Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lydia gaped at the viscount as word of his proposal spread like wildfire through the dining hall. She hadn't uttered a single word in response yet when both of their mothers appeared behind Joseph with expressions on their faces so full of astonished delight that Lydia's head started to spin.

"I… I wonder… my lord, could you repeat the question, please?"

Within a few seconds of Joseph's outrageous proposal, they were being watched by a growing number of guests all crowded around the table.

Lydia kept blinking and thinking, trying to convince her tipsy brain that this entire day wasn't all a very strange dream.

Joseph nodded slowly and gently took her hand in his. "Yes, my lady. I'd be happy to. I asked you if you would do me the pleasure of being my wife. To honor and cherish above all else."

It may have been the port in her bloodstream, but Lydia could swear she heard more than one young lady swoon. Lydia wasn't the swooning type, and she would never ever marry Viscount Winstone, much less any other bloody aristocrat with no sense of right and wrong.

However, when she saw her brother come into view, she considered Joseph's words a bit more carefully before responding. As everyone around her held their breath, she locked eyes with William and saw the slightest hint of pending doom in a split-second vision she had of his fate.

As a woman, she could cancel her engagement with Joseph at any time without that decision causing scandal to her family. It was the one tiny shred of power that high society allowed her without fault or punishment, other than some awkward months of recovering from the broken agreement.

When she looked back at Joseph, his eyes pleaded for her answer. She had to admit she liked having him in this position—at her mercy. Lydia dared to imagine what she might get out of this temporary arrangement that could not only protect her family but help the farmers she championed.

As a viscount's betrothed, she might well get help from others for the cause, too. Even if only engaged for a few days, she might gain more attention on such matters before their ruse was through.

And as for Joseph's offer to show her his every appendage, she fully intended to make him keep that promise. She'd learned quite a lot about the marvels of a naked man for one day, but there was so much more to explore.

And touch and study and stimulate.

Oh, yes. This could be a worthy endeavor indeed if the viscount doesn't continue to anger me every second of every day!

Hopefully, it was a risk worth taking—because she was about to take it.

Lydia cleared her throat and laced her fingers with Joseph's, if only to keep from fainting dead away from what she was about to say.

"Yes, my Lord. I will marry you."

Cheers rang out so loudly through the dining hall that Lydia winced, but the excitement around them was a sight to behold.

Joseph's face filled with relief. "Thank you," he whispered, then gently raised her hand to his lips and kissed her soft skin.

Above Joseph's head, Lady Winstone was hugging every person that came in her path. "My Joseph is engaged! The viscount is engaged!"

Lydia's mother was equally as excited as she embraced Lord Briarwood and the two of them pulled Joseph from his knee on the floor to extend their gratitude and good wishes.

Across the table from Lydia, Wilhelmina Underwood's eyes were stone cold above a ruthless sneer. The raven-haired woman glared at Lydia with so much contempt that it sent shivers down her spine.

When Lydia shifted her gaze to the side where Lord Triton had been sitting, she spotted her two sisters pressed together by the wall, shaking their heads.

"She had to have been faking her hatred of balls and viscounts this entire time," Eleanor said to Charlotte without taking her jealous eyes off Joseph.

"She wore no jewelry or paint on her face. And look how her hair has fallen loose like a harlot! All of that and she still gets the man? Why do we work so hard when a woman like Lydia, positively destined to be a spinster, gets engaged before we do?" Charlotte scanned Lydia up and down with a bewildered eyebrow raised high. "She runs through fields and talks to farmers. Her appeal is beyond understanding!"

Lydia felt the giggles coming on and pressed a hand over her mouth. She fully intended on breaking the engagement by the time they returned home again, but seeing the reactions of her sisters made the whole charade worth it.

She only wished she had a ring to flash in their faces right now.

"I believe your game led to the finest match of all today, Lord Winstone! We have much to celebrate despite the storm, have we not?" Lady Winstone leaned into her husband and sighed heavily as if a tremendous burden had just been lifted from her shoulders.

"Indeed we do, my lady. Let us get everyone settled and then enjoy another round of dancing for the happy couple!"

More cheers filled the dining hall as Joseph held out his hand to Lydia and helped her stand. Though she teetered a bit, she welcomed the chance to get away from all of these people. There was just enough port in her system to take the edge off all the craziness and help her put it all out of her mind.

Tonight, she imagined herself a champion to those who needed her most. She'd accepted an offer she did not want in order to help the people she loved.

