“Please, do not begin to recite sonnets to me, or I shall make a mess of my carpet.”
Norton gave him a wicked smile as he stood up, placing one hand on his chest and the other suspended in the air. He looked on into nothing, a beatific expression on his face. “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely –”
His next few words were muffled by a cushion thrown at his face. Norton caught it before it fell to the floor, laughing as he did so. "Had I known that you were so against Shakespeare, I would have said another poem for you."
“Do not dare. I have no patience for that sort of thing. I would much rather take an arrow to my chest than listen to someone reciting an annoying poem. You may speak about Violet to your heart's content, but please, no more romantic poems, or a ballad for that matter.”
"I would gladly speak of Violet all day long, Shore. Do you know that the very moment I set eyes on her at your family home I was taken by her? Even unconscious she was a sight to behold. Imagine how my heart flipped when she opened her beautiful eyes and looked at me for the first time. Simply magical."
Was it too late to take back what he had said about his friend speaking about Violet to his heart's content? Luke had never seen Norton like this, and frankly, it was a little disturbing. The man was grinning like a fool, his face hardly losing the smile he had entered the house with. They had now seen each other four times. What would happen once they spent more time together? His friend was falling for Violet Campbell, and it was happening at a remarkable pace.
"Magical is a strong descriptive word, Norton. She must have made quite the impression on you."
“You have hit the nail right on the head, Shore. We are very much alike, as well, amazingly so. I feel a stupendous amount of energy whenever I am around her, and I know that it is due to her vibrant and vivacious nature. Shore, she is so full of life. I wish to spend many more hours with her. In fact, I intend to ask her if she would go to the opera with me this very week.”
Norton could not be happier, Luke could see that. If Violet felt the same way about him, then a marriage would soon be on the way. “Your courtship is going well, Norton, I am happy for you.”
Norton noticeably calmed down as he returned to his seat, giving him a thoughtful look as he did so. “Did I not see a few sparks between you and the lovely Alice?”
“Sparks?”
“Yes, the thing that happens when two people like each other. Do not try to deny it, Shore, I am certain of what I saw. Pray, tell me, do you feel anything for Alice? A tendre, perhaps?”
Luke sighed. "You know, I find it peculiar how comfortable I am around her. I can speak to her about anything without the slightest thought of holding anything back. The ease of our communication is something that I am not used to with women. It is almost like speaking to a sister, and yet, there is more to it than that. Am I making any sense to you?”
Norton nodded. "She is familiar to you, Shore, and yet she is not related to you, nor have you known her for a great many years. I feel the same way with Violet."
“Yes, that sounds about right. I enjoy her company, Norton, immensely so.” Luke looked down. “But things can never be so simple in my life, can they?”
No, never for him. The subject of women in his life had always been a difficult situation, one that he steered away from. It was not advisable for him to become attached to any woman besides his sisters, and he was right. Look at what his father had done – he had tainted a relationship before it had truly begun.
“What do you mean, Shore? What is more simple than a man liking a woman?”
“Do you remember when you asked me why I seemed distant that day of the lunch?”
“Yes, you said that you would tell me in good time.”
“Well, that moment has come. I had been worried to see Alice because of what I had recently learned from my father.”
“Your father? What does he have to do with this?”
Even speaking of it seemed like a challenging thing for him to do. Luke was ashamed of his father, of what he had done. He was messing with both his and Alice's lives, and it was not acceptable. But what could he do? Alice's father was also involved in this, and as the man of the house, he had a greater say over his daughter's life than Luke's father had over his life.
Luke was a man of means, dependent on no one. But Alice could not boast the same. She was a woman, and therefore her life was in the hands of her father. Alice was obliged to marry whomever her father chose for her.
“Lord Campbell made an arrangement with my father concerning his debt incurred some days back. He has given Alice in marriage to lessen the debt.”
Norton stared at him, his eyes wide. “Lord Campbell has arranged his daughter's marriage to lessen his debt? To whom?”
“You are staring at him.”
“You?”
“Yes, they have arranged a betrothal between us.”
“Good heavens! When did you find out about this? Did you know when you first met her at the season's first ball? By then, rumours of Lord Campbell's loss had been going around the town.”
"Of course, not! If that were the case, then I would have avoided her like the Black Plague. I have no intention of having my marriage arranged due to a debt being paid off, and neither does Alice."
