“My, oh my,” the Dowager Duchess said. “Mr. Sharp! It is so good to see you.”
Marianne groaned inwardly. She had not seen Mr. Sharp since the last time he called before she and her mother began their instruction with William, and she had hoped he had moved on in his life. However, the wide smile he had for her told her that the chances were not on her side in that arena. Well, he would learn soon enough that she was no longer available for courting, although she could not tell him as of yet.
“Miss Blithe,” he said with that same bored tone she remembered before, “it is wonderful to see you.”
She gave him a nod. “How are you, Mr. Sharp?” she asked. “I see you received an invitation to the party, as well. How…fortunate.”
“Yes, well…” he leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “In all honesty, I am unsure why I was invited. You see, I received a note…”
“You two make the most handsome of couples,” the Dowager Duchess said as she moved in closer to them, moving Mr. Sharp in closer to Marianne in the process. “I am so happy you were able to attend. I thought when I did not hear a response that you would not come.”
He cleared his throat. “As a matter of fact, I had considered not attending. However, after the note…”
“Oh, here he comes!” The Dowager Duchess opened her fan and hid a smile behind it.
Marianne stared at the woman for a moment, just as Mr. Barnsworth announced William, and she decided to put the woman out of her mind. This was William’s night, and no one would take that away from him.
***
By eight that evening, the ballroom was filled with people, and William could feel nothing but pride for how everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Sofia had assured him that only the best food and drink could be served, so a long table sat along one wall with a variety of hors d’oeuvres and canapés. The wine flowed freely as did the brandy and the port, and laughter and music filled the room.
However, one woman kept William’s attention above the rest and that was Marianne. She looked resplendent in her emerald-green gown with the silver threading. It had a deep-scooped neckline, but not too low to be considered immodest, and the emerald necklace only enhanced her beauty. Although he was called away for a majority of the night so Sofia could introduce him to all of the guests who had taken time out of their busy lives to meet him, many times William caught himself gazing across the room at the woman who held his heart.
It was during one of these moments of far-off admiration that he noticed Marianne speaking with a man of the same age as she. William had not met the man as of yet, for he would have remembered him. The man was well-dressed in a deep-blue tailcoat and held himself with quiet dignity. He imagined that most women would have found him handsome, and William could not help but feel a twinge of jealousy as she laughed at something he had said.
“Who is that with Marianne?” he whispered to Sofia when the Lord and Lady Lockington walked away.
Sofia followed his gaze and frowned. “That would be Mr. Sharp, but what he would be doing here, I have no idea. I do not remember his name being on the guest list.” Her frown deepened as she studied the pair. “Is he not the man that was courting Miss Blithe before she and her mother began instructing you?”
William studied the man. The name did sound familiar. “I believe so, but I understand that she rejected his advances.”
Sofia sniffed. “She appears to be quite happy in his company now, does she not? Even her mother has left her alone with the man, which says much about the two.”
“What do you mean?” he asked as he turned toward her.
“Well, it might be nothing, but if a man is left alone with a woman, it oftentimes means that…arrangements…are being made.” She waved a hand at him. “Oh, never mind my old-fashioned ways. Perhaps expectations have changed since I was of courting age.”
William frowned. There was the issue of Marianne’s father wanting to get into his good graces, but if she had eyes for another man, then perhaps she convinced her father to allow her to choose who made for better company than he. What he wanted to do was go over and find out what they were speaking about, but Sofia pulled at his arm.
“Oh, there is Lord and Lady Dowding,” Sofia said, pointing with her fan. “You remember them; they attended your dinner party.”
William sighed. He would have to find out the topic of their conversation later, for he had duties that required his attention. However, he would find out the truth, one way or another.
***
Marianne glanced over at William, who was once again standing with the Dowager Duchess. He had barely spoken to her the entire evening, but this was his moment to show the ton that he was one of them. His stately stance gave off a sense of self-worth that made her proud, for he had earned the approval the people showed him. It was hard to believe that the man hosting the party this evening was the same man who had bowed so awkwardly to her and her mother only a little over two months prior.
“Miss Blithe,” a voice said from behind her, “I hope you are enjoying yourself.”
She turned to find Mr. Sharp standing there with a glass in his hand and a wide smile on his face. “Mr. Sharp,” she said, “I am. And what about you? We did not have much time to speak earlier.”
“I must admit that I am happier than I have been in my life,” the man replied.
“Oh? And why is that, if I might ask?”
The man’s smile widened, if that were possible. “I am to be married.”
“That is wonderful news!” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “And who is the lucky bride-to-be?”
“Miss Graves is her name. We met through a mutual acquaintance, and she enjoys a good hunt as much as I. We immediately found we were compatible in every way, and so we knew we had to marry.”
