They often went to the Marquess’ estate for visits. With Lord Lindsey being Maryam’s guardian and giving her mother money as an allowance, they had to keep on his good side. Thankfully, Judith and her brother were close and Maryam adored her uncle. It took little incentive to see him and her cousin.
But ever since that evening when Judith mentioned the surprise her brother was planning, Maryam had wondered herself. Like her mother, she didn’t like surprises. What was her uncle planning?
Maryam hoped it wasn’t an unpleasant surprise.
The coach pulled up outside the front door. Judith and then Maryam, bundled up in a thick cloak, were helped off the coach. As tall, dark-haired man was walking down the steps towards them as the coachmen took their trunks down and set them on the ground. Maryam watched him approach them with something close to awe. Even in his mid-forties, he cut an impressive figure. Not a single gray hair showing, barely any lines on his face. And he looked to be very healthy; everything was trim and looked firm.
The Marquess of Lindsey was an impressive, confident looking man.
He gave them a beaming smile as he reached them.
“Judith!”
“Michael.” Judith hugged him and they kissed their cheeks. “Thank you so much for letting us stay.”
“Anything for my niece.” The marquess turned to Maryam and slipped an arm round her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her head. “How’s my little girl feeling today?”
Maryam made a face.
“Still awful.”
“I can imagine.” He turned her towards the house. “Let’s get you settled so you can get some sleep.”
“I feel like all I do is sleep right now.” Maryam whined.
Lord Lindsey chuckled. With Judith following close behind, they went up the steps to the house. It was cooler inside and Maryam shivered again, huddling tighter into her cloak.
“Maryam!”
Maryam looked around to see Elizabeth hurrying across the foyer towards them, a big grin on her face. Maryam almost started forward to greet her cousin but then checked herself, remembering her condition.
“Don’t come too close, Liz!” She called.
But Elizabeth laughed and barrelled into her, giving her a hug tight enough to make Maryam gasp.
“Don’t be silly.” Elizabeth pulled back and grinned. “I’m not backing off now.”
“Nice to know.”
Then Maryam realized Elizabeth hadn’t come in alone. A man in his early twenties was standing near the stairs, keeping distance from them as he surveyed the family. Maryam took a closer look and her mouth fell open.
About six feet tall, light brown hair and the complexion of someone who spent a lot of time in the sun. He also looked like he worked the land yet he wore his silk clothes as if he had been born wearing them. His eyes, when Maryam saw them, were a mix of sea-green and brown swirling and twisting together. They were mesmerizing.
And he appeared to be staring right back at her. Maryam knew she was being rude but she couldn’t look away. She had to keep staring at him. Elizabeth then saw their interaction and giggled.
“Oh, sorry. Forgot my manners. Maryam, this is my old friend, Garrett Falk, the Earl of Coventry. He’s a childhood friend of mine. I still call him Garrett most of the time, but others close to him call him Coven.” Elizabeth beckoned him forward. “Coven, I’d like to introduce you to my aunt, Judith Arens and my cousin Maryam.”
Coven gave a smile that made Maryam feel weak at the knees and bowed first to Judith and then to Maryam, never taking his eyes off her.
“Charmed.”
Maryam remembered her manners and curtsied. But that only made her head spin as she lowered into a half-crouch and she wobbled. Seconds before she thought she would end up sitting on the ground, hands grabbed at her and eased up to standing. Maryam looked up at Coven, who was standing a little closer than she expected. Blushing furiously, she stepped back.
“Sorry.” She mumbled.
“Don’t worry about it.” Coven’s smile didn’t waver, neither did the warm look in his eyes. “Just get better soon.”
Maryam planned to do just that. It wasn’t pleasant standing there with her chest threatening to spew gunk on this handsome earl.
“Michael,” Maryam heard her mother’s voice tense up and she looked around. Judith was staring at someone in the drawing room. “Who’s that?”