“Does she know?”
“Do you think that Alice would wish to speak to me if she did? My father informed me that she does not know, and neither did I believe that she would have known due to the way we first met. Norton, she was running away from suitors at the ball. She does not want marriage as much as I do not. She spoke of her father's debt, and how marriage seemed to be the only way to fix her father's foolish mistake. But she does not wish to get married, she truly does not. In fact, she scolded me about my father taking away her father's money, believing it his fault that she is in this predicament. To tell the truth, I agree with her to some extent. My father should have never gambled in the first place, but neither should her father have done so either. They are both to blame.”
Luke could see that his friend was stunned. He could well imagine how Luke must have felt and reacted to the news.
“I find myself speechless, Shore. I never would have expected this of your father, and while I do not know Lord Campbell well, I could not have imagined that he would do such a thing to benefit himself. You may be a good man, but what if Lord Campbell had lost to a man whose son was an unscrupulous man? What then?”
Luke had not thought of that. He had only thought of himself up until then. Why did this not occur to him? Of course, if not he, then someone else! He may not wish to marry, but to think of Alice marrying anyone else did not sit well with him.
“Shore, do you like her?”
Luke considered lying, but the truth always had a way of coming out.
"Yes, I do genuinely like her, Norton. In fact, every time I see her, I feel more strongly about her than before. She has an extraordinary effect on me, that I cannot deny. However, if I choose to reveal my feelings to her, and she discovers the truth about our fathers' plan, then she may easily grow to hate me. She may believe that I was in on it and that I purposely drew close to her to deceive her. Alice will believe that my feelings and intentions are insincere."
“Are you certain about that, Shore?”
Luke nodded. "I may have only met her recently, but I know that she feels strongly about deceit and anything that reeks of a forced marriage. This would be why they did not inform her of it. Her father is well aware that Alice will put up a fight like no other. They need her to believe that she is doing this of her own accord."
A servant stood at the door and announced that their meal was ready to be served in the dining room.
“Thank you, Parkins. We will be there soon.”
The servant nodded, bowing before he left them.
“Shall we continue our discussion in the dining room?” asked Norton.
“Goodness no, I am done with this conversation – it migh
t turn the food in my belly.”
Norton grinned. “All right, then. Anything but marriage and foolish fathers.”
Luke may not want to talk about it now, but he would have to address it at some point.
***
Alice paced the floor of the parlour, waiting for her sister to come and see her. Violet was currently organising her dresses into seasons, colour and style, one of her favourite pastimes.
“I can think of nothing worse than sorting through clothing.”
"And that is why you have such trouble finding something to wear when you need it most," her sister said, walking into the room. "You did say that you would put in more of an effort, Alice, but you have done nothing of the sort thus far."
“Please do not question me about this, Vi. I am already under the hatches.”
“Under the hatches? Whatever for?”
Alice collapsed into an armchair, letting out a loud sigh. Where should she start? “Two words, Vi: Luke Connolly.”
“The marquess? What did he do to give you such a troubled look? I had thought that you enjoyed his company.”
“That is the problem, Vi. I enjoy his company far too much for my liking.”
“That is a ridiculous thing to say, Alice. Lord Shore is a lovely man. Why would you say such a thing?”
“Violet, do you not see the trouble I am in? I have started to like him more than I wanted to, but he makes it so easy. Whenever I speak with him, I feel as though I have known him for years and not days. I admit that he says a few odd things here and there, but I understand him. I feel that I can discuss anything and everything with him, and it takes some effort not to. After all, I have not known him long enough to divulge everything about myself. And although I am not particularly concerned with one's outward appearance, I cannot ignore the fact that he is handsome.”
Violet began to giggle, clapping her hands as she did so. Was this any way to react to what she had just said? Had her sister lost her senses?
“Violet! Whatever is the matter with you? Why do you laugh so?”
“Alice, you are in love! We are both in love! Is that not wonderful?”
Yes, she has taken leave of her senses. She had said that she liked him, but Violet had taken a leap into the deep end calling it love!
“What are you thinking, Violet? Do you think this something to laugh about? Do you not remember what happened to me the last time I liked a man far too much?”
"Do not speak of Henry Tottenham to me. He and Luke are two completely different men."
