Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

" A dinner party?" Cressida repeated.

"I think it will be a good time," Matthew said. "At any rate, I've already accepted for the pair of us, so you ought to plan on attending."

"Of course," Cressida agreed. "I'd love to attend. I think you're right—I think it sounds like a wonderful time."

"You do?"

"So do you! You just finished saying so!" Cressida laughed. He was certainly behaving oddly. And while she couldn't be certain, she liked to think that nerves were the reason behind the way he was acting—that he felt uncomfortable after their shared kiss. Perhaps he wished to kiss her again and he wasn't sure how to begin. She wouldn't have faulted him for that. She had no idea how to initiate their second kiss either, but she knew that she wanted it to happen.

Maybe this dinner party would be the opportunity she sought. After all, they would be there in the evening, and that was a romantic time. After they ate, there would perhaps be a stroll in the garden, and she and Matthew might find a secluded place to be alone together. And there, in the dark and the quiet, anything at all might happen. It was a tantalizing notion.

"You may have a new gown if that's something you'd like," he said. "I'd be more than happy to take you shopping."

Cressida felt the surprise that was starting to be familiar to her. It hadn't been this way, of course, when she had lived with her father. There had almost never been money for new things because he was in so much debt. It had fallen to Cressida to make the old gowns new again and again by adding ribbon and lace, by removing ornamentation, by letting out the hems as she and her sister grew. The thought that she could have a new gown now, when it wasn't really even needed, simply because she wanted one, was intensely unfamiliar.

And, on top of that, the idea of taking advantage of his generosity made her feel uncomfortable. "It's all right," she said. "I don't need anything new. I can wear something I already have."

"You really don't have to do that. I'm happy to arrange for you to go into town and buy something."

"And I'm grateful, truly," she said. "But it won't be necessary. Since our marriage, I have had so many new gowns, this will be an opportunity for me to wear something again that I've only worn once. They're all so beautiful that to leave them hanging in the wardrobe all the time feels rather like a waste to me."

Matthew nodded. "If that's the way you feel, that's certainly all right," he said. "You can choose something to wear. I need to go out for a while to meet with one of my business partners, but we can discuss all this at greater length over dinner tonight, if you would be willing."

"Yes, of course," Cressida agreed. "I'll be looking forward to it, Matthew." She beamed at him, hoping he would look at her with the sort of passion he'd had when he had kissed her.

But perhaps he needed to be angry first in order to be that passionate, for he simply nodded and walked away. Cressida sighed. How frustrating it was to be in a marriage like this one—a marriage in which she felt stuck always wanting more than she might ever get. What if this was as good as their marriage ever was? It was far from bad , of course, but she wanted so much more from it—from him . And what if she could never have that? What if it was always just one sweet memory, one kiss, and they never spoke of what had happened between them again?

She wandered into the sitting room, took a seat in her favorite chair, and gazed moodily into the dancing flames in the fireplace. If only she could know, one way or the other, what would be next for them. A part of her genuinely wished the kiss had never happened, because her mind had been so much more at peace before it had. At least then she had known—or thought she had known—what he wanted from her. She hadn't wished for more, because she hadn't believed that anything more was possible for the two of them.

Now she did believe it, and her mind was full of the idea. Bursting with possibilities.

She was so lost in thought that she hardly noticed when one of the maids came into the room. "Begging your pardon, My Lady…"

Cressida looked up. "What is it?"

"A message has just been delivered. For you." The maid brought the note to Cressida and held it out.

At once, Cressida recognized the writing. This was from her sister. "It just arrived?" she asked, frowning.

"That's right," the maid said. "It was just delivered, as I said. I brought it straight to you."

"Thank you." Cressida frowned, wondering what this could be about.

She opened the letter to reveal more of Victoria's untidy penmanship and leaned forward to read.

My dear sister -

By the time you receive this letter, I shall be long on from the city. I have decided to marry! My only regret is that you cannot be by my side, but my beloved Jonathan insists that we depart at once. He doesn't know that I'm writing you this letter—no doubt he would not approve, for he has no sisters of his own and can't understand the importance of the bond we share.

But I couldn't leave without letting you know. We travel to Gretna Green tonight, and I suspect we will marry as soon as we arrive. By the next time you see me, I will be his wife. It's wonderful—you and I have both made such fortunate matches, and I know that we are both going to be so happy.

