But he had to correct this mistake. He could not allow them to go on believing that it was Miss Jarvis in whom his interest lay. The very thought of it made him feel quite ill.
He cleared his throat, but before he could speak, Lady Margaret began to rattle on again.
“Well, indeed, we are delighted! Although I do not know what you mean when you say that you are surprised, my lord, of all the strange things to say! How could we be surprised that such a jewel as my Alison should make such a fine match, and so early in her first season, too. But then, I always knew she was destined for greatness. She shall be a duchess! Upon my word, I think I shall die of happiness!” She reached for her fan and waved it in front of her face for a moment, then stood up. “Now, I will just ring the bell and ask the maid to go and fetch the young ladies, then we can share the wonderful news with them all. I am sure that Alison’s stepsisters will be just as delighted as we are.”
This last sentence was accompanied by a smile, but there was a hint of malice in Lady Margaret’s eyes as she spoke, and Luke could bear it no longer. He stood up and barred her way, preventing her from crossing the room to where the bell was situated.
“My lady, forgive me, but you are both mistaken,” he said firmly. “It is not Miss Jarvis I intend to embark on a courtship with.” He turned to face the viscount. “The lady whose acquaintance I would like to develop more fully is your eldest daughter, my lord. Miss Hervey. Miss Charlotte Hervey.” He spoke her full name slowly, determined that there should be no more misunderstandings. These people really were rather strange, and he wanted to be sure that nothing else could go wrong.
Lady Margaret gasped. “Your Grace, you cannot be in earnest?”
“I assure you, my lady, that I am entirely in earnest. It was Miss Hervey with whom I danced at the ball, and it was her beauty and quick wit that caught my attention. And it is she who has captured my thoughts ever since.”
Luke was astonished to hear the lady making a strange snorting noise. He could not quite believe her behavior, but he tried not to show the disgust on his face. He turned instead to the viscount. “My lord, do I have your consent to pursue a courtship with Miss Hervey?”
The viscount had been looking rather perplexed for the last few moments, but at Luke’s final words, his face broke into a grin. “Indeed, you have my consent! Well, what a fine thing! I had almost given up on any hope for Charlotte, the poor girl, but here you are now, asking to court her. Goodness me, what a fine thing!” He stood up and crossed the room, taking Luke’s hand and shaking it warmly. “You must stay for a family dinner with us, Your Grace,” he added.
Lady Margaret let out another gasp at these words, then rushed to the door. “I must speak to the cook,” she said in a somewhat strangled voice, then left the room.
“My lord, is your wife quite well?” Luke asked, trying to show rather more concern than he actually felt for the viscountess’s wellbeing.
Lord Haddington glanced towards the door for a moment, then looked back at Luke. “I suspect it’s the excitement of it all, Your Grace. We are not accustomed to such esteemed company, you know, nor are we used to such exciting announcements. But I am sure that all is well, and she has simply gone to make the arrangements for dinner. Now, let me call Charlotte down, and we can let her know the happy news!”
* * *
Charlotte paced the floor in her chamber while Martha sat on the bed, her face fraught with anxiety. Alison had stormed off to her own room, furious at being excluded from the Duke’s visit, and now all they could do was wait.
“Do you think he is asking Father for your hand in marriage?” Martha said.
“No! He would not go so far as that. He spoke only of a courtship, not an engagement,” Charlotte replied. Her stomach gnawed with doubt as the situation unfolded downstairs, unseen by her. She had no control over what was happening right now, and she was not sure that she quite liked the feeling. It was indeed rather distressing that her future was being discussed without her involvement, even her presence.
“But a courtship surely must lead to an engagement, and rather swiftly too?” Martha continued. “There can be no other honorable outcome.”
Charlotte nodded. The thought had crossed her own mind, too, of course. The whole point of the arrangement was for the pretend courtship with the Duke to lead Lord Harry to regret his decision, break things off with Miss Thomas, and renew his pursuits of Charlotte, openly this time. But the web that they were weaving seemed to be becoming increasingly complicated already, and they had barely got started.
“I suppose you are right,” she said, chewing her lip. “I am not sure quite how the Duke intends to manage things, but I am sure he has a plan.”
Martha nodded. “I am sure he does too. He seems so assured, so confident. I wish that I could be like that, but I suppose a young lady would never be allowed to behave in such a way. But imagine being able to say what you want and to get it just like that!”
Charlotte glanced at her sister, a little surprised at how perceptive she was being. Martha was so young, and Charlotte so often assumed her to be a total innocent, but perhaps she had learned more along the way than Charlotte had noticed.
There was a sharp knock at the door, which made them both jump.
Charlotte strode across the room and threw the door open. Sally, their maid, stood on the other side, looking rather nervous. “Miss,” she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “You know that the Duke of Seton is visiting with Lord and Lady Haddington.” She curtseyed and looked at the floor.
“Yes, Sally, I do know,” Charlotte said, trying not to betray her impatience with her tone. It was not Sally’s fault that everything was so tense, but she wished that the girl would get on with it and tell them what was going on.
“Your father has asked me to come and fetch you, miss, to bring you down to the drawing room to see the Duke.”
Charlotte glanced back to Martha, who was still sitting on the bed. “And Martha?”
Sally shook her head. “Miss Martha is to stay up here a little longer.”
Charlotte frowned, then realized what was going on. The Duke had indeed asked for her father’s permission to court her, which had, of course, been granted, and now she was to be ushered downstairs to be told the good news.
She allowed herself a brief smile as she crossed the room to check her reflection in the mirror once more before leaving her chamber. The Duke had been true to his word, at least, which was more than Lord Harry had ever done.
“You look beautiful, sister,” Martha whispered, her eyes a little misty as she gazed at Charlotte. “I wish you luck, not that you need it. Pray, do not leave me alone up here too long. I cannot bear it!”
