Perhaps, as she had always thought, the word meant something different to a man. Perhaps she had misunderstood. Or perhaps she had given him something today that he wanted more than he could ever want her: confession, forgiveness and absolution.
‘If it has made you happy, then I am happy,’ she said. She loved him. And she had learned from loving Belle that sometimes love meant you wanted the best for your beloved, even if it destroyed your own dreams.
They were at the door now. Only a few more steps until he allowed her to walk away. He paused and she held her breath, waiting for the word that would make her stay.
Instead, he said nothing, and looked both ways to make sure they were not seen before he leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead in a way that was more brotherly than passionate. ‘We will see each other soon. Until then, thank you.’ He pressed her hand with his to emphasise the depths of his emotion. And then he waited for her to pass through the door so he could close it behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
It was another painfully ordinary afternoon in the Summoner home, but with a few major changes. Belle Templeton was visiting her sister and had settled in her usual seat beside the window to make a hash of a lace-trimmed pillow slip. Amy was in her usual seat on the opposite side of the window, ready to rip out the stitches again when it all went horribly wrong.
‘I like sewing now,’ Belle said with a ladylike nod.
‘You do?’ Amy looked up in surprise.
‘It is a thing that married ladies should like to do,’ Belle said. ‘So I like it now.’ She handed the project to Amy for inspection.
Marriage had not improved her technique in the least. But at least she enjoyed the attempt more than she had in the past. Amy gave her a nod of approval. ‘You are trying very hard to be a good wife, aren’t you?’
‘Guy says I am doing a wonderful job.’ Belle leaned forward and whispered, ‘There are things that married ladies do that are much easier than sewing and much more fun.’
‘That’s nice,’ said Amy, faintly. ‘But I am sure your husband would not want you talking about them.’
‘He said I was not to tell you about that time in Vauxhall Gardens,’ she said. ‘But I am sure, now that I am married it is all right.’
Amy blinked in shock and focused on the needlework in her lap like the proper spinster she’d always claimed she wanted to be. At the back of her mind, she must have known that one day, Belle would outstrip her in knowledge of some subject. Since Belle was to be the one to marry, it was only logical that it would be this one.
There was something deeply consoling about needlework. If one did not care about the results, one did not even have to think while doing the task. At some point, she would look back on today’s stitching and notice the unevenness of it. Then she could pull it out and do it again.
But it was no longer necessary to care so much about her work, or Belle’s. From the besotted look on Mr Templeton’s face when he came to collect her after her visits with Amy, the last thing in the world he cared about was whether his wife could stitch a straight seam.
When she had hinted to him about Belle’s need for assistance in the running of the house, he had politely but firmly refused her offer of help. Worse yet, Belle, who had been so dependent on her before, showed no interest in opening her home to Amelia the spinster. Apparently, the happy couple had not forgotten her efforts to keep them apart and no longer required her assistance.
Her sister was happy. That was what she’d wanted, all along. But she had never imagined a future where her own life had passed by unlived while she managed Belle’s. And now, without her quiet sister in it, the house was emptier than she could have imagined.
When she glanced up from her work to check on her sister, Belle was staring back at her. ‘Are you sad?’ She put aside her work basket and leaned forward to lay a hand on Amy’s cheek.
Amy forced a smile. ‘Do not worry yourself. I am fine.’ Belle was happy. She reminded herself of that fact several times a day. She had always told herself that this would be enough. And now to pretend that it was so made her throat tighten.
‘Do you want to come with Mary and me to pick curtains for my new house? I think I like blue. Guy says I can have any colour I want.’
‘But not white,’ Amy said, smiling. ‘You are very lucky to have found a man as good to you as Guy.’ Then she paused, repeating her sister’s last words in her mind. ‘Who is Mary?’
‘Mary is my new friend. Mr Lovell says she is coming to live with us and help me with the things I do not know about running a house and being a wife. That way, you do not have to.’
‘But...’ She wanted to live with Belle. It was not a burden. And what else was she to do?
Belle’s smile had not dimmed. ‘I like Mary. She is very nice.’
‘You’ve met her?’
Belle nodded happily. ‘She likes me, too.’
She had been replaced. Amy took a moment to control her temper before speaking. There was no point in being angry with Belle. She could not have known what the news would mean, if Amy had not known it herself until just that moment. ‘Of course she likes you,’ she said, not losing the smile. ‘And I am glad you are happy. Truly, I am.’
‘At first, when you said I had to get married and leave home, I was frightened,’ Belle said. ‘But it is very nice. I like being married. You should do it, too.’
Amy swallowed until she could breathe around the lump in her throat. She had not seen Ben at all since the day she had brought his mother to him. It had been almost a week and there had been no visit, no letter, nor any sign of him at the parties she’d attended. If he felt any of the things he’d claimed to, what had become of him?