No doubt you will be shocked by my decision to do this so suddenly. To that I can only say that I had to do something. Father has refused to allow our marriage, you see—he feels that Jonathan is not a suitable match for me, being only the second son of a poor baron. But I don't care about money or social advancement. I only care about love.

I shall see you when I return, a married lady!

Yours with love,

Victoria.

Cressida's hands shook as she lowered the letter to her lap, unable to believe what she had just read. Her sister had run away to Gretna Green to marry?

This was what happened when Cressida went away and tried to leave her father to manage things? She had been gone for such a short time, and already Victoria had put herself in a situation like this?

It had to be stopped. She couldn't allow it to go forward.

She was already moving. "Pack some of my things," she told the maid. "I don't need much. Clothes for two days." If she couldn't find Victoria and resolve this crisis by then, it would mean that she was simply too late to do anything at all for her sister.

She couldn't let her thoughts move in that direction. If she did, she would simply be paralyzed by fear, and she wouldn't risk allowing that to happen. Right now, it was important to keep moving. Victoria needed her.

She found one of the footmen in the foyer. "I need a carriage at once," she said. "I'll be leaving within fifteen minutes."

"Does Lord Feverton know you're going, Lady Feverton?" the footman asked.

"No, he doesn't," she said. "I know he doesn't like me to go out without speaking to him about it first, but something urgent has just come up and I'm afraid it's unavoidable. I'll ask you to give him a message for me so he'll know where I've gone and when to expect me back."

She wondered if the footman would argue, the way the staff occasionally had in the past when she had tried to go against Matthew's wishes, but he didn't. Perhaps they had learned how determined she could be when she set her mind to something. "Very well, my lady," he said. "I'll arrange for the carriage at once."

"Thank you," Cressida said.

She hurried up to Matthew's office and found a piece of paper. Quickly, she penned a note outlining what had happened and where she had gone. She thought about including an apology, but ultimately decided against it—she wasn't sorry for what she was about to do. It was necessary. She wished it wasn't, and she wished it wasn't going to hurt her husband as much as she knew it would, but there was nothing that could be done about that. She would ask his forgiveness when she returned, but she would not pretend to regret the action she was about to take. She was doing the right thing, and she knew it.

The maid came running back into the room with a bag that contained the clothes Cressida had requested. For a moment, Cressida wondered whether she ought to ask one of the maids to travel along with her. It probably would have been the wiser thing to do, but she didn't feel as if she could. She was simply in too much of a hurry to wait for someone who wasn't feeling the sense of urgency she was to go and prepare herself.

"Thank you," she said, accepting the bag. "I'll be on my way now."

She hurried out of the house. The footman was standing beside the carriage he had summoned for her. She took the note she'd written and pressed it into his hand.

"Thank you for your help," she said.

"He won't like this at all, you know, my lady," the footman told her.

"I know he won't," Cressida agreed. "I wish I didn't have to do it. I'll simply have to make things right with him when I return. Don't worry—I'll make sure he knows you all tried to stop me. No one will be blamed for my reckless actions—no one but me, that is."

"Be safe, Lady Feverton," the footman said. "Everyone in this household cares about you and wishes you to return. What you're doing is risky."

"I will be safe," she assured him. "And I'll return home soon enough."

She got into the carriage and placed her bag on the seat opposite her. It pulled away from the house, and she was off.

Only now, sitting in the carriage, did the full impact of everything she had read sink in for her.

Her sister had run away to marry a man her father had refused. What did it mean?

She tried to calm herself—it might be harmless. After all, Victoria had said herself that the man she meant to marry was of no means, and Cressida knew that would be a matter of utmost importance to their father. He would want both of his daughters to marry wealthy men. It would likely be his very first priority. So even if this Jonathan was a wonderful person who loved Victoria very much, if he didn't have a lot of money, her father might refuse him for that reason.

It could be that.

Or it might be something else. Something much more sinister.

And why was Victoria so determined to marry so quickly? What did that mean? That was worrying. And then there was the fact that apparently her gentleman had told her not to tell Cressida what was happening…if Victoria had listened to that, Cressida might never have found out about this. She might not have known until it was too late to do anything to stop it.

It might already be too late. Who could say how far ahead of her Victoria was?

She leaned back and closed her eyes, doing her very best to remain calm.