Maryam also looked and saw a tall man who was as broad as he was tall standing in the doorway. He wore silver silk and carried a cane. He was even wearing a wig Maryam had seen no one wear since she was a little girl. It looked like it didn’t fit on his head. He was leering at them, not bothering to give them a bow.
“Oh, that’s George Kline, the Earl of Warwick.” Michael didn’t even blink. “He’s Coven’s uncle. He’s here doing a bit of…business.”
Maryam was suspicious. Her uncle’s vague reply suggested to Maryam that something untoward was happening. Evidently, her mother was thinking the same thing. She was staring at Michael with narrowed eyes.
“What is this?”
Her brother blinked.
“What makes you think I’m up to something?”
“Because you always are, Father.” Elizabeth shot back. She took Maryam’s arm and led her towards the stairs. “Come on, Maryam. I’ll take you to your room.”
Maryam allowed herself to be taken away. She could sense Lord Warwick leering after her as she climbed the stairs. It made her uneasy.
What was Uncle Michael up to and was it involving the Earl of Warwick? And why did Maryam feel so apprehensive?
***
Maryam loved her cousin. She was confident and vibrant compared to Maryam’s quieter demeanour. They balanced out each other well and Maryam could always depend on Elizabeth to be her rock. Whenever Maryam was ill, Elizabeth would travel all the way to Bath to sit with her, ignoring the fact she could get ill herself. Judith had always said Elizabeth was a selfless person and Maryam couldn’t agree more.
As they settled in to Maryam’s room, Maryam couldn’t help but felt slightly jealous about Elizabeth’s friendship with Coven. Elizabeth was beautiful; she would be a perfect wife. And she had her health. Compared to her, Maryam was a wallflower.
Sometimes Maryam wished she was someone else.
Sitting on the bed, she watched as Elizabeth helped the maid unpack.
“Is there something between you and the Earl of Coventry?”
“Sorry?” Elizabeth looked up in confusion. Then the confusion cleared, and she laughed. “No, of course not! He’s my best friend. Father wants something to happen though.” She put Maryam’s dresses into the closet. “He’s determined that Coven and I marry but we’re both saying no and digging in our heels. But he’s not taking no for an answer.”
That sounded like Lord Lindsey. Thankfully, it had happened little with her. With his own daughter, however, it seemed to be a more regular occurrence.
“So, you think you will be married soon?” Maryam got it out before she sneezed.
“Not if we can help it.” Elizabeth declared.
Somehow, hearing all of this made Maryam feel better. And she wasn’t sure why; she didn’t have a claim on the earl. Why was she jealous that Elizabeth had a comfortable relationship with him? Probably because she didn’t, she surmised.
As she thought about the handsome young earl, her thoughts turned to the older earl, the uncle. Something about him rubbed Maryam up the wrong way and it felt like a greasy skin that Maryam wanted to wash away. It made her feel nauseous.
“Why is the Earl of Warwick here?” She rubbed at her arms as if it could make the greasy feeling go away.
“We’re not entirely sure.” Elizabeth sighed and dusted her hands on her skirt as she stood. She dismissed the maid who curtsied and left. Then Elizabeth sat beside Maryam, looking pensive. “As far as Coven knew, his uncle and my father weren’t on speaking terms. I didn’t even know they ran in the same circle of friends. But we have some id
eas.”
“I sense I will not like this.”
Chapter 3
Without Her Consent
E lizabeth hesitated. She was silent a beat too long and Maryam had to nudge her.
“Elizabeth, please. What do you think is happening?”
“Coven and I believe his uncle is here so Father can arrange a marriage between him and Aunt Judith.”
Maryam thought her illness was clogging up her head. She shook it as much as she dared without the room spinning and stared at her cousin.
“What? He will marry Mama to that man? I don’t want someone like him as my stepfather. Even if he has a title. And Mama won’t stand for it.”
Her mother will not like this one bit. She has refused all attempts after her husband, Maryam’s father, had died. Maryam thought her uncle had stopped scheming; evidently not.
“We agree, but what can we do? You know how stubborn Father can be.”
