Page 86 of To Bed the Bride
Her cousin didn’t budge. One corner of his mouth turned up, and she expected him to say something caustic, but he remained silent.
“Please.”
He still didn’t speak. Nor did he move.
She was powerless against his stubbornness. He was several inches taller and many pounds heavier than she was. Her only chance to get out of here was to appeal to his reason or his sense of justice.
She wasn’t entirely certain that Jeremy possessed either.
“He can’t keep me here, Jeremy. He can’t force me to marry him.”
“What do you mean?” Jeremy asked, frowning at her.
“I’ve ended our engagement,” she said. “Michael isn’t taking it well.”
“What do you mean you ended your engagement?”
“Just that. I’m not going to marry him. He was going to sell the horses, Jeremy. He was going to gut Hearthmere. He doesn’t have the right to do that.”
He shook his head. “You really are an idiot, aren’t you?”
She hardly thought it foolish to choose her own future.
Before she could say anything, Jeremy continued. “You have to marry him. The entire family is counting on it, Eleanor. You have to.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Mother isn’t going to be happy. What’s Hamilton going to do then?”
“What do you mean?”
“His business is failing. Too much competition. He’s sunk the last of his cash into your wedding. He thinks your marriage to Herridge will bring him investors and additional capital.”
She stared at her cousin and wondered if he was right. Had Hamilton been in financial difficulty all this time? Had it been a closely guarded secret? Was that the reason everyone in the family was ecstatic about the upcoming wedding?
A close family association with an earl might bring about the investors Hamilton wanted. If nothing else it would give his business a certain cachet.
The door opened. Michael entered, nodding to Jeremy. Aunt Deborah and Hamilton were next, not looking at her as they moved to the sofa.
They were all here, unless Deborah had sent for Daphne.
Eleanor stood in front of the fireplace, wishing that someone had thought to light a fire against the chill of the day. Hamilton certainly had the income not to have to worry about such paltry expenses.
Unless he didn’t. Unless Jeremy was right and everything Hamilton had bragged about in the past year had been a falsehood.
Evidently Michael had informed her aunt and Hamilton that she’d changed her mind about the engagement. She could see the effect of his announcement on their faces.
Both of them looked shocked. Or perhaps the word washorrified. Deborah’s eyes were wide in her pale face. Hamilton’s hands were shaking and he, too, looked almost waxen.
“Michael and I will not suit,” Eleanor said, hoping they would understand her decision. “He doesn’t want to marry me any more than I want to marry him.”
Michael waved his hand in the air as if to dismiss her words. Neither Deborah nor Hamilton paid any attention to what she was saying. It was as if she was invisible, but it had always been that way, hadn’t it?
The only person who’d ever seen her was Logan. With him she could be herself without criticism or censure.
“I’ve no wish to be seen as a laughingstock,” Michael said. “This wedding will take place as planned.”
He turned to Hamilton. “Until the wedding, Eleanor will need to be closely watched. She must be brought to accept this marriage. Is that understood?”
