by Rose Pearson
There was a short pause. “Does this mean that you feel nothing for Lord Galsworthy, other than that?” Harriet asked, softly.
Marianne felt herself hesitate. “I –”
“Do you find him handsome?”
Marianne’s flush increased all the more. “He is a handsome gentleman, yes, I will admit, but –”
“Does he have good conversation?”
A laugh escaped from Marianne. “I confess that we did not speak particularly often and when we did, it was somewhat stilted. I have wondered whether or not that was because he himself was also quite overcome with the news, although we never once discussed it.”
Harriet smiled, a twinkle in her eye. “Well, at least you have been considering him,” she murmured, catching Marianne’s eye. “I think that you are quite afraid of what you yourself might feel when it comes to Lord Galsworthy, Marianne, should he turn out to be a gentleman of good character, which I am quite sure he is. After all, his mother speaks very highly of him.”
Marianne laughed again, shaking her head. “Yes, but you quite forget that mothers have a tendency to speak well of their sons, regardless of their true character.”
A slight shrug lifted Harriet’s shoulders. “I suppose then you shall have to wait and see how he appears, Marianne. Why do you not speak to him openly about all that you feel?”
“Because we are not particularly close,” Marianne replied quickly. “I cannot spread out my heart to him when we barely speak about anything of import.”
Harriet tipped her head a little. “Well, if you truly wish for intimacy, if you truly wish to know his character, then you must pursue that through questions, through displaying the openness that you seek.”
It was a thought, at least, and Marianne found herself not immediately able to respond. Even though Harriet was the younger, it often felt as though she had more wisdom and maturity than Marianne. It was as though, somehow, Harriet had been able to reveal to Marianne what she truly felt about Lord Galsworthy and the truth astonished her. She was not, as she had believed only a few minutes before, entirely closed to Lord Galsworthy. In all the letters she had written to him, in all the thoughts she’d had considering him, there had been something slowly growing deep within her. The fear that he would treat her as he had done before – as someone of little purpose who held very little interest for him – had blocked almost every other emotion, only for it to reveal itself to her at this very moment, sitting here in the drawing room opposite her sister.
“I will consider it,” she promised softly, her gaze drifting away from Harriet as she looked, unseeingly, across the room.
“When do you expect him?” Harriet asked after a moment of silence. “Did he write to inform you?”
Marianne focused her eyes back onto her sister, clearing her throat as the flush faded from her cheeks. “His ship is due sometime this week, I think, but of course I have not heard from him since the week before he began his voyage.”
Harriet nodded, no smile on her face. “Then you must prepare yourself, my dear sister. Consider what it is you want to say to him and how you are to greet him.”
“Greet him?” Marianne repeated, a little bewildered.
“You must show him some affection, of course!” Harriet laughed as though she were talking to someone who had very little knowledge about the matter. “Regardless of whether you feel such a thing or not, you must show him that you are glad of his return. Ensure that he knows that the words you wrote at the end of each and every letter are true – that you have been eagerly awaiting his return and that you are truly delighted to have him back here in England. Hang onto his every word, smile brightly and press his hand if you can.”
Marianne nodded, swallowing the lump that had quickly formed in her throat over the anxiety she felt at meeting him again. “I can attempt to do all of those things which you have suggested,” she replied, seeing Harriet waiting for her response.
“I am quite sure that, once you show him such things, he will be quite unable to turn away from you. To return back to that distant, quiet gentleman he was before.”
Marianne sighed heavily, pressing one hand to her heart. “I do hope so, Harriet,” she admitted softly. “I fear that he will bring our betrothal to an end and never propose, as we are all expecting him to. What then? What am I to do then should he do so?”
Leaning forward, Harriet fixed her gaze onto Marianne, forcing away the sudden burst of panic which had shot through her. “You must not think such a thing, Marianne. A gentleman does not turn from such an obligation, especially not if it was of his father’s doing.”
Trying to reassure herself, Marianne smiled tightly. “I do hope so,” she whispered, just as a rap at the door caught her attention. Turning, she called for them to enter, suddenly recalling the card in her pocket.
“My lady.”
Hetty stepped inside and Marianne’s smile quickly faded. “Yes, Hetty? What is it?”
“I heard some news from one of the errand boys that I thought I should tell you, my lady,” Hetty said at once, sounding excited. “The ship, the one that Lord Galsworthy is on, it has been spotted off the coast of England.”
Marianne’s heart dropped to her toes, her breath catching. “‘The Sea Maiden’?” she asked, seeing Harriet send a sharp glance in her direction.
“Yes, that be it, my lady,” Hetty replied, looking thoroughly delighted. “They think it be but two days until it docks, if not sooner.”
There was a sudden, strained silence as Marianne found her throat closing up, all sorts of emotions ripping through her as she tried her best to find something to say in response. The memory of how he had left her, bidding her farewell with a simple bow over her hand instead of any sort of affection, left her feeling suddenly cold.
“Thank you, Hetty,” Harriet said, shattering the quiet. “As you can see, your mistress is overcome with the news.” She sent a warning look in Marianne’s direction who somehow managed to get her lips to curve into a semblance of a smile. The last thing she needed was for the staff to know that she felt anxious over her betrothed’s return.
“I am,” Marianne managed to say as Hetty’s worried look faded away. “Quite overcome. Yes. Thank you for coming to inform me, Hetty.”
Hetty nodded, bobbed, and inquired if there was anything else that they required. Sending her away with the direction that a tea tray be brought at once, Harriet let out a long breath and shook her head. “My dear Marianne, you must try to compose yourself, particularly in front of the staff.”
“I am doing my best,” Marianne replied, aware of just how quickly her heart was beating. “I am a little surprised, that is all.”
Harriet shook her head in exasperation. “You knew he was to return soon, did you not? Now you must prepare yourself for his arrival, for I am quite certain that he will call upon you almost the moment he sets foot back in England.”
Marianne did not feel the same certainty but tried to smile, her heart pounding frantically as anxiety shot through her. “I do hope so, Harriet,” she said softly, her fingers twisting together. “But I fear that he may avoid me altogether.”
“Tosh!” Harriet exclaimed as Hetty arrived back with the tea tray. “He will be here taking tea with us both, very soon. I am quite sure of it.”
Philip has returned! What happens next with Philip and Marianne? Check it out on Amazon The Waiting Bride
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se Pearson, The Long Return: A Regency Romance: The Returned Lords of Grosvenor Square (Book 2)
