Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Viscount Langston asked you for my hand in marriage?" Eleanor asked.

She was unable to keep the disbelief from her voice. She had been so certain that he would forget the matter at the ball and set his eyes on someone more suitable for him.

Grant nodded. "He came several days after the ball," he revealed. "Viscount Langston seems quite taken with you, and his proposal was sincere. Aunt Helen approves of him."

Eleanor looked away for a moment as she rubbed her temples. So, Lord Langston didn't give up as she assumed. He was serious about his intentions. Somehow, she had read the situation all wrong and now had to deal with an unwanted proposal. Her brother and aunt likely saw it as an answer to their prayers and would push the match.

"Please, Eleanor," said Grant. "Lord Langston has all the qualities necessary to make a good husband. Aunt and I discussed—"

"You and aunt discussed," she interrupted. "You and our aunt discussed the matter without me, and now you expect me to accept a man I barely know. I believe you didn't even stop for a moment to truly consider if he was a good match. You merely want the duke out of my life, so marrying me off to the first younger man who shows interest is the only solution. Did I get any part wrong?"

Grant lowered his head with a sigh. "I knew this wouldn't be easy, but I hoped you would at least give it some serious thought. Consider Lord Langston's proposal. Please."

"So, it's a proposal to marry before courtship?" she asked. "Am I not even allowed a chance to get to know him? Because frankly, I do not like what I have seen so far."

"But you barely know him," Grant pointed out. "How can you say you do not like what you have seen so far?"

Eleanor had to laugh. "What is the point of your argument? You want me to consider his proposal without knowing much about him, but when I mention I do not like what I know about him so far, you tell me that I barely know him. You want me to marry a man I barely know? Do you hear yourself?"

Grant's face reddened. "Why must you always prove your intelligence through arguments? It's no wonder you barely have suitors. You chase them away with your sharp tongue."

"Better a sharp tongue than a stupid husband," Eleanor retorted.

"Oh, goodness me!" Grant cried as he spun away. "I should have known. I should have known this wouldn't go well. I warned Aunt Helen. I told her you wouldn't easily accept the proposal."

"Easily accept it?" she said. "I'm not accepting it at all. Viscount Langston barely knows me. Why does he want to marry me? Did you thoroughly question him before you came to see me? Or did you thank him profusely because now you've saved your sister from the big bad duke?"

Grant turned to her. "Must you be so impossible? Do you not trust that Aunt and I have your best interests at heart?"

"I believe you think you know what is best for me, but you haven't bothered to ask me what makes me happy," Eleanor replied.

Grant snorted. "Old men."

Eleanor's jaw dropped. "I beg your pardon?"

"Old men like the duke make you happy," her brother elaborated.

Eleanor meshed her lips together. Frustration was chewing a big hole through her patience, leaving her open to her simmering anger. It was a bubbling and spitting ball of fire in the pit of her belly, and it could erupt with very little provocation.

"You have known me all my life, and that is how you have chosen to sum up something as important as what makes me happy," she said. She laughed mirthlessly. "Thank you, dear brother. Thank you very much."

Eleanor suddenly wanted to cry. She had been so firm and resolute about the matter, but everyone experienced moments of weakness. This day happened to be her turn. However, she wasn't going to cry before her brother. Without a word, she turned away and marched off. She just wanted to get as far as possible away from him.

"Eleanor!" Grant cried. "Elli!"

Eleanor continued walking. She would walk to the end of the earth if she had to. It was easy for others to say whatever they pleased and force their opinions on her. She could talk until she was red in the face, but that only seemed to help her for a short while. Eventually, she had to bend to the will of others. It wasn't fair.

"Eleanor, please wait," her brother insisted.

His voice seemed closer than before. He was probably coming after her. Eleanor walked faster without a clear path in mind. Still, she heard his footsteps approach her.

"Just leave me alone!" she yelled at him. "I do not wish to speak to you. You can also pass that message to Aunt Helen. I intend to move to our relatives in Scotland, so try not to hold my inheritance from me."

Eleanor had not even considered the possibility of moving to Scotland before that moment, but perhaps she should. Her father's great-aunt lived there and had always treated her well. The estate was somewhere in the lowlands, but the great-aunt also had a pretty home in the highlands. Eleanor would miss England and her family, but if they were intent on marrying her off to Lord Langston, they left her with no other choice.

"Elli," Grant said just before he grabbed her arm and halted her movements.

Eleanor pulled away and glared at him. "That has become a nasty habit," she said. "I suggest you never do that again, or I might retaliate. You know I deliver a forceful punch if provoked."

Grant lifted his palms in surrender, but that only made her roll her eyes. The "I come in peace" gesture had come to mean nothing coming from him. He had used it far too many times but still proceeded to cause her trouble.

"Why won't you listen?" Grant asked. "Your well-being is my priority. I have to think about the future and what is best for you. You might not see it now, but what you think is best for you really isn't. I'm asking you to trust me."

Eleanor heard the sincerity in her brother's voice, but he had also insulted her. She didn't understand how he didn't see that. He had known her all her life.

