by Ella Edon
She knew she should be happy for her friend. And yet, Amy couldn’t bring herself to relax. She had tolerated the wedding and the wedding dinner for Sarah, but now Amy wanted to leave, but she knew her father would outright refuse. She wasn’t going anywhere.
“Oh, Amy?” Sarah nodded across the crowded room. “I think your father’s trying to get your attention.”
Amy looked up. Viscount Graham Hartley was near the orchestra, frantically waving at her. He would stop whenever someone was walking past and give them a nod of greeting, and then go back to waving at his daughter. Amy sighed. Her father had been attempting to get her attention all evening, and Amy had been successful thus far not to cross paths with him. She knew perfectly well what he wanted. Her presence so she could be introduced to the various young men Hartley kept parading in front of her.
Amy sighed and turned away.
“He can wait. I don’t want to deal with him right now.”
“Since when is that different?” Sarah frowned at her. “Have you fallen out with him again?”
“How can you fall out with someone you weren’t on the best of terms with in the first place?”
Sarah didn’t answer. She knew Amy’s situation. Viscount Hartley and his second wife, Viscountess Beatrice Hartley, were not very kind people. Somehow, they were invited to social events in spite of everyone’s intense dislike for them. Amy was surprised she wasn’t completely ostracized because of her father and his behavior. Maybe that was why she was approaching the age of one-and-twenty and still unmarried: no one wanted to be associated with the Hartley family.
“Your father’s coming over here.” Sarah tugged Amy with her. “Come on. Let’s take a wander. By the time he gets through everyone, he won’t be able to find us.”
Amy wasn’t about to argue with that. Sarah started to lead Amy around the edge of the dancefloor. Everyone’s dance cards seemed to be full right now. Amy hated dancing, and she had been avoiding it as much as possible. As long as she could get through the evening without panicking, she was happy.
“I still wonder why you're living with them,” Sarah commented. “The three of you clearly don’t like each other.”
“You know the conditions of marriage and divorce. Women cease to exist once they become wives. They can’t own anything.” Amy sighed. “I’m my father’s property, whether I like it or not.”
That part, Amy hated. Divorce was incredibly rare, especially being granted to women. Her mother had been incredibly lucky to be granted a divorce, but she hadn’t been allowed to take Amy. Hartley still had control of his daughter, and he would until Amy married. Even after Amy’s mother had remarried, her father still had the say over Amy.
Amy wished he didn’t, because his motives were certainly not in her best interests.
“What are you three arguing about now?” Sarah asked, pulling Amy from her reverie.
“What do you mean now? We’re always arguing.” Amy shook her head and scowled. “Father and Beatrice have been attempting to marry me off for months now. They want to make me someone else’s problem.”
“I would have thought you would jump at the chance to get away from them. You’ve always said you would take the first chance possible to leave.”
“I would have agreed if they didn’t keep trying to match me to the men in their social circle.” Amy made a face. “Men like them. I don’t want to marry someone like my father.”
Sarah winced.
“I see your point. That is a problem.” Then she brightened up. “I’ll tell you what. Perhaps you can find yourself a potential husband here. You know weddings are supposed to be a good place to find a match.”
“No!” Amy stopped short. She shook her head. “No, don’t.”
“Well, you need a husband. And where better to find one than at my wedding?” Sarah winked. “That could be my special wedding present.”
“Sarah,” Amy groaned. “Please don’t go matchmaker on me. I don’t want it.”
“Oh, Amy.” Sarah took Amy’s hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “I love you, and I want you to be happy. I just want to help.”
Amy knew Sarah wasn’t going to let her walk away from this. One thing for certain with regards to Sarah, she was persistent.
Amy sighed and looked at the floor.
“All right, very well. I’ll humor you. For now.”
Sarah grinned. Then she linked arms with Amy again and drew her to the edge of the dancefloor. Standing beside a pillar and hiding behind a huge plant, they were hidden from most of the guests. Amy could see her father looking around in frustration when he realized he had missed her. Then he made a face and stomped away.
At least he was gone, for now.
“Right.” Sarah looked around the room. “Let’s see who there is. There are plenty of eligible bachelors here.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“How many have you met?”
Amy sighed. “I have no idea, but I’ve met plenty.”
“Not all of them are like Viscount Hartley. Look, over there, by the dining hall door.” Sarah pointed. “That’s Viscount Neil Sagel. He’s quite a handsome young man. A little older than us, and he comes from a titled family.”
Amy was already shaking her head before Sarah had finished.
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s the oldest son of one of my father’s friends. Father’s already considered him as a suit, and I rejected him.” Amy shuddered. “He is a polite young man, yes, but I don’t want anyone associated with my father.”
