do what you want with finding your own husband. You can do it at your pace and have the freedom of choice. That’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it?”
“It is, but …” Dorothy grimaced. “I wish it hadn’t come at the expense of a failed engagement. And I wish that wasn’t my only target in life. I mean, I know I need to get married and where I stand in society, but I still wish I could do something different. Even with the freedom of choice, I still feel like I’m stuck in boundaries that I’m not allowed to cross.”
“I know. My parents have been saying the same thing for a while as well.” Frederica winked. “At least they know me well enough not to do that same thing to me. I’m probably harder to tame, though, so it might have been in their best interests to marry me off to someone who doesn’t know me.”
“Don’t say that out loud too much, or you’re going to end up getting into trouble, and it will happen.”
“I’m not about to say that in front of Father. He certainly would do that without my knowledge.” Frederica rolled onto her side. “We’ve got some time until dinner, and it’s still light and warm outside. Shall we go exploring?”
Dorothy laughed.
“Exploring? You make us sound like little girls.”
“We might as well be. This is our first time here, so why shouldn’t we explore? Especially while it’s quiet right now.” Frederica sat up and tugged her hand. “Come on, let’s go and see what is out there. I’m eager to see that water feature I spied out of the window.”
Dorothy liked the sound of this. She nodded.
“Alright. Let’s go exploring.”
Although they had to momentarily stop when they tried to get off the bed holding hands, and the bedpost got in the way. They let go of each other and then joined hands again, giggling as they went towards the door.
Chapter 2
Lucas winced as the carriage bounced, causing him to get jostled and hit the side of the carriage. Pain shot through his shoulder, and the impact made his teeth rattle.
“That was a nasty one,” the young man sitting across from him commented. He straightened up and picked up his hat from the floor. “I swear the holes underfoot are becoming more frequent since we left the main road.”
“I thought this was a main road.”
“So did I.” Pierce Cowper made a face. “Somebody was lying.”
Lucas grunted and rubbed his shoulder. It was going to be a little tender now. So much for starting this week in a good mood and relatively good health.
Lucas had been curious when one of his father’s friends, the Marquess of Derbyshire, invited the family to Wirksworth to his country estate to introduce his new wife to everyone. He had heard how Lord Derbyshire had suddenly disappeared across the Scottish border to marry a woman out of nowhere.
The secrecy around his courtship had been very strong. But, from what Lucas’ father had said, the marquess was very happy, and he was looking forward to being married after being a bachelor for many years.
Lucas had planned on going to Wales with Pierce for a little excursion, but then his father told him to go and visit for the week. Lucas’ mother wasn’t very well, and with his father reluctant to leave her side, Lucas had been nudged into making a very long detour.
He had tried to get out of it, but if Lucas were honest, he wanted to see the marquess. It had been a while. And, of course, his house in the Peak District was gorgeous. You couldn’t have a better place to spend time.
Even if it meant sharing it with many other people.
“I’m glad you invited me along as well,” Pierce said as he sat back. “Lord Derbyshire is a real gentleman.”
“He was certainly one of my favourite guests when I was a child.” Lucas smiled. “He would always bring me sweets and chocolate, and I would hide them in my room as my nanny wouldn’t let me have them except on special occasions, which wasn’t often. I would end up with an upset stomach and getting scolded for hiding sweets, but I didn’t care.”
Pierce laughed.
