Part 27 (2/2)

”All?” he asked, one eyebrow raised. ”All the suitors? The Plumtrees? The servants?”

”Yes,” she snapped, ”all. Minerva can attest to that.”

”In truth, Mr. Pinter,” Minerva said, ”I can speak for all the guests. Indeed, we were hard-pressed to keep them entertained when they kept asking about how Celia was faring. As for the servants, surely you don't imagine that one of them would hurt her.”

”Besides,” Mrs. Plumtree said, ”why would anyone here ride out to shoot at her in the woods when he could slip into her room and shoot her at his leisure?”

”All the same-” Jackson began.

”I'll be fine, Mr. Pinter,” Celia put in. If he wasn't worried enough about her to stay and protect her himself, then she certainly wasn't going to put up with her family and half the servants hovering about trying to do so. Especially when all she wanted was to bury herself in her room alone and cry. ”Please do not trouble yourself about my safety.”

That got some reaction, but he masked it fairly quickly. ”Very well. Since you all seem sure she will be safe here, I shall go search for Lady Celia's a.s.sailant elsewhere. If his lords.h.i.+p inquired about me in London, then my aunt has been informed I'm missing, so I'd be most grateful if one of you would send a message letting her know I'm well. Tell Stoneville that I'll return this evening, if I can, to report on what I've discovered.” His voice grew rough. ”And to make sure that Lady Celia is fine, of course.”

Then he walked toward the door. Sudden tears burned Celia's eyes. Was he really going to act as if nothing had happened between them? How could he?

But just as he pa.s.sed near her, he halted and turned to cast her a long, speaking glance. ”Before then, my lady, if you should need anything, anything at all...”

And for a moment, she thought she saw the Jackson of last night.

Then he flashed her a self-deprecating smile. ”Ah, but you have your family and a duke who's eager to marry you. Why should you need anything from me?”

Celia's heart broke as she watched him go. How could he throw the duke in her face when he knew she would never marry the man? Oh, that really took the cake! Jackson had inherited more of his n.o.ble sire's blood than he would admit.

My father was apparently quite the das.h.i.+ng young fellow, but he was a spoiled lord. ...

Her throat grew raw. His father, her family, her-they were all of a piece to him. He wouldn't even give her a chance!

She wished she could curse the day that she'd ever met him, but she couldn't. She loved him. And there wasn't a thing she could do about it.

Her tears spilled down her cheeks, and Minerva saw them. ”Oh, dearest,” she said as she came to Celia's side. ”Do you want me to fetch him back?”

”Don't you dare,” Gran snapped. ”Surely you do not want your sister to be forced into a marriage because of what is essentially an accident, do you?”

Celia shot her grandmother a wounded glance. ”No, I would much prefer being forced into marriage because of some silly ultimatum.”

Gran frowned. ”I told you before, I only want-”

”For me to marry for love. For me to marry my choice.” She jabbed her finger at the door. ”Well, my choice just walked out because he thinks I can't manage in his world. Meanwhile, you seem to think I can't manage in mine, either. So where does that leave me?”

”What?” Gran said. ”I never said you couldn't manage-”

”Didn't you? The only thing expected of a lady is to marry well. And since you obviously thought I couldn't succeed at that without some prodding-that none of us could-you concocted your stupid ultimatum.”

As Gran stood there aghast, Celia added, ”Well, I have a surprise for you. I'm not playing your game anymore. I'm not marrying anyone. And if you want to disinherit the lot of us, go ahead. I'd rather live in a ditch alone than marry a man I don't love just to meet your demands.”

She rushed out the door. She'd had enough of Gran's machinations and Jackson's lack of faith in her. She'd had enough of her siblings' acquiescence with their grandmother's mad demand. It was time someone stood up to Gran.

And she was the only one left who could.

HETTY SCOWLED. SHE had done what she must, and she refused to feel guilty about it, no matter what Celia said.

”Congratulations, Gran,” Minerva said coldly. ”You just destroyed her chance for happiness. Well done.”

”Do not be a fool. Mr. Pinter is not her chance for happiness. Did you hear his lackl.u.s.ter proposal?”

”Then you'd better hope that she doesn't end up enceinte. Because I don't believe a word either of them said about how they spent last night together.”

Hetty paled. ”You don't think Mr. Pinter would-”

”I think Mr. Pinter is as much in love with her as she is with him, and two people in love don't always restrain themselves. Even if they're both too foolish to admit it to you.”

”No, you are wrong about that,” Hetty said firmly. ”If he had been in love with her, he would have insisted on a marriage. But he made only a halfhearted attempt because he thought that if he married her, I would-”

Too late, she caught herself.

”Would what?” Eyes narrowing, Minerva stalked toward her. ”What did you threaten him with, Gran?”

Hetty drew herself up stiffly. ”I did what I should have done with Pru. I acted to be sure that Mr. Pinter was not after her fortune. And I do not regret-”

”What did you tell him?” Minerva demanded.

Hetty could have ordered the girl not to be impudent and to stay out of it. But she did not want Minerva running off to Celia, making wild speculations. Better that Minerva knew the truth. Then she would understand.

”I told him I would cut Celia off if she married beneath her.”

”Oh, Gran...” Minerva said in a disgusted voice.

”I was right to do it, too. Did you not see how he withdrew the moment I said that she need not marry him? Obviously, he thought there was no point in pursuing the marriage if he could not have her fortune!”

Minerva scowled at her. ”I daresay he couldn't bear to see the woman he loved grow to hate him for being the cause of her losing her fortune!”

Isaac had said something similar, but Hetty had seen no sign that Mr. Pinter loved so deeply. ”You are attributing very n.o.ble motives to our Mr. Pinter. How can you even be sure that he loves her? He was very cool today.”

”According to Celia, he is very cool most of the time ... except when he's kissing her with wild pa.s.sion.”

Oh, yes. She'd forgotten about all those kisses Minerva had mentioned yesterday. Nonetheless ... ”Perhaps he desires her, but-”

”While you were manipulating matters to your satisfaction, I was watching him. After you said they need not marry, he looked at Celia with such despair ... Oh, Gran, you don't know what you've done. She loves him. And I truly believe he loves her. But each is convinced that the other doesn't care enough, and you're not helping. So now...”

”Now he needs to fight for her.” Hetty considered their conversation in light of all that Minerva was telling her. ”You heard what Celia said-'my choice just walked out that door because he thinks I can't manage in his world.'”

”He only thinks it because you told him she will lose everything if she marries him!”

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