Sarah tittered.
“Picky, aren’t we?”
“I think I’m allowed.”
“You’re not going to find yourself a husband if you get too picky. Everyone’s going to know about your father somehow.”
“I don’t care about finding a husband.” Amy giggled. “Hopefully, I can get banished to a cottage in the middle of nowhere with an allowance, so Father doesn’t have to worry about me.”
Sarah laughed.
“Beatrice would love that.”
“It would more than likely be her idea. Although she would say I shouldn’t have such a huge allowance.”
“You’d take it either way, wouldn’t you?”
“Absolutely.”
The idea of marriage made Amy very squeamish. She couldn’t think about it as a happy occasion, not when she was under her father’s thumb. He would have the final say on anything, including any proposals. Amy didn’t want to get married to a man Hartley had picked out for her.
They carried on walking around the room, Sarah occasionally stopping to talk to some of the guests as they congratulated her and gushed over her wedding dress. Amy hovered nearby, trying not to impose and trying not to panic over the press of people around her. It was getting even harder to breathe now. Eventually, after what seemed like a lifetime, Sarah managed to get away from the happy guests and urged Amy to follow.
She pointed out several more options for Amy, but Amy turned them all down. There was something off about each of them, something that Amy didn’t want to go into. Sarah was getting frustrated by the end of their walk around the room, but she bit it back and kept her smile on. However, Amy could see the annoyance building in her friend’s eyes.
She hadn’t asked for Sarah to look for her a potential husband. Amy was happy to blend into the background. Being a wallflower seemed more inviting than anything else right now.
“Oh!” Sarah stopped suddenly, her eyes lighting up. “I have an idea. What about Daniel?”
“Daniel?” Amy frowned. “Who’s Daniel?”
“Oh, you know who Daniel is. My brother. He’s not married either, and he’s eligible.”
Daniel. Amy felt her pulse skipping. Daniel Nottage, the Earl of Derby, was Sarah’s older brother. Amy had known him since she was a little girl, and she had been in awe of him from the first moment. Derby was one of those people whose presence was always noticed and someone you wa
nted to be around. Sarah adored her brother, and the feeling was mutual.
Amy had often wondered what it would be like if she married Derby, but it had always been a dream. A dream she had never told anyone. Now, she was beginning to feel a hot flush spread across her body.
“Derby?” she squeaked, clearing her throat when Sarah looked at her strangely. “Are you seriously trying to match me with your brother?”
“Why not? He doesn’t care about your father at all, and you two get along very well. I can barely get your attention when the two of you are in deep conversation.” Sarah grinned. “And he is fine to look at.”
“Sarah!”
“What? I'm just truthful.”
Amy knew that she was flushed in the face. No amount of makeup would be able to hide it. She could see Derby now across the room, talking to the Marquis of Merseyside, Sarah’s new husband. Tall and fair-haired, Derby had taken to growing a beard in recent months that he kept trimmed. His clothes were of the finest silk in dark blue, a blue that would match his eyes. Amy knew she wasn’t the only woman staring at him.
She gulped and looked away.
“I can’t consider Derby, Sarah!”
“What’s wrong with my brother?”
“Nothing’s wrong with him.” Amy chewed at her lower lip. “But he’s just lost Katherine. They were about to get married. It hasn’t been that long since she died. Derby wouldn’t be in the market for a wife.”
Sarah shrugged.
“Well, you never know. Women queue up for his attention.”
“Sarah, I can’t.”
“But why not?”
Amy tried to find an excuse, but she couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t insult anyone. Then Amy saw Sarah’s expression. Something lit up in Sara’s eyes, and she was looking slyly at Amy.
“Oh, I see. That’s how it is, is it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You and Derby.” Sarah giggled. “I didn’t realize you had a fancy for Derby.”
“No!” Amy saw people looking over and lowered her voice. “I don’t have a fancy for your brother. We’re just good friends, that’s all.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Amy protested when she saw Sarah’s expression. “I don’t!”
Sarah was making a face that said she was trying not to laugh. Amy shuffled from foot to foot, wishing she could escape and hide somewhere. This was more embarrassing than interacting with the men her father kept parading around in front of her.
“Maybe you should stop glowing bright red before you try and convince me,” Sarah said as she sipped her drink. “But you should consider him. He is an option, after all. And I would prefer you married my brother than someone who would make you miserable. I know my brother always makes you smile.”
Amy didn’t want to talk about the earl anymore. She looked around and saw a footman walking close by with a tray of drinks. She waved him over, taking two glasses and holding one out to Sarah.