It took almost a minute to remember that she had decided years ago that she did not want to get married and was happy with things just the way they were. ‘I am far too old to marry,’ she said, forcing her smile to be as bright as Belle’s. ‘And Father still needs me. I shall remain here and take care of him.’ Not that Geoffrey Summoner needed caring for. She had never met a more independent man in her life. ‘Perhaps I will get a cottage near Mr Templeton’s home so I can come to your house in the afternoons, as you do to mine. Then I might help with the mending and other things you do not like.’ But the thought of a lifetime spent re-stitching Belle’s spoiled hems made her want to weep.
Her plans had not been as noble and selfless as she had thought them. She had assumed that she would simply follow Belle in marriage. She had wanted to arrange a future that would suit her own needs as much as her sister’s. But she had forgotten that even a man as gentle and kind as Guy Templeton might not want to share his life with a sister-in-law who could not be bothered to find a husband.
‘I will have Mary and Guy for things like that.’ Belle was glancing out the window of the sitting room towards the street in front of the house. Then she leaned forward in her chair, too excited to be still. ‘He is here! He has come to take me home.’ Now her face lit with a smile that was different from the one she used to wear. There was a warmth and depth to it that had been missing from her childlike joy for parties and dancing.
Belle was in love.
Before she could stifle it, a sob escaped from Amy’s lips. It was just as Ben had always claimed. She was jealous of her sister. And she was angry at the fact that she had given so much and, in the end, there was nothing left for her. She had no love of her own and her sister did not need her.
‘Don’t be sad.’ Belle’s hand was on her cheek again, her husband’s arrival forgotten. ‘Guy promises that he will take good care of me.’
Who will take care of me?
Of course, she did not need anyone to take care of her. She was quite capable of making her own decisions and managing her own life. But at a moment like this, she could not help but wonder if it might be nice
r not to be so completely independent.
‘I will miss you,’ she whispered, cupping Belle’s face in her palms.
‘You do not have to miss me. We can be neighbours.’ Belle beamed at her again. ‘You must marry Mr Lovell. Guy says he lives so close we can walk there.’
‘But...’ Was it really necessary to explain, again, that a woman had no power in this? ‘I cannot just decide to marry Mr Lovell. He must ask me. And there is no reason for him to do so.’ None that she could admit to, anyway. Without thinking, she touched the locket that hung at her throat.
‘I know something you don’t know.’ Belle was trying to look smug as a kitten in the cream. But since she could not manage to stop giggling, the effect was spoiled.
‘Not about this, I’m afraid.’ Amy pulled Belle’s hand from her face, clasping it in her own.
‘I know that you like Mr Lovell, even though you pretend that you do not.’
What point was there to lie about it now? ‘Yes, I do.’
‘And he likes you, too. That is why he’s talking to Papa.’
‘He’s talking...’ She paused in confusion. ‘When did he talk to Father?’
‘He is talking to him right now,’ Belle said. ‘I saw him come in.’
‘You saw him?’
‘I have been watching out the window for Guy,’ she said. ‘And when I saw him on the street...’ she pointed towards the front door ‘...he saw me in the window, and he...’ She held her finger up to her lips to indicate silence.
Amy shook her head. Belle was not making much sense. But then, she often got more confusing when there was something important to convey. ‘Mr Lovell wanted you to keep his visit a secret?’
Belle frowned. ‘Did I do wrong?’
‘No,’ Amy assured her. ‘I am sure he just wished to surprise me.’ It was far more likely that he had business with her father and hoped to save them both the embarrassment of a meeting. If he left the house as quietly as he arrived she need never know he had been there.
Belle had no intention of allowing discretion. She stood and tugged on Amy’s hand to pull her to her feet. ‘You should go to him.’
‘No, Belle,’ she said quietly. ‘I am sure, if he wants to see me, he will come.’
‘She is right, Belle. Ben must come to her.’ Guy Templeton was standing in the doorway, with Mellie the terrier pulling on the leash in his hand. He dropped the leather strap and the dog ran past his mistress to throw himself on to his favourite spot on the sofa.
‘Guy.’ Belle dropped her sister’s hands and went to her husband, pulling him into the room.
‘My angel,’ he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. ‘How was your afternoon?’
‘I made a pillowslip,’ she said. ‘It is very bad.’
He looked down at it. ‘It is.’ Then he whispered something in her ear that made her laugh.
‘Templeton.’ Their father was standing in the doorway Guy had vacated. He was glaring at his new son-in-law with an expression of thinly veiled contempt.
‘Lord Summoner.’ Guy looked back at him with a serene smile devoid of offence. He took a step closer to Belle in a subtle display of possession. ‘I have come to collect my wife.’
At the last word, Father gave a visible wince of displeasure. ‘Then do so and be gone.’ He looked at Belle, his gaze softening. ‘And if you need to return home, for any reason, you are not to hesitate. I will send a carriage immediately.’
At this, Belle laughed. ‘Do not be silly, Papa. If I wish to come here, Guy will drive me in his own carriage. And then he will come to bring me home, just as he is doing now.’
For a moment, their father had the same perplexed look on his face that summed up what she felt about her sister’s new-found independence. He gave one more cold glance in Guy’s direction and said, ‘Very well, then.’
‘Very well,’ Belle agreed. ‘Come, Mellie. We are leaving now.’ Guy offered her his arm and escorted her towards the door. But as she passed her father in the doorway, she stopped to kiss him on the cheek.
