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What would she think of him now that they were ten years older and he a man? He had not seen her since he left for boarding school and later enrolled at Eton. They had always seemed to miss seeing each other. Or had it been by design that she had avoided him all these years?
Simon gulped and stopped before the refreshment table, handing a glass of punch to Lady Genevieve. Her hand shook slightly, but she took a sip. “Do not fret for me, Lady Genevieve. We shall have one last golden summer together.”
She nodded, hanging her head. “I know you have spoken of her a few times, but what is Lady Ellen like?”
Simon shrugged. “What I remember of her when we were children is that she was aloof and serious. Never wanted to have any fun, you know. She was always reading or scribbling away in her journal.”
He sighed, and they walked away from the refreshment table to take up their lonely corner. The musicians had filed into the ballroom and were tuning their instruments. Soon, the middle of the large room would be cleared for dancing.
“It is unfair of your father to demand such a thing from you. Why ever would you consider going through with it, especially if you do not love her?” she asked.
Simon glanced at Everett. The truth was, he still was in love with Lady Ellen. He had never told a soul except for him. However, he was also anxious about his feelings. Were they not puppy love from a time gone by? Or had his love only grown over the years?
He could not be sure, but he wanted to find out. And who better to marry than the daughter of his father’s closest friend? Their families had spent time together for years, even if he had not seen Ellen since starting boarding school. It would be mutually advantageous for all of them.
Simon laughed. “Do not look so dreary. It will be all right in the end, I am sure. I must marry eventually, and I know my father is eager for me to settle down and take over responsibility for the estate. His health is not what it was, and the worry over the future of the Danbridge succession has weighed him down as of late.”
“Surely there is time for you to find a wife? Is it not foolish to rush into an agreement?” Lady Genevieve asked. Her barrage of questions gave him pause, and he exchanged a confused glance with Everett.
“Surely it does not matter to you who I marry,” he replied.
She pasted a smile on her face, waving off the suggestion. “Never mind. You are right. You should enjoy every last ounce of freedom that is afforded to you.” She let go of his arm and turned around to face him. “The first order of business should be a dance, I think?” she offered.
Simon relaxed. “Excellent idea. Come on, Everett. Find yourself a pretty girl, and let us all dance!”
Simon captured Lady Genevieve’s hand, and they hurried out to the middle of the dance floor, where several other couples lined up in preparation for the first country dance.Perhaps Lady Ellen has mellowed since I last saw her,he tried to comfort himself. Regardless, he would soon find out come summer’s end.
Chapter 2
October 1816
Ellen stared into her vanity mirror, feeling despondent and utterly without hope. She touched the looking glass lightly and traced her fingers down her face’s reflection.
“My life is over,” she whispered.
As orchestrated by her father, Lord Simon and his parents would be there any minute. A small dinner party had been arranged with a few friends to welcome Simon back from university. Just the thought of seeing him again made her nauseous. Why should she be the one to marry him?
Unfortunately, her elder sister, Golda, was already married, and her two other sisters were much too young. Ellen leaned back from the mirror and sat against the chair with a huff, reclining in a most undignified manner.
A knock sounded at the door, and a moment later, her mother’s face appeared around the door. Instantly, her eyes darkened, and her brow furrowed. “What on earth do you think you are doing, Ellen? Sit up straight. I did not raise you to be a savage.”
Ellen sat up with a sigh. “It does not matter what I do anymore, does it, Mama? You and Papa have sold me to that wretched boy as a wife. I no longer have to keep up appearances.”
“Nonsense. You are to act like a lady at all times, even after marriage. Or do you plan to make your husband miserable?”
“He made my life miserable enough when we were children. What about the time he put that awful toad in my bedroom’s water pitcher. Or the time he dipped my braids in ink when I fell asleep at the pianoforte while I was composing?”
Her mother’s lips turned upright into a slight smile. Ellen knew she was trying to hold back her laughter, but it was not a happy memory. Ellen turned away as her mother was unable to keep from laughing. “It was not at all amusing, Mama. My governess had to cut six inches off my hair that summer.”
“Holding grudges does not become you, my dear,” her mother said. She placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Lord Simon is not a little boy anymore, but a man. And a handsome one, by his mother’s accounts.”
Ellen rolled her eyes. “All mothers think their sons handsome, Mama. That does not mean anything.”
Her mother threw up her hands in frustration, pacing away from the vanity. “Why are you so apt to think the worst of people, Ellen?”
“I am not apt to think the worst ofpeople.Only Lord Simon,” she said. She turned around in the vanity seat, gripping the back of it. “Mama, please do not make me go through with this marriage. I know that Papa and Lord Grant have been plotting this since we were children, but it is not—”
“No, Ellen. You cannot go back on your word now. Your father has made all the arrangements. Do you want to cause a rift between our families? We have always been on good terms with the Grants.” Her mother came around and knelt before her chair. Ellen turned toward her, her heart feeling as if it might break into a million pieces.
