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“Simon was the most immature boy I have ever met, I cannot assume that he has changed very much in the last few years….”
Simon turned slightly and saw two young women standing a few paces away. He turned around again, leaning to the side to hear what she was saying better.
“You cannot know that. He was only ten years old when you last saw him. You are not being fair, Ellen.”
Simon raised a brow, exchanging a glance with Everett. His friend leaned closer and whispered to him. “Perhaps you should make yourself known.”
He shook his head. “I want to hear what she has to say,” he whispered back.
“I cannot see why. He terrorised me for as long as I could remember. What if we cannot get along?”
The woman beside her paused for a moment.
“I am sure you will find a way. Simon is not a boy anymore,” the other woman said. Simon turned again, and this time he recognised the woman with Lady Ellen. Her older sister, Golda, had always been kind to him, almost like a sister. She was several years older than himself and was on the cusp of coming out when he left for university.
He thought he had heard from his mother that she had married a few years back. She seemed much more gracious than her younger sister.
“Perhaps, not,” Ellen said, sounding unsure. “Regardless, it is not fair for Papa to force me into this marriage, especially when we have not seen each other these ten years.”
“Papa knows what is best for you,” Golda said. Simon had heard enough and motioned for Everett to follow him to the hearth. When they were a safe distance away, Everett spoke up.
“I am sorry you had to hear that, old chap,” Everett said, looking uncomfortable. “It looks like you have some convincing to do.”
“There is no need for you to apologise. I wanted to know what she really thought of me, and now I know,” Simon said, feeling a little discouraged. He had come to this dinner determined to make a go of his relationship with Ellen, and she seemed bent on being miserable no matter what he tried to do—without even considering that he might have changed over the years.
Chapter 4
Ellen entered the drawing room with her head held high. She did not want anyone, least of all Simon, to see how nervous she was. She took a moment to look around the room before spotting her older sister in a lonely corner. She headed over to her, glad no one had made a fuss when she walked in.
“There you are,” Golda said and reached out her hands to her. Ellen took them and joined her near a towering fern. It felt as if they had a bit of privacy, and for that, she was glad. “You have delayed dinner,” she said with a smirk. Golda lifted a glass of champagne to her lips and took a sip. “No doubt you were hoping this evening would be called off?”
“It would have been a nice surprise, but Papa is too set on this marriage going forward.” Ellen turned to face the room. “I dread meeting Lord Simon again.”
“How can you say that? From all accounts I have heard, he is very handsome. I for one am eager to see him again.”
“He always treated you well, but Simon was the most immature boy I have ever met. I cannot assume that he has changed very much in the last few years….”
Her sister shot her a warning look. “You are not being fair, Ellen.”
Ellen bit her lower lip. Perhaps she was being unfair. Lord Simon may very well have changed. She was so nervous to meet him again that it was driving her to distraction. What would he think of her?
She had always been self-conscious about her looks. Would he still think she was boring, pouring over her music as she had when they were young? He had always accused her of being a recluse. What if they could not make their marriage work?
“I am sorry, Golda. You cannot know what a strain I have been under since Papa announced his intentions to arrange a match with Lord Simon. I have been sick with worry all summer with the thought of seeing him again.”
Golda’s face softened. “As said before, you are not being fair to him—or to yourself. Perhaps he is just what you have always dreamt of in a husband.”
Ellen’s heart skipped a beat at her sister’s words. What if Simon was all she had wanted? It would be a terrible hit to her pride, for she had vowed to harden her heart against Simon for the rest of her life. To eat those words now would be very difficult.
She turned around again to face the room. It was an amusing pastime of hers to watch people at a party, and her parents had invited an array of interesting people from the neighbouring estates. She scanned the young men in attendance and was surprised to see so many of her old acquaintances among them.
“Is that Henry Dalton?” she asked, pointing to a tall, dark, handsome man standing near a bookshelf at the far end of the room.
“It is,” Golda replied. “And he is just as athletic as he looks.”
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “I thought you were not supposed to notice such things after you are married,” she teased.
“It is a sin to touch, but not to look,” she shot back. She nodded toward another group of young men gathered in the sitting area. “What about those gentlemen, there. Are you acquainted with any of them?”
