Page 79 of A Sight to Behold
“Let me rephrase then.” The earl scanned all three of their faces, or he would have, if each lady wasn’t more intent on balancing a cup of tea on the saucer in her lap than returning his regard. “Am I harboring a fugitive?”
“No!” Violet said. “There are no criminals here, darling.”
“Ah!” He leaned back, crossed his left ankle over his right knee and put both hands on the armrests. Even though the armchair was lushly upholstered, it looked too small as a throne for a commandeering man like him. It was dawning on Pippa what Violet saw in him, even though her heart ached as she thought of Nick. “So short of committing an actual crime, what atrocity am I keeping secret?”
“Nothing, my lord. I just don’t wish to go home.” There, Pippa had said it. “I had a disagreement with my father.”
“About what?”
“My choice of groom.”
“You’re engaged?” Violet sputtered.
“Yes.” Pippa set the cup on the table and folded her hands primly in her lap.Eat that, Violet. The most handsome and talented young man declared his love and wants to marry me! The clumsy goose is going to be a swan!
“To whom?” Violet cried out, her eyes doing an abysmal job of hiding her shock.
“Nick Folsham,” Pippa said proudly. She held her head high and her back straight like a regal swan gliding across a still pond, every gesture exuding an unassailable dignity.
“Doctor Nicholas Folsham? The oculist?” the earl asked. Pippa nodded. “The one who’s operating on her husband as we speak?” He nodded in Isabel’s direction.
Isabel took a scone from the platter next to the tea tray and took a bite. This was old news to her. She was determined to project happiness. She was like…well…a goose on a nest, or a swan now, unafraid of Violet’s focus or possible determination to upset her.
The earl leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers together as if he were contemplating a coup. “Doctor Folsham is a good man,” he said thoughtfully. “Very good.”
Pippa’s heart skipped a beat. Something was in the air, and she wasn’t sure what, but it had to do with the rest of her life.
“And yet…” Violet said in a low voice. The change in her tone was immediate and distinct, much like a countess addressing her spouse. Pippa and Isabel might as well have been part of the intricate design on the settee’s upholstery, so invisible they became. The earl and Violet occupied their own world, with an intense connection reflecting in their eyes as they gazed at one another. It was as if they were engaged in a silent discourse, communicating volumes without uttering a single word.
“A duke’s daughter with an oculist? It’s unheard of.” Violet spoke as if there was no finality to the statement. Pippa’s chest constricted. It was true, she was high born. He was not. She was hated, and it shouldn’t matter, but it did. Love was wonderful—except ifshefell in love. It was absurd, but her union with Nick would be cause for disgrace for many vicious tongues among the Ton. Between the earl, Violet, Isabel and her, there was no denying of the cleft between gentry and nobility. Pippa was trying to forge a bridge where none could be built.
“But I love him so much. Why should the Ton have sway in who I may or may not marry if they don’t want me in their midst to begin with?” Pippa sucked in a gulp of air, but the earl and Violet’s eyes were locked as if she were not in the room. “Once I’m wed, I’ll have access to my inheritance and then I can be free.Nobody ever paid much attention to me besides to mock me. This way, I can break free from society’s scorn.”
The earl gave a nod. Then Violet unglued her eyes from him, blinked a few times and addressed Pippa. She no longer spoke like a young woman her age; she was the countess in tone and demeanor. “You’re an heiress. Once you’re wed, you’ll be wealthy. But until then, you’ll need your father’s approval.”
“Yes.” Pippa’s heart plummeted to the floor. “He’ll never give it.”
“Yet, you gave Dr. Folsham your word?” the earl asked.
“She gave him her heart,” Violet said on Pippa’s behalf. “I can see it in her eyes.”
“Promises are broken without much consequence, Lady Penelope. But a broken heart shall never be mended.” The earl spoke to Pippa, but his focus was on Violet again; Pippa was sure she’d missed some part of the story, but she felt as though she were a fox in the crossfire at a country chase.
She said, “I’m shackled to my father who doesn’t even want me. Yet, without his permission, I cannot grant his wish and be free. And he won’t let me marry Nick for all the love in the world if he risks losing control of the portion of my wealth that he currently uses to support his lifestyle. It’s of no consequence to him how I feel. I’m afraid he won’t care if Nick becomes a casualty in the process, so much wealth is at stake.”
“What makes you think that he won’t allow you to marry Doctor Folsham?”
“Wife Six.”
“Ah. And what could sway her?”
“You’re not even asking me why?”
“It doesn’t matter in diplomacy, Lady Penelope. It’s usually just a question of the cost to get the result you desire,” the earl said.
“The house.”
“Silvercrest Manor or Cloverdale House?”