For a moment, he softened and his hand rose, as if to beckon her back. Then it dropped again and he sighed in defeat.
Mellie sighed as well, hopping to the floor and giving one last, longing look at his cushion before wagging his tail and following his mistress out of the house.
Her father cleared his throat, as if coughing away the inconveniently soft emotions. ‘Amelia. I wish to see you in my study.’
She gathered up her sewing. ‘I will be with you momentarily.’
‘Now, Amelia. We do not want to keep our guest waiting.’
Ben.
She had assumed he must be gone. But he was in this very house with her, waiting. She stood up so quickly she dropped her workbasket and smoothed her skirts and hair, wishing for a mirror. Then she did her best to walk at a ladylike pace one step behind her father.
But she touched the locket for luck as she did so.
As she entered the room, he rose, turned and bowed. But his face remained expressionless, giving no hint of what was to come. He waited until she had taken the chair on the opposite end of the desk before resuming his seat.
She looked from one to the other, but neither man spoke. The silence drew her nerves to the breaking point, so, she broke it. ‘Good afternoon, Mr Lovell. What business did you have with me?’
He showed no mercy and did not answer the question she had asked. ‘I came to assure myself that your sister was well and offer my apologies again for what happened in my home.’
‘No apologies are necessary,’ her father said hurriedly.
Ben held up a hand to demur. ‘Despite my efforts to do just as your father wished, my engagement to your sister ended badly. I promised that she would not be hurt and wished to assure myself that all was well with her.’
‘I assume you know it to be so,’ Amy said, growing impatient. ‘For it appears you helped her husband to engage a companion for her.’
‘How gracious of you,’ her father said, smiling.
‘So kind,’ she added, ‘to make it unnecessary for me to follow her to her new home.’
‘It was the least I could do,’ Ben said, ignoring the warning glare her father shot her and responding with a modest nod. ‘I wanted to be sure my oath to you was properly discharged.’
‘Of course, my dear fellow. Any obligation is fulfilled. You have done all you could.’
‘But that still leaves the matter of the seat in the Commons we discussed,’ Ben added. ‘And certain threats that you made against my character.’
‘They were not meant as threats, per se,’ her father hedged.
‘I spoke to Cottsmoor about them. He found them to be most ominous.’
‘Cottsmoor?’ her father said weakly.
‘I believe you said something about biblical retribution, if I failed in my duty,’ Ben said quietly.
‘Father is a great fan of the Bible,’ Amy supplied. ‘Especially Genesis. Jacob and Esau. Leban and Rachel...’ She gave him a significant look and pretended to veil her face.
‘And you did not fail, Mr Lovell,’ her father said, ignoring her. ‘I have no reason to seek retribution.’
‘But that does not reduce the power you have over me,’ Ben reminded him, turning to her. ‘And you as well, Miss Summoner. For you took the time to find my mother and verify the truth about my past.’
At your request.
She wanted to shout it at him and end this pointless charade.
‘I am sure she meant no harm,’ her father wheedled.
‘On the contrary, she has been trying to harm me since the first day we met,’ Ben said with a laugh of incredulity. ‘Spilling drinks. Knocking me off a horse. And locking me in a closet at the Middletons’ musicale.’
‘That door
was not locked,’ she insisted, before remembering where she was.
‘Amelia!’ her father said, obviously appalled.
‘In short, I have no reason to trust the pair of you,’ Ben finished.
‘No more than I trust you,’ she said, growing tired of waiting for him to make good on his words.
‘But there is no need to involve a peer,’ her father said hastily. ‘I am sure we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution.’
‘I would have more faith in your words if you had as much to lose as I,’ Ben reminded him. ‘If we were related, by a bond of marriage, as planned? Then the last thing you would want was to see me disgraced.’
The room fell silent and both men looked to her.
‘It was never my intention to marry,’ she said to her father, trying not to smile at his suffering.
‘And I promised that I would not force a husband upon you,’ he replied. ‘But for all that is holy, just once would you consider doing what is best for both of us?’
She sighed. ‘This is not much of a proposal. You did better by my sister, I think. She at least got a carriage ride.’
‘After the preliminaries were settled in this office,’ Ben responded. ‘And I have not, as yet, proposed to you. You cannot complain about my technique until after.’
‘You have my permission and she has not rejected you on principal,’ her father said, throwing up his hands. ‘You have already got further with her than any other man.’
Ben’s next comment was lost in an embarrassed cough. He cleared his throat again and her father reached for the brandy, pouring them both a glass and ignoring Amy’s outstretched hand.
‘As I was about to say...’ Ben glanced in her direction with a polite smile and drained his glass. ‘If the lady and I can speak privately for a time, perhaps we can come to an understanding.’
‘By all means,’ her father said. ‘Go to the sitting room and talk for as long as you like.’
Ben rose and preceded her.
When he was out of earshot, her father said in an angry whisper, ‘And do not come out of that room until you have said yes. I will lock you in together, if I must. But there will be a marriage and the matter will be settled.’
The Wedding Game Page 21
