Chapter Eight

Martha took her friend's hand and gripped it tightly. "There he is."

"I see him." Miss Stockton looked at her and then pressed Martha's hand back in return. "What is it that you will say to him?"

"I do not know." An ache lodged in Martha's chest and she felt herself wanting to cry out aloud in order to free it. "I do not want to be engaged to him, Anna!"

"I know." Miss Stockton let out a small sigh as Martha let go of her hand. "What is it that you can do? Is there no way of escape?"

Martha shook her head. So far, she had endured a week of engagement to the Marquess of Granton and, much to her frustration, he had not shown her even the smallest amount of interest. It was as though she were an annoyance that he wanted only to bat away, to ignore and to forget about. Whenever they had to stand together, whenever they had to be in the same space together, he did his best to ignore her completely, pretending as though she was entirely absent. They might share a smile now and again but it was completely false and only done when someone from the ton was speaking with them, congratulating them on their engagement or the like. Aside from that, it was quite plain to her that he had no interest in her company.

"Look at him," she murmured, seeing how he quickly approached two young debutantes who had been standing together and now turned, as one, towards him. "All he wants is the attention of others."

"Yes, he does," Miss Stockton agreed, sounding sad. "I am sorry that you must endure this, Martha. I do not know what to advise, else I would have said something."

Shaking her head, Martha tried to pull her gaze away from him but found she could not. The gentleman was nothing but arrogance and pride, preening in front of the young ladies as though he was a peacock eager to display its fine colours. How could she wed him? How could she give herself to him in such a way? "My life will be nothing but misery and loneliness," she whispered, her heart aching suddenly. "There is nothing for me any longer. He has not changed. He will not change. The Marquess of Granton will always be a rogue, whether he is married or not."

"And you cannot extract yourself?"

Martha shook her head. "He does not want to marry me either," she said, rather dully now. "But there is nothing that I can do to prevent the marriage from taking place. My father has done his best, the announcement has been made and the entirety of the ton are now expecting a marriage. If I end the engagement, then I will never again have the chance to marry though," she continued, her mouth tipping a little ruefully, "I did always say that I should prefer to be a spinster than to marry a gentleman such as he."

Much to Martha's surprise, Miss Stockton caught her breath in a gasp, her eyes going wide as Martha frowned, a little confused as to why her friend had responded in such a way. Surely that was not such a surprising notion, was it? To be a spinster might indeed be difficult way of living but it could not be too dreadful, could it?

"I – I may have something!"

Martha frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I think I might have a way to free you from this engagement!" Miss Stockton declared, making Martha's eyes flare wide. "I think there is a way, though it would require the Marquess' agreement."

"What is it?" Martha asked, suddenly filled with a frantic hope. "What is it that you think I can offer?"

"A marriage."

Martha's shoulders dropped. "What do you mean? I am already engaged."

"Yes, but he does not wish to be, does he?" came the reply, a glint now in Miss Stockton's eyes. "He does not wish to marry but you cannot break the engagement given the efforts that your father has gone to and he cannot do so either because of the bet that he lost and all of the gentlemen who heard him agree to such a thing at the time. Thereafter, the agreement has been made, the announcement given and all of society is now expecting you to soon become the Marchioness of Granton."

Growing a little exasperated, Martha nodded. "Yes, that is so. But what does that mean in relation to escaping from this?"

Miss Stockton smiled. "I think of my own situation, where my engagement came to an end because my betrothed declared himself in love with someone else. Therefore, the very same thing could apply to you, could it not? You shall tell the Marquess that if he can find you another match, if he can find a gentleman to engage himself to you – nay, to marry you – then the engagement between yourself and Lord Granton will come to an immediate end."

Martha could only stare into Miss Stockton's face, her breath fixing to her chest.

"It makes sense, does it not?" Miss Stockton asked, beaming brightly. "You will be given a more suitable husband and will never have to return to spinsterhood and the Marquess of Granton will be free from his engagement and will be able to return to the life of a scoundrel, just as he so clearly wishes."

"That is… " Considering this, Martha let out a long breath and then began to smile, a hope suddenly filling her heart. "That is an excellent idea, Miss Stockton! I cannot thank you enough!"

"Do you think that he will agree to such a thing?"

Martha shrugged. "I do not know but I would presume that he will do anything he can to free himself from our engagement. Therefore, I cannot imagine why he would refuse. Though there must be some caveats as regards the gentlemen he might suggest."