The fact that Joseph Penton was not one of those people was irrelevant.

And I will not carry on this farce of an engagement for long.

Joseph offered his arm and led Lydia around the room to hear more of the guests' good wishes. When she looked around for William, he had disappeared again.

***

"Oh, Lydia! You have surprised your father and me, and made us so proud. We had no idea you were smitten with the viscount!" Lady Briarwood stood behind Lydia and, with the help of a maid offered by the Pentons, returned her eldest daughter's hair to a beautiful chignon style. "It just proves there is hope for all of us, does it not?"

Lydia frowned. "Mama, women don't have to marry to be worthy of all that life has to offer."

"How you speak with such disdain, my dear. Maybe being married will turn you into a more amiable lady. And becoming a mother will show you just how much I have suffered your defiance all these years!" Lady Briarwood pressed her hands over Lydia's cheeks and kissed her forehead. "But look where you are now. Engaged to Viscount Winstone! It's miraculous!"

Lydia felt the air sucked out of her chest at her mother's suggestion that she would soon be a mother herself. She did want children someday, but not with that aggravating beast.

Thankfully, there was no need to worry about such things. She and the viscount would go their separate ways as soon as the bridge was repaired.

Although, Lydia suddenly wished she'd done some research in her father's anatomy books about how babies are made. Perhaps the Penton library had a volume or two that would enlighten her. No doubt hidden on the very top shelf.

Eleanor and Charlotte leaned against each other on the settee at the other end of the room, pouting and sighing. Their signature giggles had been silenced for over an hour, which made Lydia think her engagement had brought her luck already.

"Come, ladies. Let's return to the ballroom for Lydia's celebratory dance. What a special night this has become!"

Lady Briarwood shooed her youngest daughters out the door and held tightly to Lydia's hand until they'd reached the end of the hallway where Sophia Penton had just exited a storage room.

Sophia curtsied in front of the Carter women and smiled. "Congratulations, Lady Lydia, on your engagement. We are so excited to welcome you to the family."

Lydia nodded, but the looks shared between herself and Sophia were awkward. She was unable to get the image of Sophia crying in her brother's arms out of her head.

Lydia's mother answered for her with sincere joy. "Thank you, Lady Sophia. It will be wonderful to see our families bonded by such a strong match! Will you be joining us in the ballroom?"

Sophia shook her head and began to move on. "I'm sorry, no. Oliver isn't feeling well and I need to tend to him. But I look forward to getting to know you all better in the next few days. Enjoy your evening!"

As the Carter women walked in the opposite direction as Sophia Penton, Lydia heard rustling sounds coming from the storage room as if someone were still in there.

Instead of investigating, she looked straight ahead and followed her family downstairs. It could have easily been a maid or a footman in that room.

Whomever it was, I don't want to know.

The ballroom seemed even grander than before, perhaps because more candles were lit around the room, making the crystal chandeliers and other divine decor sparkle even brighter.

Joseph was already standing in the middle of the room, holding out his hand. "May I have this dance, my lady?"

He winked at her with a smile that looked genuine and particularly handsome this late at night and with this much port in her system.

"I'd be delighted, my lord." Lydia played the quintessential lady with a slow curtsy toward the viscount before taking his hand.

More claps and cheering sounded around them as Joseph and Lydia moved into one of the more controversial dances of the day called the waltz. That they both knew how to do this more graceful dance than the common country dances was a testament to their privileged upbringing and exposure to newer and imported trends.

The waltz brought the dancer and his partner more intimately together than the typical country dances. This meant that she and Joseph would embrace on the dance floor and not change partners for a whole song.

The thought of it made her nervous. This whole night made her nervous! She tried to stay focused on the dance and remain upright in Joseph's arms so she didn't faint at his feet.

"You look lovely this evening, little nymph. Thank you for agreeing to this arrangement." Joseph was clearly the more practiced dancer between the two of them, as Lydia had no idea how he was talking to her without breaking their hold.

"I'm concentrating on my steps, my lord. Please be quiet."

Joseph huffed out a low laugh. "I would think you'd also express some gratitude for my generous offer to protect your family name in such a way."

Lydia looked up from their feet and glared at the viscount. "Oh, stop. You practically begged me to help you avoid your mother's matchmaking. You and I both know I'm the only thing standing between you and a lifetime of licking the boots of Wilhelmina Underwood."