Page 63 of An Earl to Save the Diamond
“Not at all, Mother. They brought good news this time. Tell her, Ellen,” Andrew prompted.
“The Earl of Ridlington has asked for my hand, and we are to be married,” Ellen said, grinning from ear to ear.
The Dowager burst out laughing. “Surely, you jest.”
“Oh, Mother, I do not. You see, the Earl and I are quite madly in love with each other.”
“Love? What do you know about love, Ellen?” Lady Grant snapped.
Ellen’s happiness slipped away. “Enough, Mother. The Earl and I came here to ask for your blessings.”
“Well, you do not have it,” the Dowager snapped.
Ellen frowned. “I do not understand, Mother; you are the one who wants me to get married. Gerard fits everything on your list.”
“You will not marry the Earl. I will make arrangements with the widower, Lord Bolton, right away to see to a special license.”
“Enough of this, Mother! Ellen will marry the Earl with or without your blessings. There is no way you are sending her off to an old man,” Andrew said.
“But is that not what she deserves? For putting herself in a comprising situation with the worst rake in the whole of London?”
“No, Mother, she deserves love, and if the Earl of Ridlington is willing to give her that, then that is fine by me.”
“You will not question my authority, Andrew.”
“And you will not question mine. I am the Duke of Grant, and whatever I say, goes. And that is including my marriage to Marjorie whom I truly love.”
Lady Grant gasped. “Have you all run mad? There is no way I am going to be living under the same roof with that harlot.”
“Nobody said you had to stay.”
Ellen gasped. “Andrew! Surely you do not mean that.”
“Believe me, I do. We know you never let Father have a moment of peace in his home. We know how you often nagged him so he could conform to your expectations. We know that you were so unhappy, you wanted everyone else to be unhappy with you. When I return, you can either tell Marjorie to her face that you accept her or prepare to retire to the Dower House where you get proper attention for your ailment. Yes, Mother, we also know about that,” Andrew said.
Lady Grant, shocked at her son’s outburst, let a tear run down the side of her cheek. “Andrew, how can you say that? Your father was a weakling and I did not want that for you both. You know why you cannot marry Marjorie. You cannot! She will ruin everything with her idiotic beliefs. What sort of children do you expect from her?”
“The best kind,” Andrew sighed. Turning to Ellen and Gerard, he continued, “Gerard, Ellen. My apologies, but I have more pressing matters to handle. We shall discuss your wedding plans at a later date.”
Gerard nodded. He could feel his respect for his future brother-in-law growing. Ellen and Gerard also took their leave of the Dowager, who was still mumbling in fury.
“Your brother is an admirable man, is he not?” Gerard said to Ellen after they left Lady Grant’s chamber.
Ellen nodded, agreeing with a smile “He definitely is.”
“Marjorie must be so lucky.”
“As am I, Gerard. As am I.”
ChapterSixteen
As Andrew rode to Conolly Manor, his mind roamed. He was tense with worry. He worried that he might be too late, he worried that Marjorie had changed her mind and left earlier than planned, and many times, he thought he saw a carriage that looked just like hers. He let out a breath of relief when he approached the Manor to find their carriage still present. He hurried to the door which was opened by the familiar butler.
“Tell me Lady Marjorie is in,” he asked.
“Your Grace,” the butler said with a slight bow. “Lady Marjorie is in the drawing room with her parents, Lord and Lady Conolly.”
Andrew nodded at the butler, thanking him. He made his way toward the drawing room and entered to find Marjorie crying with her mother comforting her. He felt guilty for interrupting what seemed to be a private moment, but he could not help feeling it was worth it when he saw the look of delight on Marjorie’s face. As if she suddenly realized the other reason he could be here, she blanched. “Tell me everything is all right with the Dowager.”