“You say that now, but what do we really know of Luke? We thought the same thing about Henry and look how wrong we were. I was taken with him as well, and I find myself feeling the same way about Luke. The symptoms are the same, Vi. Do you not see that?” She covered her face with her hands. “I am going to get my heart broken again, I just know it.”
“Oh, goodness, Alice,” said her sister. “You will not get your heart broken again.” Violet came to kneel before her, moving her hands away from her face.
“How can you be so sure, Vi? I feel a fool for going down this path again. Why is it so easy to trust him after all I have been through? What is wrong with me?”
“Nothing is wrong with you, Alice. The heart will have what it wants.”
"Oh, heavens. I am going to get hurt again, I just know it. Goodness, I will fall in love only to have him fall in love with another, and they shall elope and have beautiful little babies, and I shall be left alone once again."
Alice could not believe that she had not learnt her lesson the first time around. She was going to have to avoid him, there was nothing else that she could do. She would not attend another ball, dinner or lunch for the rest of the season. She would stay right here in the house.
“Please excuse what I am about to say, but are you touched in your upperworks? What is this nonsense that is coming forth from your mouth? Do you hear yourself, Alice?”
Alice abruptly stood up, moving away from her sister. She was beyond stressed, and Violet would call her insane?
“I see what is happening here, Violet. You are so happy with Gregory that you cannot think straight. While I am happy for you, you must not confuse your happiness for mine.”
Violet also stood up, going to her and taking her hands in hers. "I did not mean to anger you, Ally, you must believe me. Let us set aside my courtship with Gregory and focus on what is happening between you and Luke. Do you not think that you are perhaps prejudiced about him? You are basing everything about him and how you feel on what happened before with Henry, and I do not think that that is fair to you or Luke. Henry was clearly not for you, Alice, and yes he hurt you terribly. But if you were honest with yourself, he was never yours."
“Are you telling me that what Henry did was justified because we were not meant to be?”
“Heavens, no! Nothing can ever excuse his behaviour, Alice. The man was a coward, it is as simple as that. What I meant to say is that if it was so easy for him to fall in love with another woman, then his heart was never truly yours, no matter what he may have said or promised you.”
Her sister was right, and Alice was well aware of it. No man who professed to love you would leave you for another, their heart would not let them. She had believed herself to be over the Henry drama, but the situation with Luke only served to bring up everything again.
She was so afraid of making the same mistake again, to go through the same pain that did not leave her for months. Alice recalled how everyone would walk around her as though on eggshells, not wanting to upset her any further. She had spent days in her room, locking herself in while she painted. Her work had been far more abstract then, just splashes of colours that demonstrated her anger and pain. No one had understood the paintings. Some had even called them the scribbles of a child. But only Alice knew what each paint stroke of colour signified.
She still had those paintings, but they were locked away in a trunk. She took them out every now and again to remind herself that she had no business looking for love or thinking about the topic of marriage. She should have brought them with her and looked at them every day to remind herself of the damage a man could do to her life.
“I may know all of that, but it does not make me feel any better, Violet. The fact remains that I feel something for Luke, and I do not wish to.”
“But what if Luke could be the one for you?”
“That is a big 'if', Violet. I do not wish to take that chance again.”
“Would you throw your future away because of a man who hurt you more than a year ago?”
“I feel a sense of déjà vu. I am sure that you said something similar to me not so long ago.”
Violet rolled her eyes. “Even if I did, it is no less true now than it was back then.”
“So, you presume Luke to be my future? Well, I do not.”
“You are only deceiving yourself, Alice.”
“And you are living in a fantasy world, Violet, where everyone must be as happy as you are.”
Violet walked away from her, her face none too happy.
Perhaps Alice had taken it a step too far. “Forgive me, Violet. It is my anger and fear that are talking.”
“There is nothing to forgive, Alice. I understand you well enough. I am just disappointed that you have become so afraid to live.”
Alice went to her sister, putting her arms around her waist as she placed her head on her shoulder. “Dear sister, I was happy before I met Luke, and I shall be happy after we leave and return home. I do not wish for you to be anxious about me, do you hear? You need to enjoy your courtship with Gregory. And if you are hoping for marriage, I hope that it comes swiftly for you.”
The Way to Capture a Marquess's Heart: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 14
