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to be a wise man.
Not that Dashell wasn’t astounded, and that son of his rather indignant But the baron had quickly understood the enormity of his offer, and had quickly agreed that while it was Lilliana’s decision, he would not be disinclined to a match. What else could the man say? He was offering Dashell a solution to his many problems, and giving his daughter a match far above what she could hope for otherwise. Adrian had no doubt his offer would be accepted.
Lilliana descended the stairs very slowly, careful to step in such a way that the wood did not creak. If there was one thing that infuriated her mother even more than her racing, it was her habit of taking moonlit walks.
Yes, well, she was a bit restless, thank you, and her mother would just have to bear it.
How could she blame her? There was too much to think about! With a bewildered shake of her head, Lilliana paused in the corridor to fetch a heavy cloak. The sound of raised voices coming from the drawing room startled her, and she froze, straining to hear. It was quite extraordinary, really, as she could not recall ever having heard her parents argue. No one had to tell her that they argued about Lord Albright’s offer. She quietly moved closer, listening carefully to the muffled voices, then catching her breath when she overheard her mother demand that the earl’s offer be denied. “Oh, Walter, the entire parish will think Lilliana has jilted Lord Benedict! Everyone knows he intends to offer for her—can you not see how it will look when she marries his
brother
? Not to mention that there will be talk of
why
, exactly, they were married in such a rush!”
“My dear,” her father answered patiently, “if she accepts the earl, they will be gone from the parish in a fortnight. What little talk there is will soon vanish, andwe can ill afford to let a little scandal cloud our judgment.”
That remark astounded Lilliana, seeing as how her mother lived in
constant
fear of scandal, and very deliberately, she crept to the door. The scrape of a chair on the wood floor was followed by the sound of her father’s footfall. “Don’t look so ill, love. He offers us a freedom I could never give you, you know that. Fifty thousand pounds, Alice! Kealing offers us little more than servitude—he may pay our debts, but he takes the Grange in return. Think of our Tom! Think of what he will inherit if we are forced to accept Kealing’s offer—a mere forty percent!”
“I
do
think of Tom, but I also think of Lilliana!” her mother moaned. “She does not know this man! He has a horrid reputation—”
“Granted, he is known as a rogue, but he also has a very fine reputation of being fair and reputable in his business dealings. And you can hardly ignore the fact that he can give her a rich life. We could never hope for a better offer, my love.”
“He can give her a rich life, but he can also break her heart. I’m sorry, Walter, but it is all very suspect that he should come now. He does not know her, and—”
“He does not need to know her, Alice. He needs the requisite connections and good breeding stock, nothing more,” her father said flatly.
A curious silence had followed that remark, and then her mother sighed sadly. “Oh Lord, the rift this is bound to cause in that family is not to be borne! We should refuse
both
sons and take our chances!”
“It
can
be borne if it means keeping us from debtor’s prison and giving Tom his due. Alice, you know that we must accept one of the offers, or we are ruined. You
must
think of Tom! And I daresay, Lilliana’s chances for a good match grow smaller with each passing day!”
Lilliana stood perfectly still, her head swimming with confusion. Debtor’s prison? She knew that they had experienced what her mother called a rough patch … but debtor’s prison? A band of fear tightened around her chest as she imagined the authorities dragging her father away. And exactly when had Lord Kealing made an
Not that Dashell wasn’t astounded, and that son of his rather indignant But the baron had quickly understood the enormity of his offer, and had quickly agreed that while it was Lilliana’s decision, he would not be disinclined to a match. What else could the man say? He was offering Dashell a solution to his many problems, and giving his daughter a match far above what she could hope for otherwise. Adrian had no doubt his offer would be accepted.
Lilliana descended the stairs very slowly, careful to step in such a way that the wood did not creak. If there was one thing that infuriated her mother even more than her racing, it was her habit of taking moonlit walks.
Yes, well, she was a bit restless, thank you, and her mother would just have to bear it.
How could she blame her? There was too much to think about! With a bewildered shake of her head, Lilliana paused in the corridor to fetch a heavy cloak. The sound of raised voices coming from the drawing room startled her, and she froze, straining to hear. It was quite extraordinary, really, as she could not recall ever having heard her parents argue. No one had to tell her that they argued about Lord Albright’s offer. She quietly moved closer, listening carefully to the muffled voices, then catching her breath when she overheard her mother demand that the earl’s offer be denied. “Oh, Walter, the entire parish will think Lilliana has jilted Lord Benedict! Everyone knows he intends to offer for her—can you not see how it will look when she marries his
brother
? Not to mention that there will be talk of
why
, exactly, they were married in such a rush!”
“My dear,” her father answered patiently, “if she accepts the earl, they will be gone from the parish in a fortnight. What little talk there is will soon vanish, andwe can ill afford to let a little scandal cloud our judgment.”
That remark astounded Lilliana, seeing as how her mother lived in
constant
fear of scandal, and very deliberately, she crept to the door. The scrape of a chair on the wood floor was followed by the sound of her father’s footfall. “Don’t look so ill, love. He offers us a freedom I could never give you, you know that. Fifty thousand pounds, Alice! Kealing offers us little more than servitude—he may pay our debts, but he takes the Grange in return. Think of our Tom! Think of what he will inherit if we are forced to accept Kealing’s offer—a mere forty percent!”
“I
do
think of Tom, but I also think of Lilliana!” her mother moaned. “She does not know this man! He has a horrid reputation—”
“Granted, he is known as a rogue, but he also has a very fine reputation of being fair and reputable in his business dealings. And you can hardly ignore the fact that he can give her a rich life. We could never hope for a better offer, my love.”
“He can give her a rich life, but he can also break her heart. I’m sorry, Walter, but it is all very suspect that he should come now. He does not know her, and—”
“He does not need to know her, Alice. He needs the requisite connections and good breeding stock, nothing more,” her father said flatly.
A curious silence had followed that remark, and then her mother sighed sadly. “Oh Lord, the rift this is bound to cause in that family is not to be borne! We should refuse
both
sons and take our chances!”
“It
can
be borne if it means keeping us from debtor’s prison and giving Tom his due. Alice, you know that we must accept one of the offers, or we are ruined. You
must
think of Tom! And I daresay, Lilliana’s chances for a good match grow smaller with each passing day!”
Lilliana stood perfectly still, her head swimming with confusion. Debtor’s prison? She knew that they had experienced what her mother called a rough patch … but debtor’s prison? A band of fear tightened around her chest as she imagined the authorities dragging her father away. And exactly when had Lord Kealing made an
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