“I truly am very happy for you, Mr. Sharp,” Marianne said. And she was, for not only did this mean that a happy couple would be wed, but it also meant that her father could no longer force her to allow him to call on her; although the former made her happier than the latter, for everyone deserved happiness, even a man such as Mr. Sharp.
She glanced around behind him. “Is your intended with you?” she asked. “Will I be able to meet her?”
“Alas, she was unable to attend. Her grandmother has taken ill and she and her mother have traveled to Newcastle to care for her. However, the banns will be called beginning this week, and when she returns, we will be wed.”
Marianne found his enthusiasm contagious, and she wished she could tell him about her and William. However, she could not do so until he officially asked for her hand; therefore, she kept it to herself. Tonight was about William and his Dukedom, but she predicted that it would be very soon when she would be able to share the same news with Mr. Sharp as he had just shared with her.
“I imagine that Miss Graves has been quite busy with the plans for the wedding?” she asked.
“Oh, yes,” Mr. Sharp replied. “When we are married…”
“What do you mean ‘when you are married’?” an angry voice said from behind Marianne.
She turned to find William standing there, a deep frown on his face. “Well? What is it you mean by those words?” He did not allow Mr. Sharp to answer, for he turned to Marianne and added, “So, apparently what I heard was true.”
Marianne gaped at him. “What you heard?” she asked with shock. “And what have you heard?”
“I know what you and your father have been up to,” he shouted, and the entire room fell silent. “I know all about how your father wanted a way to reach deep into my pockets and was willing to you use you to get there.”
It was as if the world was closing in on her as Marianne’s eyes widened. “And where did you hear such things?” Then she noticed the Dowager Duchess standing beside him and she knew the answer to her question. “So, you will believe lies?”
“No one, and I mean no one, not even you, will use me!” William shouted, and it was then that she caught the
heavy stench of alcohol on his breath. “Do you understand? You are exactly the kind of person I have been warned against. Go! And take…this man…with you!”
Shame and embarrassment washed over Marianne as everyone stared at her. “William, let us go somewhere private and discuss this.”
“No!” he shouted even louder. “I want you out of this house at once!” Then he turned to Mr. Sharp. “And you! I do not know why you are here, but you are to leave immediately.”
Mr. Sharp stared wide-eyed at William. “But, Your Grace, I was invi…”
“Out!”
The poor man bowed. “Yes, Your Grace,” he said before hurrying from the room.
“Marianne, what is going on?” her mother asked as she walked up to the group. “Your Grace? Is something wrong?”
“I want you and your family to leave and never return,” he hissed. “And Marianne, Miss Blithe, you should probably hurry; your…fiancé will be gone before you have a chance to speak to him.”
“You have no idea what you have done,” Marianne said as tears filled her eyes. “However, if you are unwilling to even discuss this with me, then perhaps the truth will make little difference.” She turned to her mother. “Let us go home.” And with that, she walked away. Walked, not stomped. At least, that was what she attempted, although she doubted she was able to maintain any form of grace. If William took the word of a woman well-known to use men to get what she wanted, then anything she had to say would be of little use.
Before she left the room, however, she overheard her mother say, “You have no idea what you have just done. My daughter cares for you, and only you, but you have pushed yourself to such a point that I do not recognize you. I hope Your Grace,” she said the words like a curse, “is happy with what has happened here tonight, for you have broken that girl’s heart!”
Marianne did not turn to see William’s reaction to her mother’s words, for she knew that her heart would never mend from the deep gash it had received; he may as well have cut her with a knife, for the pain she felt at that moment was that great.
Chapter Twenty
For several days after the party, William stewed as thoroughly as a lamb shank in a pot of water, to the point that he now sat slumped in a chair in his study, devoid of every pinch of meat on his bones and lost in yet another glass of brandy. Or that was how long it took for him to come to terms with his reaction to seeing Marianne with Mr. Sharp at a moment that should have been his greatest. In all reality, he now knew his reaction could not have been any worse than it had been. What had he been thinking? That was the problem, was it not? He had not been thinking.
Any future he had hoped for was now destroyed because he could not keep his temper under control and he allowed his jealousy for a situation of which he had no true knowledge to overtake him. The woman had not been in the wrong, and his only hope for winning her back was to seek her forgiveness. The question was, would she be willing to do so?
He took another sip of his brandy, thinking of the first time he had met her. She and her mother had arrived at Silver Birch Estates believing he was a servant, and at that time he had been just that. He chuckled remembering Mrs. Blithe ordering him about, but his chuckle turned to seriousness when he thought on how Marianne had smiled at him, just as he had at her. She had not always held that smile during their time of instruction together, for he had frustrated her on more than one occasion. However, through those lessons they both had changed, he more than she to be sure as she encouraged him to be a better man who developed the confidence he needed.
Sighing, he pulled himself from the chair and walked to the window where the stars shone in the black sky. He and Marianne had enjoyed an evening together when they had peered up at those same stars, and he wondered if she looked up at them at this very moment. What he wished to do was go call on her, to see if he could earn back her trust and beg her forgiveness.
