Page 66 of To Wed an Heiress
Without another word she walked out of the Green Parlor, uncaring that she was leaving Gregory alone, a gesture that would be seen by anyone as rude. She retreated to her room and, because there was no lock on the bedroom door, put a chair beneath the latch. She hoped that would stop him should Gregory want to continue their talk. He’d never been that forward, but everything had changed in the past few minutes.
There was only one way to stay in Scotland. Her grandmother and her aunt needed to support her in refusing to return to New York with Gregory.
Her grandmother believed that a woman should never strive to be independent. Instead, a woman was subservient to a man in all ways. In addition, a fiancé was almost as influential as a husband. Mercy doubted that any of the changes brought about by the Civil War would matter to Ailsa.
Still, she had to try.
Mercy changed her dress and rang for Lily to help redo her hair. She bathed her face, wishing that the sun hadn’t tinted her cheeks pink. She spritzed a small amount of perfume behind her ears and added earrings and a gold brooch her mother had given her on her twenty-first birthday.
Finally, she turned slowly for Lily to inspect her. Everything about her appearance had to be perfect, in order to escape Ailsa’s withering criticism.
“Will I do?”
Lily nodded, then gave her a smile.
Mercy left the bedroom, walking down the corridor with a tight feeling in her chest. At her grandmother’s door, she took a moment to calm herself. One deep breath, then another before she raised her fist and knocked. When she heard her grandmother’s voice, she opened the door slowly.
“Seanmhair, may I speak with you for a moment?”
“I’ll not rescind my disapproval of you, Hortense. If that’s the reason you’ve come, you can just leave again.”
“I know that you consider my behavior to be unladylike, Seanmhair,” she said as she entered the room and closed the door behind her.
“I’m surprised you don’t.”
This conversation was not getting off to a good start.
“I’m sure you know that Gregory Hamilton has arrived.”
“I have been informed of that fact, yes.”
“He wants me to return to New York with him as quickly as possible.”
She came and stood before her grandmother. Ailsa sat in her throne-like chair beside the window. Her hands, engorged with thick blue veins, rested on the arms of the chair. Her posture was perfect and Mercy wagered that it wasn’t her corset that kept her so upright, but the habit of a lifetime.
“How does he propose to travel, Hortense?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Your maid is not up for the journey. Does he think to shame us further by traveling with you without a chaperone?”
“That would be unacceptable, wouldn’t it?” she said, feeling the first stirrings of hope. Her grandmother might save her after all.
Ailsa nodded imperiously. “Granted, the fact that he is your fiancé might provide some latitude, but it is a voyage of some time, Hortense.”
Mercy nodded. “Of course, Seanmhair.”
“I despair of my daughter’s teachings. She was reared to be a proper gentlewoman. Perhaps marrying a Yankee forced her to discard all those lessons she learned from me. And you, Hortense, are the result.”
If she hadn’t needed her grandmother’s help, Mercy would’ve turned and left the room. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard criticism about her mother and it probably wouldn’t be the last.
Fenella was the sweetest, kindest, and loveliest woman she knew. She certainly didn’t deserve Ailsa’s criticism, but Mercy bit back the words she wanted to say. Correcting Ailsa right at the moment wouldn’t be a good idea.
“I don’t want to return to New York with him, Seanmhair. I’ve already informed Gregory that I have no intention of going through with the marriage.”
A white eyebrow arched. “A word given is a promise, Hortense. He might have fought for the Union and therefore be a despicable creature, but what about all the people who know of your engagement? Are you that selfish that you would bring embarrassment to the family?”
The words were said in a calm tone, but Ailsa’s blue eyes were chips of ice.
