Page 11 of A Marquess to Save Her
“And why do you think I am the right person for this kind of ridiculous assignment?” he asked.
Felington smiled. “For one, you are my best friend and there is no one else I would rather trust. Moreover, you a rake, and occupying her time would come easy to you. Young ladies are so impressionable, even a speck of attention would be enough.”
Callum shook his head. “I shall have no part in this rather ridiculous charade,” he said before downing the rest of his cherry and rising to his feet. “I will be going to bed now.”
“But Langton, what do you say to my proposal?” Felington asked as Callum walked away.
“I will not be participating in the deceit of a woman who has already been deceived and humiliated,” Callum responded. Felington protested behind him but he did not pay him a mind. Callum fancied himself a free man who would do things according to his own terms. Therefore, buying into Felington’s horrible plan to deceive poor Lady Louise would be a slap for him. He would never agree to that.
ChapterFive
The sunlight that penetrated the curtain right into the house woke Louise up. She yawned as she turned on the bed. Suddenly she remembered the incident of the previous day and her humiliation came crashing down on her. Her heart skipped a beat when she remembered that she was still in the Earl’s residence and would be expected to participate in the day’s activities in the company of all the people who had witnessed her humiliation.
Knock! Knock!
Louise groaned. She did not want to face her family just yet so she ignored it, hoping they would go away.
Knock! Knock!
“We know you are awake, dear,” Aunt Theodora said, “you do not have to hide away from us.”
Louise sighed. She could not delay facing her family any further. She went to the door to let them in.
“Louise,” her mother said, throwing her arms around her in a hug.
Louise tried to struggle at first but she soon realized that her mother’s hug, in fact, comforted her. She, therefore, leaned into her arms. Her eyes watered but she blinked the tears away. The last thing she wanted was to show her family just how much what had happened had affected her. She needed to be strong for them.
“I am sorry that I could not manage to get married this Season. If I had managed to secure Lord Felington, we would be assured of a home and protection,” she said.
“What nonsense, Louise,” Aunt Theodora said, patting her on the back, “do not ever think of blaming yourself. None of this is your fault. That Earl is the evil one for not keeping his promise. The cad! He courted you with the promise of marriage and at the end of the day, he reneged on his promise.”
“Louise,” her mother said, finally breaking out of the hug, “do not bother your pretty head. We will find a way out of this situation. We only need to keep our heads high and act with dignity.”
Louise nodded. She could not help but feel incredibly lucky that she had such a supportive family who still seemed proud of her. Her eyes watered at the amount of love they had shown her.
“What will we do today?” Louise asked, in a bid to change the subject.
“Whatever the host has planned is no longer any of our concern,” Aunt Theodora said.
“What do you mean, Aunt Theodora?” Louise asked.
“Louise,” the older woman started, “we came here to celebrate your engagement to the Earl but now that he has decided to marry another woman, we have nothing left to stay for. We need to depart immediately.”
Louise nodded. Her aunt was right. Staying throughout the course of the event would expose her to more ridicule and embarrassment, not just from the earl but thetonat large.
“Nonsense, Theodora,” the Dowager countess said, “we are not leaving this event until the end. Just like everyone else, we are guests and we deserve to have a pleasant time. We did nothing wrong.”
Louise sighed. “No amount of leisure is worth the humiliation.”
“It might be worth it when you remember that the other option, we have is returning back to the new Earl without prospects,” the Dowager Countess said.
Louise’s heart sank at her mother’s words. She had momentarily forgotten about the fact that her father’s heir would turn them out the very moment they returned home.
“Would you rather we cut this event short and return home to face the reality of our wretched situation or would you rather we stayed here until the end of the Season… perhaps another gentleman could catch your eye?” Louise’s mother asked.
“You are right, Mama,” Louise said. While she agreed with her aunt, she would explore what other possibilities this Season might still offer her. Not all was lost yet. “Moreover, the Earl would expect me to leave now out of humiliation. I want to prove him wrong and make him regret rejecting me,” she said, smiling.
“I can get behind that,” her mother said.