The door behind him opened, and he turned and frowned as Sofia entered, her head held high, her gown nearly as extravagant as what she wore to that fateful party. Gray with intricate beadwork on the bodice and sleeves, she appeared ready for a ball at Court.
“William,” she said with an urgency that belied her steady walk across the room, “I have worried for you. You did not wish to see me?”
The sadness she wore brought him another level of guilt. “It was not you in particular I did not wish to see,” he explained. He did not want to alienate the one person who stood by his side after his dreadful behavior the other night. Although most had been diffident in his presence after Marianne had been sent away, few wore the same smiles they had worn before he had lost his temper and most spent the remainder of the night whispering behind their fans and their hands.
“Why have you come?” he asked.
“That can be explained later,” she said as she patted his arm. “Tell me, what is bothering you?”
He sighed and shook his head. “It is…the party, my actions…I do not know. It bothers me no end how I reacted.” He walked over to the liquor cart and went to pour himself another drink only to have it slosh over the sides of the glass. He had drunk more than he should have and it was taking its toll on him.
“I understand,” Sofia said in a soft voice as she reached over and took the decanter from him. She poured his drink and led him to the settee. “Have a seat and I will take care of you.” She handed him the glass, now full once again, and she sat beside him with her own.
“You are truly too kind to me,” he said as he sipped at the brandy he knew he had no business drinking. “I do not deserve a friend like you.” However, despite his words, something tickled the back of his mind, something that did not sit well with him but he could not identify. He pushed it away; if it did not surface, perhaps it was not important.
“Friends aid one another in times of trouble, do they not?” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “Now, talk with me. I see the pain in your eyes. What is bothering you?”
“It is Marianne,” he said as he stared down at his glass. “My outburst at the party was not something I would typically do; however, I could not help but feel jealousy burn through me when I saw her talking with Mr. Sharp.” He looked up at Sofia. “I did not even allow her the chance to explain or defend herself. What if…” He sighed. This was the foundation of his self-loathing at the moment. “What if they were merely talking and I took it well beyond what was truth?” Simply saying the words brought his spirit up from the floor, even if it was merely ankle-high. As a matter of fact, the more he considered this viewpoint, the clearer the explanation became.
Sofia, however, squelched the expectation immediately. “It is why I am here at this hour,” she said in a quiet voice. “Word came to me, and then I witnessed the truth for myself.”
“What?” he said as he sat forward on the settee. “What did you hear?”
“Mr. Sharp is courting Miss Blithe once again.”
The words cut William to the quick. “Th-this cannot be,” he stammered. “Surely you are mistaken.” He downed the brandy, but it did nothing to soothe him as it once had.
“I am afraid it is true. She does not care for you the way a woman cares for a man.” She fretted at her lower lip and gave him a shy smile through her lashes. “The way I care for you.” She set her glass on the table and placed her hand on his. “I warned you that it was only money she sought, did I not?”
He nodded, though he found her words to be unbelievable. “But why? The way we spoke of the future together…it makes no sense.”
“Such things never do,” she said. “Once you spoke with authority, she ran into the arms of her new lover, not caring that she hurt you.”
The pain returned, greater now than before, as his world shattered around him. Marianne had been the first woman he had ever truly cared for, and now she was gone.
A numbness covered him like a blanket. “I…loved her.”
“You are a powerful man, William, and you need a strong woman at your side. A Duc
hess who knows her place…beside you.”
He stared at her. “I do not understand.”
She took his now empty glass and placed it on the table beside hers. “We make wonderful business partners, and we do get on quite well. With my help, we can grow both our wealth.” She placed a hand on his cheek. “Let me love you and show you what you need, for I am the only person you need to fulfill all your dreams.” Then she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.
The fog that had settled on his brain dissipated as quickly as if the sun tearing through a London fog, and he grabbed her shoulders to push her away. “You must leave…now,” he said as he stood and moved to the fireplace. His head spun—or was it the room?—as he thought back to the time he had spent with this woman over the last months. She coaching him to become bitter, to push those away who treated him with kindness and the respect he had desired from the beginning. And all the while, she had been planning to seduce him. His Marianne had been right, and William had ignored her warning.
“Why?” Sofia demanded as she rose from the settee stood beside him. “You are angry because I offer to share my love?”
“I have just shared my heartbreak, and you seek to take advantage of me!” he said, unworried for the seething tone behind the words. “I told you I still love Marianne, and yet you force yourself on me? Leave, Sofia, for I do not wish to ever see you again.”
Sofia laughed, an eerie sound he had never heard from the woman before. “Do not push me way, Love, for you will regret it as surely as the sun will rise in the morning.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “What do you mean?”
“Remember, I know who you are and from where you came,” she said in a quiet voice laced with poison. “It is a secret I would gladly share if necessary.”
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