He might have been handsome in his youth, but Anna didn’t look at him for long. There was a glint in his eyes that made her uneasy. He looked at her closely, with inexplicable interest. It was the same air her father took on when he was discussing important business.
“Anna, this is Lord Ashwicken,” her father announced, nodding. His salt-and-pepper hair had been combed back to perfection. She doubted it was only for the benefit of their hosts that evening. “He has been a friend of mine for some years. I am glad for the chance for the two of you to meet.”
If Ashwicken was a friend of her father’s, that meant only three things. One, he was absurdly wealthy. Two, he was with the Tories. And three, he had absolutely no business being presented to Anna in this way.
An ominous feeling bloomed in Anna’s chest. She pressed her lips together, not wanting to say anything that would extend their meeting longer than necessary.
“Your father said that you are in your third Season, Lady Anna,” Ashwicken said. “Does that stand true?”
Of course, she wanted to say.He would not have said so otherwise.
“That is the truth, my lord.”
“A polite child,” Ashwicken remarked over his shoulder, addressing her father. “And you are learned, I hear. Well-read and bright.”
She nodded, even if that risked pleasing him.
“Good. I am no great reader myself, but I believe a woman should cultivate herself if she is to be of any value. I am glad that your father saw fit to educate you in the proper manner.”
Anna wanted to say that her good education was the product of her own efforts, but the last thing she wanted was to anger her father in front of this stranger. She hoped he had only come for a drink, as unlikely as that seemed. She struggled to stand straight, pressing her lips together as panic rose within her.
Her eyes found her father’s, pleading with him to explain what was happening. His smile, so small that most people would never have seen it, told her everything she needed to know.
“She is as fair and well-spoken as you promised, Bristol. I should be glad to proceed,” Ashwicken said to the earl, cutting through the silence. “Assuming there is no reason we should not.”
“Proceed?” Anna murmured, her eyes stinging as she looked to her father for an explanation. “You mean…”
“Yes, Anna. It is a joyous day,” he announced. “Lord Ashwicken has come to ask for your hand.”
CHAPTER10
“Idon’t understand,” Anna said, once their guest had left. “What could I have possibly done to deserve this sort of treatment? Have I not complied with your every wish?”
“What treatment?” her father spat, finishing his drink, which had long turned warm. The glass slammed into the wooden side table so forcefully that she jumped. “Ashwicken has fallen upon us like a blessing, and you would dare question it? Are you not seeking a husband? Are you not hoping to have a life of your own?”
“Yes, but…”
The tears came unbidden. There was no use hiding them from her parents any longer, not when they had betrayed her. Her mother stood in the doorway, having seen Ashwicken out a moment earlier.
“You said I had time…” Her voice cracked, shaming her. “You said nothing about arranging a match for me. Not this Season.”
“The match presented itself, and I saw no reason to waste a moment more on the business of your marrying. Enough time has passed. You have exhausted my patience.” Her father looked appalled, as if she was mad for even considering defying him. “You will not find a better match?—”
“I might have found someone I loved, were I given a few more months. You allowed Rebecca to choose for herself. Why not me?” Anna cut in, rubbing her eyes.
Her defiance startled her, and she gasped as her father took a step toward her.
“What is done is done,” came her mother’s voice. It stopped him in his tracks, and he turned from Anna to the fire. “You should be grateful, Anna. Lord Ashwicken is a wealthy and kind man. He is cultured and well-traveled.”
He is old and called me a child,Anna thought, biting the inside of her cheek.I don’t know him. He is a stranger. I should have been able to choose a husband for myself.
“Lord Ashwicken has spent the last few years abroad,” her mother continued. “But before this, he was a good friend to us. He is a trustworthy gentleman who will do right by you so long as you live. We are impatient to see you marry. We are not wicked without end. Do you honestly believe we would choose someone unfitting?”
“I believe you would choose someone—” Anna stopped herself, dropping her fists to her sides in defeat.
Beneficial, she wanted to say, wondering what her father stood to gain from the arrangement. An old debt paid off? Support in parliament? There was nothing he wouldn’t do to get ahead.
She wondered if that was why he had waited for so long. Waiting for the most advantageous match to present itself at the cost of her eternal misery.
