But it would be worth it, would it not? For the sake of Lord Avondale, for the sake of what they would be able to have again, then she would endure whatever she required for the hope of returning to his side again.
“Besides, my dear,” Lady Whitehaven finished, with a gentle smile. “His estate borders ours and is so far from London that you need never return should you not wish to.” Her eyes twinkled as Eliza felt the first hints of happiness pull at her heart. “There is hope through all of this, my dear girl. Your sisters wish you to be happy and content and they know that you cannot be so with Lord Montrose. Will you not listen to them? Will you not trust that they know what will follow should you cry off, and that they still wish you to do so?”
Eliza made to answer, just as there came a knock at the door. The butler walked in to reveal Lord Montrose standing just behind him – and Eliza got to her feet at once.
She had not yet decided what she should do, for her mother’s words about her sisters hopes for her had not yet quite taken a hold of either her mind or her heart, but to see Lord Montrose again immediately filled her with a sense of regret and frustration.
Of course, she could not marry him! It was most unpleasant a thought and Eliza knew that her life would not be a happy one if she took him as a husband. It was now simply a matter of finding a way to tell him so without him becoming so cold and furious that he would create a dreadful scene which, Eliza knew, would only add to the gossip that would follow.
“My dear lady!” Lord Montrose exclaimed, bowing before Lady Whitehaven. “I have a good deal I must apologize to you for, I know, but I must hope that the happiness and contentedness of your daughter is enough to make up for my lack of propriety.” His eyes were warm, his expression eager, and still Eliza saw the cold, stern look in her mother’s eyes.
Lady Whitehaven was not enamored with Lord Montrose in any way, it seemed.
“And you, my wonderful lady,” Lord Montrose continued, seemingly either unaware of Lady Whitehaven’s demeanor or choosing to ignore it as he turned towards Eliza. “I have the most wonderful surprise for you.”
Eliza’s heart sank. Given that the last surprise that Lord Montrose had pressed upon her was news of their engagement, she was not at all certain that she wished to receive yet another one from him!
“I have brought my dear mother to call,” Lord Montrose continued, brightly, reaching for Eliza’s hand and pressing it tightly. “She is only just arriving and I thought it best to come and inform you at once, so that you are prepared to greet her.”
Eliza stared at Lord Montrose, her mouth going dry. Her intentions of speaking to Lord Montrose about their engagement and of bringing it to an end suddenly flew from her head, knowing that she could not do such a thing when his own dear mother had arrived!
“I do not think I have spoken of her to you particularly often,” Lord Montrose said, patting Eliza’s hand. “That was wrong of me, of course, but I have been so caught up with all the happiness and joy that our acquaintance has brought me that it was not something that caught my mind! Now, of course, I intend to remedy that mistake and ensure that you become very well acquainted with her.”
Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat and feeling as though a good deal of dust and sand was filling her mouth, Eliza tried to smile but found that her tension was so great that she could not even summon a modicum of supposed happiness. Lord Montrose had managed to find a way to prevent them from speaking openly, it seemed, although whether or not it was intentional, Eliza could not say.
“You did say,” Eliza managed to whisper, “that you would inform me long before your mother was to arrive in town, Lord Montrose.”
He laughed and shrugged, as though this did not have any bearing on his behavior.
“This is most unexpected, Lord Montrose,” Lady Whitehaven said, her voice dangerously soft. “You should, of course, have let both myself and my daughter know before such an arrangement was made.”
Lord Montrose placed his two hands together, as though in prayer, turning towards Eliza’s mother with an apologetic smile on his face. “You are quite correct, Lady Whitehaven, but I knew that Eliza was, of course, eager to meet my dear mother and that you, as a charming and elegant lady of the ton would not refuse such an unexpected meeting! In short, I have taken advantage of your kindness and generosity and hope that you will not refuse her entry to your home.”
Lady Whitehaven’s face was impassive. “It is not as though I could do so, even if I wished, Lord Montrose, given that she is already practically at the door,” she said, coolly, her eyes dar
ting towards Eliza, who felt suddenly trapped within her own house.
“I do thank you, most gracious of ladies,” Lord Montrose said, bowing grandly towards Lady Whitehaven. “Ah, I think I hear her at this very moment!”
Eliza did not know what to do, wanting to dart from the room but finding that her feet were stuck to the floor where she stood. Had it not been for her mother coming to stand by her side, one hand gently on Eliza’s elbow, she might have behaved most rudely and run past Lady Montrose without so much as a word.
“This does not complicate matters in any way, Eliza,” her mother hissed, as Lord Montrose waited expectantly at the door. “Greet Lady Montrose, being as genteel and as elegant as you can. Then, when the time comes, you shall have opportunity to speak to Lord Montrose openly. It may not be this very afternoon but it will be soon, you mark my words.”
Eliza could only nod, her breath quickening as the door opened as a small, grim-faced lady walked into the room. She had an air of importance about her that seemed to radiate towards Eliza, her sharp eyes holding the same coldness that Eliza often found in Lord Montrose’s gaze.
“May I present Lady Montrose?” Lord Montrose said, quickly, a delighted smile on his face as though he were giving Eliza the most wonderful of surprises. “Mother, this is my betrothed, Miss Eliza Wells. May I also present Lady Whitehaven.”
Eliza dropped into a curtsy, feeling herself shaking inwardly. It came from both the shock of what was occurring as well as a slight flicker of anger towards Lord Montrose and his despicable behavior towards her. The more she considered it, the more her ire mounted. What sort of gentleman simply imposed his presence and that of his parent on his betrothed? What person would even consider making such an arrangement without first discussing it with those who would be greeting her? It was evidence of her mother’s continued grace and poise that she had accepted such a turn of events, although her frustration and displeasure had been made obvious to Lord Montrose. Lord Montrose, Eliza thought, was highly arrogant and deeply selfish. He did not seem to care that Lady Whitehaven was rather put out by such inconsideration and certainly did not even consider that Eliza herself would be upset and startled by the swiftness of the meeting.
“You are quite pretty.”
Eliza was jerked back to the present moment by the sound of Lady Montrose’s high pitched voice. It was faint, although well spoken, and Eliza had to strain to hear what the lady was saying. It was as though Lady Montrose wanted everyone to have to fix their attention solely on her, so that she could be heard and her words held in their minds.
“I thank you, Lady Montrose,” Eliza replied, quickly, not wanting to appear rude despite the shock of her visit. “You are very kind to say so.” She allowed herself a few minutes perusal of the lady in question, seeing the similarities between Lord Montrose and his mother. They shared the same dark brown eyes, as she had seen before, but also the long nose and thick brown hair, although Lady Montrose’s hair was well mixed with grey and white. She did not find any friendliness in Lady Montrose’s eyes, nor did she see happiness over her son’s choice of bride.
Stiffening slightly as they all took their seats, Eliza forced herself to appear quite at ease, pasting a smile onto her face that she did not feel. It did not matter what Lady Montrose thought of her, given that Eliza had no intention of marrying her son. It would come as a grave shock to the lady, she had no doubt, but after what her mother had said and after being assured that her sisters sought the same thing, Eliza was beginning to become fiercely determined not to wed Lord Montrose. Her heart would never be happy again if she did so.
“You are the eldest, I believe,” Lady Montrose said, sniffing as though she found this distasteful. “And almost on the shelf!”