"We're only five years apart," she pointed out. "Why do you assume you know better? Is it because you have been with many women? That you gallivant around the country and live a life of freedom experiencing many things?"

"Eleanor!" her brother cried.

"Are you shocked?" she asked. "Do you not think I know what you've been up to all these years? Do you think I'm blind? You're mistaken if you believe your experiences have better prepared you for life than mine. You haven't had to work for anything in all your life, and you never socialize with people below your status. At the end of the day, what do you really know besides being a pampered first son?"

Grant's jaw dropped. "Is that what you think of me?"

"The truth is hard to swallow, isn't it?" Eleanor said. "However, not once did you consider my feelings as you dictated what will and will not make me happy. I believe you know nothing about the duke beyond his age, and you know nothing about Lord Langston other than he's a better prospect simply because he's younger. What if he's a terrible man? What if he makes me miserable? What if he lays a hand on me?"

Grant's hands clenched. "Then I'll make sure he's sorry for ever making you miserable."

"So, instead of ensuring he is a good man now," she began. "You want to wait until he mistreats me before you do anything?"

"That is not what I said!" Grant protested. "You're twisting my words."

"Am I?"

Eleanor was tempted to reveal how the viscount had behaved with her at the ball, but it was rather embarrassing. Grant might point out that she had gone out alone on the terrace when she knew better.

"I do not think we are going to get anywhere with this argument," he said, suddenly looking weary. "I truly only want what is best for you, Eleanor, even if you doubt that. That being said, I gave Lord Langston permission to ask for your hand. Before you refuse him, you should know that people are already talking about you and the duke."

Eleanor pursed her lips. "I'm not surprised. I did dance with him twice, after all. He's also handsome and wealthy. They're probably jealous."

"They're saying he's a widower looking for a young woman," her brother revealed.

"If that were true, he wouldn't be the first man to do so," she replied. "Men even older than him have married young wives. I haven't heard many protesting their marriages. In fact, parents are giving their daughters to these wrinkly old men. At least the duke is still healthy and fit. Did you see he has all his teeth and a full head of hair? He also has a muscular body. I would know because I danced with him."

"Eleanor!" Her brother's mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. "How can you say these things? Have you no shame?"

Eleanor chuckled. "Yes, yes, yes. As a woman, I should look pretty and talk prettily. My life is not my own, so I shouldn't protest when decisions are made for me. I shouldn't complain or raise my voice when I'm unhappy, and if I cry, I'll be accused of giving into hysterics because women are too emotional. They cannot be trusted to think for themselves. Have I left anything out?"

"Eleanor," her brother said weakly.

"That is my name, dear brother of mine," she said with a touch of sarcasm. "You have used it many times today."

A flock of birds squawked nearby, drawing her attention. It was a welcome change from hearing her argue with her brother. Grant didn't realize it was just as tiring for her to try and explain what she wanted from life, especially when his ears were blocked with his own stubborn opinions. Eleanor closed her eyes and enjoyed the cool breeze and the smells it carried with it. She could detect a bit of everything—the green scent of freshly cut grass, the lovely fragrance of blooming flowers, and the mild stench of animals in the distance.

"I sometimes forget that you're not the little girl I used to carry on my shoulders," Grant said. "You're a grown woman with a mind of your own. I'm sorry if I have ever made you feel anything less than you are—a beautiful, capable, and intelligent woman."

Eleanor opened her eyes in surprise. Her brother hadn't been this complimentary in a long time.

"Perhaps I haven't been the best brother, but I want you to know that I love you and only wish to see you happy," he continued. "Perhaps I'm wrong about the duke and Lord Langston, but I have to consider everything, including the opinions of others. You've been a bit of an oddity to society, and while it might seem acceptable now, you will not feel the same in the future. I believe Lord Langston will help you integrate into society better for the sake of your future."

Eleanor listened to everything her brother had to say. He was infuriating, but he also loved her and would never intentionally do anything to harm her. Still, he needed to accept when he was wrong.

"Are your worries just about society accepting me?" Eleanor asked.

"No, it's not just about that," he said. "His Grace is forty, and you are twenty-three. That is a seventeen-year age gap. What happens when you grow older? He will not be healthy and fit forever. He'll likely pass many years before you, and you'll be alone. I do not want that for you. I want you to have a long and happy marriage with a good man."

Eleanor had never considered that. The duke was considerably older than her, but nothing was certain in life. Still, she would choose him over Lord Langston in a heartbeat. However, the challenge she was facing wasn't so much the man she would marry but this ongoing fight with her family. Even in anger, she hated being away from them, and her wish to live in Scotland wasn't heartfelt. Eleanor wanted to be with her aunt and brother and for everything to return to normal before they started stressing about marriage.

"Will you at least think about what we've discussed today?" Grant pleaded.

Eleanor didn't immediately answer. She couldn't imagine marrying Lord Langston, they refused to allow her the chance to even consider the duke or get to know him better, and they didn't want her to remain a spinster. No matter which way she looked at it, she would be unhappy, or they would disapprove. There was no easy way out of the situation, so she said the only thing she could.

"I will think about it."