Miss Stockton winced and then laughed ruefully. "Yes, I suppose that is true. He cannot throw you to someone who is a cad, just as he is! The gentleman must have a good reputation, have enough wealth to content you and certainly have a title. You will not be given to a knight or a baronet!"

"And I must have my father's consent, which he would certainly refuse to give should the gentleman be so lowly titled," Martha agreed, seeing the light in her friend's eyes and finding her own heart filling with gratitude for her. "My dear Anna, I find your kindness so very touching. It means a great deal to me that you would use your own situation, as difficult as it was, as inspiration for my own relief from this. Thank you."

"Of course." Miss Stockton smiled broadly and then gestured to the Marquess. "Shall you go and speak to him now? Or do you wish to wait for a little longer?"

Martha set her shoulders and lifted her chin, a smile on her face which she could not quite help but keep pasted there. "No, I shall not tarry another moment," she said, firmly. "Lord Granton shall know of this suggestion at once."

***

"Lord Granton, might I suggest we stand out on the terrace for a while?"

The gentleman shot a look towards her. "I do not think that – " Evidently seeing the others around him smile and glance at one another at Martha's question, he smiled though it brought no light to his eyes. "I do not want to have any sort of impropriety, Lady Newton, as I am sure you understand."

Martha laughed briefly, her eyes narrowing just a touch. "I know very well of your reputation, my dear," she said, as the ladies near to her looked rather surprised at her boldness. "I am certain that you will have no qualms in standing beside your betrothed on the terrace for a few minutes, especially given that there will be others present there also." She laughed again, then put her hand on his arm. "Come, my dear. It will only be for a few minutes. I must have you to myself for even a very short period of time this evening, else I shall be left feeling a little frustrated!" She smiled as the ladies let out a small sigh of obvious contentment at her supposed happiness and then turned, her fingers tightening on Lord Granton's arm so that he could not escape her.

"What do you want, Lady Newton?" Lord Granton growled, his tone low and filled with irritation. "I was perfectly contented speaking with – "

"I have an idea as to how we can end this engagement," she interrupted, crisply. "I thought you might like to hear it."

That brought an end to his complaints. There came a slight widening of his eyes and his arm no longer was tense under her arm. With a slight clearing of his throat, he led her out to the terrace, his head held high and a small smile on his face while Martha too let herself smile. It seemed that Miss Stockton's idea was certain to succeed.

"This idea, then." Lord Granton's eagerness was evident in the way that he turned to face her the very moment they stepped outside to the terrace. "What is it?"

"It came from Miss Stockton," Martha told him, turning to face him as they stood in a corner of the terrace. "She suggested that, should I find another match, then there would be no reason for this engagement to continue."

Lord Granton frowned. "I do not understand. How could you find another husband when you are already engaged to me?"

Martha folded her arms, a little frustrated that he had immediately put all responsibility onto her. "It would be rather difficult for me to do alone," she said, firmly. "I am a young lady, after all, I must be seen to be proper in all things. I cannot go pursuing other gentlemen when I am already engaged."

The Marquess' frown grew heavier. "So you mean to suggest that I must be the one to do so?"

Martha nodded. "I think you must. My father will not permit me to release from this engagement and you cannot step away either, given that so many gentlemen from society heard you make the agreement in the first place. However, if you were to find me another match and should that gentlemen declare himself to be quite in love with me – which he would have to do in order for this to work regardless of how he truly felt – then I would consent to marry him, you would be freed from our engagement and all would be well. I would have a husband and a secure future and you would have the freedom you so desperately crave."

It took a few minutes for all that she had said to sink into Lord Granton's mind, it seemed, given the way that he looked away and rubbed at his chin. His eyes flicked to her and then away again before, slowly, he began to nod. "I can see how that would work."

"Then you agree to it?"

"It is the only flicker of light I have in an otherwise dark world, Lady Newton, so of course, I am going to agree to it!"

Martha rolled her eyes at the dramatic way he spoke, shaking her head at him. "You are very well aware that you are not the only one who struggles with this situation? There is still a chance that we will have to wed and that makes my heart flood with nothing but despair as I consider it. But I must cling to the hope that I will soon be able to be free from you and on the arm of a gentleman who will be glad to marry me."

Lord Granton's frown returned. "Though there is the difficulty of your father's past and his lack of fortune at present. You do not have a dowry, from what I understand."

