“Duke Talbot sent a note this morning. He managed to secure a special license, and we are to be wed tomorrow morning,” Lizzie said, not wanting to remember the cold and impersonal note that delivered what would usually be a joyous piece of news.
It was the first note she’d ever received in her future husband’s hand, and it read:
Miss Hawkins,
I secured the license. We shall be wed tomorrow morning at 8 at your residence and shall be off to Norwich immediately after.
Yours, etc., Duke Colin Talbot.
Elizabeth struggled to suppress the thoughts about how much resentment her future husband most likely felt for her. This man was being forced to sully his family name by marrying her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I’m very happy for you,” Sophie said, and hesitated, as if she wanted to say something else, but ultimately only pushed her teacup away.
“It smells like dirt,” she explained to a confused Elizabeth.
Just then, Lady Burnham’s visit was announced, and Sophie left after a brief exchange of greetings and news with her relative.
As soon as Elizabeth returned to the parlour, Lady Burnham said, “My child, what in Heaven’s name is going on? I received panicked letters from both your mother and your brother this morning.”
“What did the letters say?” Lizzie asked, still as a statue.
Lady Burnham watched her with concern.
“I was told you would not be marrying Corporal Harding, but someone else. Can you tell me how that came about?” She inquired carefully.
Elizabeth sat down in her favourite armchair.
I was going to have this delivered to Wexcombe,she thought as she stroked the armrest.
“Please be patient with me, Lady Burnham, for I myself do not understand how this came about, but I shall do my best to relay the events to you and then, perhaps, we can come to a conclusion together.”
Lady Burnham nodded for her to proceed. Elizabeth took a deep breath as she tried to decide what to include and what to omit.
I shall not be able to bear the humiliation of retelling what happened at the Fairchild ball,she thought.
“I was introduced to Duke Talbot at the ball my brother held for my coming out, and we’ve always been friendly at the variousevents and balls we both attended. He’s never courted me or considered me a suitable candidate for his duchess. And, as you know, I was engaged to Corporal Harding. What you don’t know, however, is that I’ve always had this habit of finding secluded places at balls where I would hide for short periods of time in order to gather my wits and rest a bit. I know, I know,” she lifted her palm when she saw the disapproval on Lady Burnham’s face. “Believe me, I’ve learnt my lesson.”
“Please, do go on,” Lady Burnham urged.
Lizzie, for some reason, felt like deception was written all over her face as she continued saying, “At the Pearsons’ ball, I was alone in the cloak room when Duke Talbot came in. He said he wanted to congratulate me on my engagement to the Corporal, and he wanted to shake my hand. I told him he needed to leave. He ignored me. Then, I said I wanted to leave, but he kept coming closer to me, and then, when Lady Helena burst in with her friends, it seemed like we were doing something we were not supposed to.”
I’m not lying,she told herself.I did not arrange to meet him, nor did we do anything.
We were fully dressed. No one was touching… those parts. We are not lovers.
I don’t understand any of this.
“I don’t understand,” Lady Burnham echoed her thoughts, and Lizzie nodded.
“Me neither. I’ve been going over everything in my mind since it happened, and I still cannot make sense of it.”
“I remember you telling me of Lady Helena’s nasty attitude towards you at Lady Isabella’s house party. Do you think herdislike of you might be the reason why she followed you into the cloak room?”
“I don’t even know for certain that she followed me. She might have just needed her cloak, or wanted to fix her hair, or use the chamberpot,” Lizzie said, and Lady Burnham wrinkled her nose.
“What happened next?”
“The other attendees heard the commotion and started coming into the cloak room. The Corporal was among them, and he angrily called for my brother, who then escorted me home.”