“Do you want another drink?”
“I thought you wanted me to take care with how much I drank.”
“I’ve changed my mind,” Amy mumbled. Anything to stop Sarah from talking about marriage. Specifically, anything involving the Earl of Derby.
* * *
Kenneth Cliff, Marquis of Merseyside, raised his glass.
“Cheers.”
Derby raised his glass in return.
“Good health.”
Merseyside tipped his head back and drank down his glass in one go. Derby could see that his cheeks were getting redder and redder, and he was swaying a little. If he drank any more, chances were the Marquis would have to be carried up to his bedchamber.
Derby wasn’t about to be nearby when his new brother-in-law passed out drunk.
“Oh, great.”
“What?”
Merseyside was looking at his pocket watch with a scowl.
“The time. It’s only been an hour since we left the dinner table and came in here. I thought it was much later than that.”
“That’s the fifth time you’ve looked at your watch in the last ten minutes,” Derby pointed out. “What is the matter with you?”
Merseyside huffed and gestured at the guests.
“You know I hate these formalities, Derby. It’s meant to be my wedding day.”
“And we’re all here celebrating it, or have you forgotten?”
“I haven’t forgotten.” Merseyside was staring across the room. “I just want to spend the rest of my wedding day with my bride. Alone.”
Derby didn’t need to know where he was staring. Sarah was like a beacon in that dress of hers. And she looked absolutely radiant. Derby was immensely proud of her taking this arranged match with good grace and had been honored to give her away. He had thought Merseyside would be a good match for his sister, and from the way his friend had reacted the first time he and Sarah met, he was more than taken with her.
Derby was glad about that, but he wasn’t keen on knowing what the Marquis wanted to do with Sarah.
“You do realize that’s my sister you’re talking about.”
“Oh.” Merseyside cleared his throat. “Forgive me, Derby. I forgot.”
“I noticed,” Derby said dryly as he sipped at his drink. “Look, Mersey, you may consider yourself the one in control of this marriage, but if you force Sarah into something she doesn’t like, she will fight you.”
Merseyside arched an eyebrow.
“I can hardly believe that. She’s not the fighting type.”
“Believe me, she most certainly is. You’ve just not been in her company when that fine temper of hers has come out.” Derby gave his friend a pointed look. “I know you like things a certain way, but if you try to rule Sarah with an iron fist, she will fight back.”
“Are you trying to tell me how to do things in my marriage?”
“Sarah is your bride, but she is my sister.” Derby tipped his glass at Merseyside. “You abuse her; you’ll have to answer to me.”
“Trust me; I won’t do that.” Merseyside placed a hand on his chest. “I swear it to you that I won’t harm Sarah.”
Derby believed that. Merseyside was an honorable man. They had known each other for years, and the Marquis was a respectable man. His father, the Duke of Liverpool, had raised him to be a good person. It had certainly won Sarah over, and there was a great degree of affection between them. Derby hoped it would last.
Merseyside turned away when someone got his attention, leaving Derby alone. Derby took a moment to look around the room. Lots of people had arrived to celebrate the wedding, and the festivities were certainly going strong. Everyone was in high spirits, with the exception of Lord and Lady Hartley, who were in a corner in a heated conversation. Neither of them looked particularly happy.
Derby didn’t understand why they had come along. The invitation had only been for Amy Hartley, their child. But, Hartley and Lady Hartley had arrived as well, declaring they needed to chaperone her. Amy hadn’t been happy with it at all and had almost immediately disappeared from view as soon as they had turned up at the church.
He had no idea how his father, the last Earl of Derby, and Lord Hartley had managed to become friends or even remain friends. The two men were completely different, and from what Derby could remember when he was a child, his father merely tolerated Hartley. If it hadn’t been for his lovely wife, the first Lady Hartley, perhaps they wouldn’t have been associates at all.
Chapter Two
And then, perhaps, they wouldn’t have known Amy Hartley. Derby found himself smiling as he remembered the first time he saw Amy. Three years old with light brown curls and a cute little lisp. She had followed him around like a puppy, which Derby had found annoying at nine years old. Sarah had adored her, and the two were inseparable whenever the Hartley family visited.
Amy was a saint for having to live with an insufferable man and an equally insufferable stepmother. Derby had no idea how she managed to do it without
going mad.
Pulled from his thoughts, Derby saw Amy. She was hovering near a plant by one of the pillars, inching towards the open terrace windows. Sarah had wandered off and was talking to some middle-aged women who were fussing over her and gushing over her dress, leaving Amy alone. Derby watched as Amy shuffled towards an escape.