“I want to talk to him.” Maryam stood. “How can he do this to us?”
“As your guardian, he can.” Elizabeth grabbed Maryam’s arm and stopped her. “But I’ll let him know you want to speak to him.”
Maryam wanted to go at once and demand answers but Elizabeth discouraged her. She could already sense her cousin getting weaker. It was only a matter of time before she collapsed.
So Maryam accepted the decision to leave it for now. Later, once she had rested, she would demand answers.
***
She was beautiful. Even when she was unwell.
Coven hadn’t been able to take his eyes off Maryam Arens the moment he saw her. Long black hair that tumbled down around her shoulders, deep-green eyes and a very soft-looking mouth that curved into the sweetest smile he had ever seen.
If she looked lovely when she was ill, Coven could only imagine how beautiful she was when she was fit and well. The thought had his chest squeezing.
His mother had mentioned falling in love with his father the first moment she saw him. Coven had scoffed, not thinking it possible. Now he understood.
Maryam was the woman for him.
Coven couldn’t wait to tell Elizabeth. She would be delighted, not to mention the fact it would get her father to back off when he realized that the earl was in love with someone else and he couldn’t orchestrate anything out of that. Coven was as stubborn as Lord Lindsey and was prepared to push back.
He was passing the drawing room when he heard his uncle’s deep, booming voice.
“She’s beautiful.”
Coven stopped short. His uncle could have meant anyone but something in Coven’s gut told him he was talking about Maryam. He hung around outside the door and strained his ears in time to hear Lord Lindsey’s voice.
“I’m glad you approve. She gets her looks from her mother.”
“That she does. Your sister is a beauty, but pales compared to Maryam. And you say she’s looking for a husband?”
“Not as such. I want Maryam to marry well but it will be hard.” Lord Lindsey sighed. “She’s ill often and nobody wants a sickly wife.”
Coven heard his uncle chuckle, which turned into a hacking cough.
“As long as she gives me an heir, I’m happy with anyone.”
That statement caused Coven to feel a chill. His uncle wanted to marry Maryam? He was fifty years old! Maryam was only eighteen. And Lord Lindsey was seriously considering marrying off his niece to a man thirty-two years older than her? It sounded like any girl’s worst nightmare.
“Hopefully she’ll be able to carry one.” He replied. “I don’t want you to come to me if anything happens, however.”
“I won’t.” Lord Warwick belched. “I’m not getting any younger and I need an heir. It goes to Coven if I don’t have an heir and I won’t let that tyke have what is mine. She’s perfect.”
Coven was feeling sick. He knew he would inherit the title from his uncle because he was the eldest son of Lord Warwick’s deceased sister and his only living relative but he hadn’t realized his uncle was that desperate for a wife. He would marry the most viable woman he could find just to ensure Coven didn’t inherit his title and lands.
Maryam was the sacrificial lamb for his plans.
“I’ll tell her tonight to give you more time to know each other.” Lord Lindsey sighed. “It will take a while for Maryam to get used to the idea she’ll marry before her first proper season but she’ll be fine.”
“It seems she’s not too loud-mouthed.”
“She isn’t; she’s as sweet and as shy as they come.”
Lord Warwick chuckled.
“I like a subservient wife.”
Coven had heard enough. If he stayed he would charge in there. He needed to get away before he did something stupid.
Somehow he found his way into the library where he found Elizabeth sitting with a book by the fire. She looked up when he entered and her eyes widened. Coven guessed he must have looked bad for his friend to react in that way.
“Garrett?” Putting her book down, Elizabeth stood and hurried over to him. She grabbed his arm as he swayed. “Are you all right? You look ill.”
“I am.” Coven half-staggered to a nearby chair and sagged into it. “Remember earlier when we were discussing who Uncle George might be here to marry?”
Elizabeth’s face paled.
“You’ve found out, haven’t you?”
Coven nodded.
“He’s not here to marry you or your aunt. Who does that leave?”
From her wide eyed expression, Coven knew she had come to the same conclusion.
