Page 43 of A Lady's Beloved Novelist
Andrea frowned and watched as he raised a hand to scratch at the back of his neck awkwardly.
“It is a…it is a long story,” he said in a lower voice. “I am the only one worthy of my station in that family, and so there would be no gain in subjecting you to my parents.”
Andrea had not been expecting such strong feelings from him, but it made her question what else there was about him that she did not yet know.
“All right,” Andrea said slowly. She was choosing her words as carefully as she could, sensing that Cecil’s temper was a lot shorter than he had previously claimed. “I would still love to see the area where you grew up. I know that I have such fond memories of this estate and the village. I can show you around the village some time too if you would like?”
“If you want,” Cecil said with a slight shrug. “Shall we head back now?”
Andrea faltered for a moment and stared back at her looming home. “But we have only come a short way down this path,” she pointed outwhilstlaughing.
“I know, but as you said, I think I am a bit tired after all,” he admitted.
Andrea pushed the lump of disappointment out of her chest and tried her best to ignore it. This was not the proposal that she had been dreaming of, but it would have to do. Plastering a smile onto her face, she turned around with Cecil and started back up the gravel path they had just been down.
*
Later that day, Andrea went to seek an audience with her parents. She was not sure how they were going to react to the news that she had been proposed to. She wondered if they would even believe her or if they would think it was some strange prank. All Andrea knew was that she was going to have to explain herself and act as pleased as she could about what was going on.
“Andrea.” Her mother smiled as she entered the room.
The table was already set for some tea and light cakes for refreshment, though Andrea could not muster up an appetite at that time. Her mother and father were already tucking in, however, and Andrea sat in the empty chair across from them as she cleared her throat.
“I have some news that I believe the two of you will find exciting,” she began. Her father was regarding her carefully, his grey eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “I have been for a walk with Sir Cecil Blakewell, and he has proposed to me.”
Andrea watched as her mother blinked a few times. She could tell that they were both waiting for the smile, the crack in Andrea’s demeanour that would give away the fact that she was only speaking in jest. But she was not.
“Really?” her father asked. He was slightly leaning over the table as though he would harness the truth better that way. “Sir Cecil Blakewell, I cannot say that he is well-regarded…I barely know a thing about him.”
“Yes, well he was knighted for his efforts in the military. He is well-travelled and very respectful,” Andrea explained. “And he has made his intentions clear that he would like to marry me.”
“Did you say yes?” her mother asked, a quickness to her voice.
“I did,” Andrea said as she nodded. “I told him that we will wed in autumn and that—”
“Why wait so long?” her mother cut her off with a gasp. “If this man has captured your affections as you said, why would you hesitate?”
“I barely know him,” Andrea said to quickly defend herself. “I want to get to know more about him and his life. He is an interesting man, and I believe that he will be a good husband.”
“I thought there was another man you were courting?” her father spoke up. His voice was slow as he asked the question. He clearly had not been keeping close tabs on the situation, because he would have otherwise noticed that James had not called on her for over a week.
“The Marquess of Blandford was an…ambitious endeavour,” her mother explained simply.
Andrea was thankful that she did not have to explain to her father that it appeared as though he had simply lost interest and was rude enough to not even explain himself.
“I thought the two of you were getting along well?” her father pressed,whichcaused Andrea to wince.
“Yes, but it was clear that we were expecting different things,” she said simply. It was a rather generic response, but it appeared to stop any further questions on the subject.
“So you are going to wait until autumn to wed,” her mother remarked with a cumbersome sigh.
“Yes,” Andrea said, her voice a little more confident. “I would like to meet his family and court him for longer before making such a big commitment.”
“If that is what you wish, though, it would be better to have you married whilst the season is in bloom,” her mother said. Andrea could tell that her mother was more concerned about how it would appear to outsiders than her daughter’s feelings.
But she was determined to learn more about Cecil and to be sure about her decision before she did anything drastic. People had been saying she was destined to be a spinster for a long time already, Andrea was sure she could handle it for a few more months.
“I think I will still wait until the autumn time is upon us,” Andrea murmured.
