“I sold my grandmother’s necklace for passage,” she replied, then sipped her tea. “I had just enough money for the trip and a night or two in London. I hoped you would help me find other accommodations until we can be married.”
Married. She had not even waited for him to bring up the subject. “I will make sure you are taken care of,” he said softly.
“Oh, Will, I have missed you terribly,” she said stiffly.
“Abigail, what changed your mind about defying your father and coming over here?”
She smiled at him. “I missed you. I met Josiah Harwood and immediately knew he was not the right man for me.”
Will sat back and sipped his tea. “Why not? I knew Josiah in Virginia. He is a good man.”
“Oh, Will,” she said coyly. “He is so much older than I.”
“He is thirty, Abigail. Only two years older than me.”
“But he seems much older than that. His hair is almost all gray. And he already has two children from his first marriage. And he owns a farm, Will.”
What was it that seemed different about her? It was almost as if her conversation was scripted. “While I don’t have the gray hair, I do still have seven siblings to care for, and I own four estates.”
“Yes, estates,” Abigail commented. “With servants.”
So that was it. Josiah did not have enough money for her. Although, her father had enough money and would have assisted them if needed. Something didn’t seem right. Could she possibly have planned this all along? Had she been rejecting his offers of marriage until he actually inherited the title?
No, that made no sense. If that had been the case, she would have agreed to marry him before he left for England. He had written to her about the trip five months before he left. She had plenty of time to let him know she wa
nted to marry him and come along with him.
“Tell me more about your estates, Will.”
Will glanced over at Abigail and could have sworn there was a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. “I really don’t know too much about the estates yet. Elizabeth thought it best if we stayed in London for the Season before venturing off to the country.”
Abigail’s blue eyes widened. “Elizabeth?”
“She is—”
“Standing right here, Will.”
Will turned his head to the doorway where Elizabeth stood with her arms folded over her chest and a look of fury burning in her eyes.
“Elizabeth, come in,” he offered. “Meet Abigail.”
Elizabeth smiled tightly while her heart raced in her chest. Now she had no time to discover what they were up to. She had to come up with a plan. She could never let Will marry that deceitful Abigail.
“I am sorry,” Abigail said slowly, “how do you two know each other?”
“I am his cousin. The former duke’s daughter.” She said the lie easily.
“Oh, I see,” Abigail said in a relieved tone. She leaned back against the chair and smiled at Elizabeth.
“Do you?” Elizabeth asked, using her haughtiest voice.
Abigail blinked as if she realized her mistake.
Seeing the look in Will’s eyes, Elizabeth wondered again how he felt about Abigail. Perhaps she should leave the room and let them talk. But she didn’t want to see him hurt by Abigail again.
“Abigail, back to our conversation,” Will said, “why did you wait five years to defy your father? You had the perfect opportunity when I was leaving for London with the children. I would have married you before we left. I would have paid your passage so you wouldn’t have been forced to sell your grandmother’s pendant.”
Abigail blinked as if holding back tears. “I did not realize how much I loved you until you were gone.”