Page 2 of A Gentleman's Wife

“Now what has you all unsettled?” Lady Finley asked good-naturedly, stepping forward to straighten his coat lapels and fidget with his cravat. But having her so close, her hands dangerously close to his pounding heart, he could bear the emotions no further.

Thomas took her hands in his and inhaled deeply until she finally met his gaze. “Lady Finley, I hope you will not think me too forward…”

She froze, her mouth dropping open.

“You must be fully aware of my attachment to you, for these many months in your company could only convince any man of your goodness in character and in beauty. You have captured my attention entirely and I––”

“Wait, I beg you…” her voice was small.

“No, please let me finish, or I’ll never be able to say the words.”

Lady Finley closed her mouth and swallowed, her eyes bearing a look that reminded him of pity, but perhaps it was simply nerves.

“I do not presume to be your equal in wealth or standing, but I do promise to love you entirely and completely and will exert myself to the end of my days on behalf of your happiness if you will agree to be my wife.”

A length of time the likes Thomas had never known stretched out as he waited for her answer. Music and laughter sounded beyond the door, along with the soft crackle of the fireplace, and still she said nothing. He almost desired to remove his coat for the perspiration that had taken to his brow.

Finally, she said, “Mr. Ramsbury.”

He squeezed her hands in his. “Thomas, please.”

She sighed. “I… I thank you for your kind words, but… I am not at liberty to engage myself to you or anyone, as I already have an understanding with the Earl of Slanton.”

Thomas’s mouth dropped open, his heart clenching at the truth she revealed. Not only could he not have her, but he would lose her to a man the likes ofSlanton?

“But… but I don’t understand. I love you. Iadoreyou.” Thomas stepped forward. “And I… I do not believe you love Slanton. I thought you loved me, do you not?”

Lady Finley opened her mouth to speak, then cast her eyes to the floor. “Love was never something I sought in a marriage, Thomas.”

The sound of her voice finally saying his name was not the joy he had hoped it would be, for the accompanying words were a painful punch to the gut. Thomas dropped her hands and looked away, wondering how he could have interpreted everything so wrong.

“Please do not think ill of me,” Lady Finley whispered, placing a white gloved hand on his chest. Thomas recoiled against the false intimacy. “I have so enjoyed your company and I do care for you, but I… I cannot marry you. I’m sorry if I gave more inclination than I felt.”

Than she felt? Her words soured his stomach further. So she did not love him and had only sought him out because she enjoyed his company. To pass the time. To waste months of his life until her fiancé showed himself.

“How long have you had this understanding?” Thomas asked, his voice so low, it made him feel dead.

She had the decency to look guilty, a pink coloring her cheeks as she dropped her hands. “Slanton had written to my father during the house party, but then his father died, and he had estate business to arrange before he could sign the marriage contract. I believe he should announce the engagement any day.”

For over a year! Thomas had made a fool of himself, following her around like some lovesick schoolboy, thinking his efforts were not in vain, when all the while, she had known she would end up married to someone else. And she never thought to give him a hint of the idea. She had cruelly strung him along for her own amusement, and now he saw her in a whole new light. She was nothing like the woman he thought she was.

Thomas’s disappointment was giving way to anger, and he did not want to show such face to Lady Finley.

With a clenched jaw, he gave a curt nod. “If you are practically engaged, then it is not appropriate for us to be alone. I will leave you now.” Thomas turned to escape the library, blind to the world around him and completely attuned to the ache in his heart. A small part of him wished she would call after him, tell him to wait so he could hear her regrets, but she wouldn’t. And Thomas knew he should not wish her to. Not after this mistreatment and deceit.

He could not return to his friends in the ballroom, for there were no words he could speak that would save him from their looks of pity when he told them the truth. Instead, he walked out the grand front door, had his carriage summoned, and let it carry him away. Thomas longed for the exertion of a bruising horse ride, galloping across the country to take his mind off his pain, but he was far from his country house and even farther from having any relief. This night would no doubt haunt him the rest of his life.

When the carriage finally arrived at his grandfather’s townhome, Thomas stormed inside and found his grandfather before the fire in the library, despite the warm July evening.

“Well now, I didn’t expect you until much later,” Grandfather said, looking down his glasses with a teasing smile. “Was Lady Finley not present to dance with?”

Thomas flinched, even though he knew the words had not been meant harshly. “Lady Finley revealed she is to be engaged to another and therefore refused my offer of marriage.”

Grandfather’s smile immediately fell. “What?”

“I’ve come to announce that my endeavors on the matter have been exhausted. Therefore, if you wish me to marry and sire an heir, I will accept any girl of your choosing. And please send word to Primrose House that I’ll arrive before the end of the week. I wish to leave London as soon as possible.”

It took a moment for Grandfather to process everything Thomas had said. When the old man pulled off his glasses, he leaned forward intently. “Are you certain this is what you wish?”

“It is. I will now retire for the evening.”

Thomas calmly took the stairs to his bedroom, even though he wanted to rage and scream, but the staff and servants did not deserve that. Besides, he’d already made a fool of himself once tonight, and he was not about to do so again.

Before long, he would be gone from London and never have to face her again. His traitorous heart already ached at the thought, but he shook his head. It was never to be; his future would lead him elsewhere. Grandfather had been pressuring him for years to settle down, but Thomas had been able to put him off while he pursued a titled lady. Now that she was no longer an option, Thomas was certain it would not take much time for Grandfather to find the appropriate woman, but at this point Thomas didn’t care who it would be. If he couldn’t marry Lady Finley, then it didn’t matter who he married, for he wouldn’t be happy with anyone.

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