"I am sure that someone such as you can change such a thing, should you wish it." Her face grew hot as she spoke but she kept her gaze steady. "But you must understand, Lord Granton, I will not consent to marry a gentleman who is cruel, arrogant or otherwise lacking in kindness. Neither will I marry a pauper nor someone who is old enough to be my father. I am sure you can understand why."

The gentleman snorted. "You wish to marry someone who is entirely unlike me in character but who has the same standing and fortune as I do."

Martha nodded. "Yes. That is it precisely. I shall have Miss Stockton by my side as my friend, supporting me through this and she will make certain that any gentleman you suggest has nothing but a pristine reputation."

"Then if you have a friend involved in our circumstances, then I shall bring in Lord Radford," came the quick reply. "He will be able to assist me in finding you a suitable match."

Shrugging lightly, Martha turned her attention to the view to her left rather than looking up at him. She drew in a deep breath, finding herself a good deal more relieved than she had ever been before. "Very well, Lord Granton. It seems that we shall be free of each other very soon."

To her utter astonishment, the Marquess reached out and caught her hand, lifting it to his lips. Despite her shock, a light shiver danced over her skin as the Marquess pressed his lips to her hand, the warmth making her whole body flush hot, albeit only for a moment.

"It seems that we shall be," he murmured, his tone soft and filled with a tenderness which Martha could not quite understand. She stared at him, suddenly unable to pull her gaze away as he held her hand right by his lips, the heat of his breath brushing across her fingertips. Then, with a smile, he released her hand again and then turned so he might look out across the terrace with her.

Still uncertain as to what had taken place, Martha looked down at her hand as though, somehow, she would find an explanation there. It was only when she heard a quiet giggle that she looked up and realised, to her embarrassment, that a small group of ladies had been watching the Marquess and herself talking together. Evidently, he had done such a thing for their benefit, rather than for hers. He wanted them to think that all was well between them, perhaps give the impression that he cared for her so that the ton would think well of him.

"You want to be the injured party, do you not?" Hating the slight tremble in her voice, Martha kept her gaze fixed on one point in the sky rather than looking at him. "Should this work, should another engagement be formed, you want to garner as much sympathy as you can from the ton ."

The Marquess chuckled softly, leaning closer to her. "It seems that you understand me, Lady Newton," he said, his words making her scowl. "Yes, of course I want to garner the sympathy of the ton ! If they believe that I care for you, that my heart is truly tender towards you, then what will their reaction be when they see that I am the one knocked back? What will they think when I tell them that my betrothed has found herself bound to another?"

Martha scowled up at him. "They will, no doubt, think very sympathetically towards you," she said, as the Marquess grinned. "You will have as much compassion as you desire which, no doubt, will then lead you into various warm embraces from those who wish to comfort you."

"Alas, my heart shall be quite broken." Letting out a long, heavy sigh, Lord Granton put one hand to his heart and shook his head. "I will declare to the ton that my own desires had to be set aside in order to make certain of your happiness."

"And those who come to share their comfort with you will do so in a very… meaningful way, no doubt."

"No doubt." The Marquess chuckled again but Martha's skin crawled, hating that she had found herself a little entranced by him when he had kissed the back of her hand. "Though that does mean that I shall have to shower all of my attention and affection upon you, Lady Newton, at least for a time."

Her eyes sharpened on his. "What do you mean?"

"It means that I shall have to give up my roguish ways," he sighed, his smile now fading a little. "I must have society believe that I am half in love with you, for then, when the time comes to end the engagement, there will not be whispers about my other… connections, as you might call them. The ton will know that I have not made any sort of advance on any young lady save for yourself the last few months and, therefore, will believe that my heart is quite broken."

"You are a scoundrel, Lord Granton!" Martha exclaimed, finding herself a little disgusted by him. "An utter scoundrel."

He shrugged. "Yes, I am, but for the moment, I am your devoted husband to be, Lady Newton." Inclining his head, he smiled down into her eyes and Martha snatched in a breath before turning her eyes away, despising herself for the way one tender look – albeit a pretence – could soften her heart. "And I shall be until you decide to break our engagement. I hope that will not be too long in coming."

"I quite agree, Lord Granton," Martha muttered, turning her attention away from him. "Let us hope that you find someone for me soon."

He reached out and took her hand, pressing it gently. "I shall make it the focus of my every moment," he promised, "so that soon, we will no longer be tied to one another as we are now. I cannot tell you how much I long for that moment."

Martha managed a small, tight smile before gently tugging her hand away. It seemed that finally, they were to come together in this, albeit with the sole purpose of stepping apart from one another for good.