“What…he…Father’s arranging for him to marry Maryam? Is he insane?” Elizabeth was floundering. “Maryam’s eighteen! Lord Warwick is older than Father!”
“I heard them organizing things just now.” Coven felt his stomach twisting as he remembered. “Mu uncle is happy to have Maryam even as she is, as long as he gets even one child out of her.”
Elizabeth looked ready to faint. She didn’t even go to the nearest chair available. She just sat on the floor, a stunned expression plastered on her face.
“I think I will be sick.” She swallowed and placed a hand over her stomach.
Coven couldn’t blame her; he was feeling sick himself.
“Maryam and Judith need to know.”
“We can’t tell them.” Elizabeth was shaking her head even though her expression was saying she wished they had another choice. “That will imply we’ve been eavesdropping and Father will be furious. Maryam needs to hear it from him. She likely wouldn’t believe us if we told her so it has to come from the horse’s mouth.”
Coven hated that but agree neither of them would believe him. They would have to wait until Lord Lindsey told them.
Coven lurched to his feet and swayed.
“I think I need some air.” He gasped.
It had to happen to him. He falls in love at first sight and the girl would marry his uncle, a man who would use her to get an heir.
Chapter 4
The Shocking
Arrangement
I beg your pardon?”
Maryam thought her hearing had gone. She had slept and woken up feeling better but now she wondered. Her uncle had just come into her room and had told her something that made no sense It was whirling around her head and Maryam could feel another dizzy spell coming.
Judith was standing beside her bed. Her face was white, her body tense with her hands clenched into fists. Maryam was sure her mother was shaking.
“Would you like to repeat that, Michael?” She asked through gritted teeth.
Her brother sighed. Maryam recognized that sigh; it was the one that indicated he wasn’t discussing what he had just said. Those sighs infuriated her.
“It’s all arranged, Judith. Maryam will marry the Earl of Warwick. All that remains is for them to be properly introduced.”
He would have her marry this man; that odious man downstairs? Maryam couldn’t believe her uncle would do such a thing. He had always said he would nev
er marry Maryam off without consulting her first and, even then, he would respect her decisions. Now she wondered if he had cared at all about her feelings.
“Are you out of your mind?” Judith’s voice was close to screeching as she strode towards her brother. “You can’t marry my daughter to that man! He’s old enough to be her father or even her grandfather!”
Michael looked at her like he was talking to a child who was refusing to listen to reason.
“Lord Warwick is enamoured with Maryam and wants her as his wife.” He intoned. “He’s got a title and money. Maryam will be quite comfortable.”
“Pardon?” Maryam was confused. “Has he ever met me?”
“He hasn’t!” Judith snapped. “This was arranged before we arrived! I’ve heard stories of Lord Warwick and I can understand the secrecy.” She jabbed a finger at her brother. “He is an odious, disgusting man who has no respect for women. His manners and his antics are the reason he’s never married.”
Her uncle didn’t bat an eyelid. But Maryam was shaking. Her mother had barely raised her voice in Maryam’s eighteen years. She had never seen her mother this angry.
“Everyone needs an heir, Judith.” Michael said.
“If he wanted an heir, he would’ve changed himself years ago.” Judith shot back. “Nobody will touch him with a barge pole. And, because of that, you decided you would give your niece to him? Without her consent?”
“I don’t need consent.”
“Yes, you do!”
Maryam shuddered from the shout. She couldn’t believe the audacity of her uncle. Trying to look angry and intimidating when her voice was sticky, she was struggling to breathe. She shouldn’t have agreed to allow him entry to her bedroom for this news.
She glared at her uncle, who didn’t seem at all deterred that he had two women furious and screaming at him.
“I will not marry that man.” She wheezed. “I will not marry him.”
“You will marry whoever I say you will marry.” Lord Lindsey said. “No arguments.”
As a little girl, whenever her uncle said those words, Maryam would stop and acquiesce. Not this time. She had never been asked to marry someone she didn’t know and three times her age. She shook her head.
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