Meant To Be (Pendleton Manor 1)

Sir Geoffrey rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Excellent. I expect you to be engaged by the end of the Season,” he declared, as if it was a certainty.

Engaged? Sophy opened her mouth to protest and then closed it again. But her grandmother had noticed and fixed her with a determined stare. “It’s all very well thinking you would like to hide under your covers and never rise to face another day, my love. However that is not the way your life is going to end. There is another gentleman out there who will appreciate you far more than your fickle Harry. I want to see you happy because it

is what you deserve. I also want to see you live a life that is fulfilling but not at the expense of warm clothes and shoes that do not leak. I am afraid at the moment, my dear, you are inclined to wish such dismal items upon yourself and the worst thing we can do is indulge you.”

Life for a woman in her position was never going to be easy and they were only telling her the truth. Marriage was her best option, and if she could find a man who was kind and would support her desire to improve the lives of poor children … surely that was the best of both worlds? Yes, it felt wrong but right now everything felt wrong.

And yet this plan of theirs would give her time. No matter what they thought, Sophy was certain she would not receive an offer this week or the one after that. Indeed she probably would not receive an offer for quite some time. And time would give her a chance to consider other options, perhaps even find a teaching post that would satisfy herself and her grandmother.

“Very well,” she said at last. “I will do as you say.”

The two older people shared a conspirator’s smile. “This will sound heartless to you, my love, but I don’t think I have enjoyed myself so much in years,” Grandma said. “I will expect a full report after every event you attend.”

“Why not accompany your granddaughter?” Sir Geoffrey suggested.

She laughed and shook her head. “I am far too old, and I fear my reputation would hurt Sophy’s chances rather than add to them. No, I much prefer to hear about it second hand. I will be the spider, spinning the web that others will fall into.”

They both laughed at that.

Sophy felt a slight lifting of the weight on her shoulders. It wasn’t much, perhaps, but it was something.

Chapter 14

1812, Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London

HARRY

The woman lingered on the landing, wrapped around Adam, whose shirt was unfastened. He patted her bottom as she turned, a satisfied look on his face as he watched her leave. Harry eyed his brother sourly as he made his way to the breakfast room.

“When are you going to give up your whores?” he asked when his brother sauntered in after him.

They had leased this town house for the London Season. It was now April but the jovialities had been building since January, and Harry knew he would be expected to show up at most of the important events, with Evelyn on his arm.

He didn’t want to admit it aloud, but he was looking forward to going home to Pendleton. There was the wedding to get through first, of course, but that had been set down for November. It seemed a long way away.

Their father used to own a town house in London, but he had sold it shortly after their mother died. All of their money went into Pendleton these days, there never seemed to be enough in their father’s mind, but leasing this place was working out well. Harry had to be in town because of his commitment to Evelyn, and Adam was on leave until his regiment returned to the fighting. The two brothers rubbed along well enough. It was just that Harry had forgotten how much of a womaniser Adam had become, although this state of affairs was hardly new. Adam had always been a womaniser.

“Why should I give them up?” Adam answered his brother’s question with one of his own as he piled food on his plate from the sideboard. “Unlike you, I don’t intend to be miserable all of my days. I will marry, I have to, but that doesn’t mean I am going to restrict myself to one woman. Especially when she won’t be my choice.”

He stared a moment at the bacon on the silver platter, then took another slice.

“What if she was your choice?” Harry said, pouring himself coffee as his brother sat down opposite him at the table.

Adam smirked. “What, like Evelyn was yours?”

Harry gave him a sharp look. “She is my choice. We are engaged to marry. She’s the woman I want to spend my life with. She’s perfect in every way.”

“So perfect that last night you ran after Sophy Harcourt as if she was your heart and soul? Yes, Harry, I believe you. Thousands wouldn’t.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said coldly. “I didn’t run after her. I was angry. I hadn’t expected her to be there and I was taken by surprise.”

Adam looked closely at his brother for a moment and Harry waited for the words he’d heard before. When he first told Adam about his engagement his brother had asked him if Evelyn was who he really wanted to be shackled to or whether it was Sir Arbuthnot he was trying to please.

Harry knew he should have told Adam the truth long ago, but the pain had been too great at the time, and then …well, he’d moved on and it was pointless to rehash the past.

“So you’ve come around to father’s way of thinking, is that what you’re saying?” Adam said.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. Pendleton is always hungry. An heiress would keep the estate in good order. Anyway,” he added, “you’re the same. You are going to marry whoever father decides is best for your future. Why should I be any different?”