Page 9 of Loving a Noble Gentleman
Oh. His tone was cold, as was his face. The smile that had somehow worked its way up onto Mary’s face fell away when she realised that he truly did not want to be there. Maybe she should have been pleased for that was exactly what she wanted; maybe she should have expected it because she did not much want to be there either, but instead, all she felt was sadness. A hollow sensation filled her.
“Y ... yes, it is good to meet you too.”
She extended her hand and waited for him to kiss it. Despite the fact that it was the polite thing to do, the Duke left her hand hanging in mid-air until she dropped it.
I do not like him,Mary thought angrily.Charlotte was right; he is not a good man. Father has a terrible taste in men. I shall have to refuse to marry him.
But the thought of giving up the family home, even if she did have other options now, scared her. It felt like a huge step that she was not quite ready to take.
“Shall we all take a seat?” Walter asked in a jolly tone as if he could not sense the frosty atmosphere at all. “Edmund, you should tell us more about yourself.”
As Edmund began to speak, he did so with a tone of arrogance. He was clearly very proud of what he had done, and he was not afraid of letting other people know it. Mary could not imagine her father working alongside such a man; he was always very humble about his own achievements. At least in public; maybe he hid his pride inside, but Mary had certainly never heard it.
“That is so impressive.” Walter sounded like he was in love with the man himself. He was being much too kind, encouraging the man to tell him more. “That sounds like it must keep you very busy.”
“Oh yes, it does ...”
Mary could hardly stand to listen. Without even meaning to, she rolled her eyes in a way that she hoped was discrete.
The sooner that this is over, the sooner I can decide what I want to do next.
Anger built up inside Edmund as he spotted Mary roll her eyes at him. He was happy with what he had achieved in life; for a man with no father to guide him, he had made a success of himself.
I should have known,he thought with a sharp shake of the head.I should have guessed this would not work out.
After hearing from his mother that he had to meet the Lady to remain polite, he had asked around to learn more about the Lady Mary Roberts. Not many people knew her well. She was not one who made herself known in society, but the people who were aware of her told him that she was known for her standoffish nature. She did not make an effort with people, and that made her seem rude.
He had wanted to believe that maybe she was just shy, but now it appeared that everyone else was, in fact, correct.
Her sister, married to Lord Jones, was also known for her quiet, impolite nature. She did not even speak much in the times that was expected of her. Again, Edmund had tried his best to rationalise that behaviour in his mind, but now he could see that there was nothing to justify. The Roberts’ sisters were rude, and that was all there was to it.
I do not like her,he thought with determination.I will not marry her, I refuse.
He knew that there was some inheritance riding on this, but that did not trouble him. It was not his inheritance and not his problem. He had always wanted to marry for love, and that had not changed.
There was no love to be found here.
Mary was very beautiful, there was no denying that. Her hair was lovely; her face was incredibly pleasant to look at, and she had soft, touchable skin ... but her insides did not match the beauty of her outsides, and that was all that mattered.
“So, Mary,” he said loud enough to grab her attention. If she wished to be impolite, then he would too. “Please, tell me what it is that you do.”
Her face flamed as both men turned to look at her. Mary had not expected to be questioned, and she was not sure what to say. Whatdidshe do? She had no real interests, no passions, no work to speak of. Some Ladies rode horses, but it was pointless to go with that lie. She needed to saysomethingto make her seem interesting.
“I erm, I have been helping my sister, actually.” She coughed awkwardly. “My sister is starting a campaign to help get better living conditions for the working classes, and I am helping her with that. It is ... it is something that I feel very passionate about.”
It was notalllies, surely that was something? Mary still felt uncomfortable, though, and it showed in her body language.
“I see,” Edmund replied with a smirk. He could tell this was something that she plucked out of the air. “That does sound fascinating. Please, tell me more.”
Mary cringed. She did not know what else to say. She parted her lips a couple of times as if something were about to come out, but of course, there was nothing but silence. An agonising silence that seemed to go on for days.
“I think we have had enough here,” Walter finally interjected as he realised this was not quite going as expected. “Shall we take a break here, think some things through, then start up communication at another time?
“Yes,” Edmund agreed, relieved.
“I think so,” Mary also said, feeling much better now that she was about to escape. It was utterly apparent that there was nothing but dislike coming from both parties, so she did not feel that she needed to fear anymore. “Thank you for your visit, Your Grace, it has been a ...” She paused for just a beat. Barely noticeable to the naked ear, but Edmund heard it. “Pleasure.”
“Oh, thepleasureis all mine.” Still, he did not offer his hand, so Mary did not either. “I am sure I will see you again soon.”
