Chapter 3

"Marry Lord Egerton?" Georgiana stammered out.

She sat in the chair in front of her father's desk, only now taking it, though he'd suggested she sit a moment ago. She had declined the offer with the belief he wanted to talk about the Season. Or the summer. Or something about the house.

Anything but that.

Pausing from putting a few marks on a page he was checking, her father glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "You're a clever girl, Georgiana. Don't make me repeat myself twice, will you?" He slowly put his quill down before clasping his hands atop the desk. "It's time you married. Since you don't seem inclined to find a match on your own, I took it upon myself to do so for you."

His words made her shake her head. "I wouldn't exactly call this a gift if that's how you're treating it. I didn't ask for this, Father. This is a new era. Women can marry whoever they desire."

"Fine. Who do you desire?"

"I…" She licked her lips. "I don't know. No one."

He raised his other eyebrow, the one expression she took to mean his empathy. And yet she knew it wasn't enough for him to change his mind. Once decided, he didn't change it. They were both stubborn like that.

Back when her mother first passed, only a few months after Emma was born, her father had been awkward and hesitant around her. She remembered him patting her on the head until she turned twelve. Then he patted her hand. And then, by the time she had her first Season, he stopped touching her altogether. It usually seemed like he tried to forget she was around.

"Then you'll marry him. I could have married you off to Lord Humphries, you know. He's nosing around for a third wife."

"Fourth," she mumbled.

He tilted his head. "You'll be a marchioness, Georgiana. You have a large dowry and will want for nothing. This is not a punishment."

"But it feels like one."

She tried not to pout. But her head was pounding, and her chest felt so tight, as if she was running out of air. Crushed with this news, Georgiana felt the world falling all around her. She wasn't ready to marry or to leave her home. She especially couldn't leave Emma.

"You didn't even ask me. The papers are signed—all you need is my signature, isn't it? What if I refuse?"

His gaze narrowed on her. "You would?"

"I…" She bit her lip, uncertain what she should respond. But she was not ready to tell a lie either.

Rising from the desk, her father schooled his features into his usual stern expression. She steeled her spine while she watched him sort through the two pages of the marriage contract. Then he offered her his quill.

Sign it or else. But what is the other option?

There was a voice in the back of her mind screaming. This wasn't what she wanted. Surely, there was another path for her to take. But as Georgiana scrambled for ideas, she found her mind going blank.

Feeling a lump forming in her throat, Georgiana slowly accepted the proffered quill. She glanced at the papers. The numbers she saw there proved that she was a fine catch. They were bigger than she last recalled him mentioning two years ago. She tried not to think about why he had raised the number.

"You are paying to be rid of me," she whispered, a shaky breath escaping her. "I have done my best to run this house, to raise Emma, and to stay out of your way. But it never mattered how much I attempted to prove myself. You always make decisions for me. You ignore everything I do. Why?"

"Georgiana, you are still young. You will learn the ways of the world. The sooner you marry, the better. Don't you wish to set a good example for your sister? Your mother would have wanted the same."

She pursed her lips. "Then you never knew Mother."

His nostrils flared, a sure sign she'd upset him. "Don't you––"

"Mother never would have wanted any of us trapped in a loveless marriage," Georgiana pressed. Her heart pounded as she forced herself to meet her father's gaze. If he could be stubborn, then so could she. Remembering her mother's joy from the early days, she found her strength. "You only want to make me as unhappy as you are."

"That's enough!"

Even though her father raised his voice, it wasn't a shout. Flinching, Georgiana rose from her seat and took a step back, before she caught herself. She lifted her chin and met her father's gaze.

"Sign the contract, Georgiana."

"I didn't ask for this." Her voice hardly shook. "Did you even think of what I wanted? Or did you just take the first offer that came along?"

He shook his head, just as frustrated as she felt. "I waited until there was an acceptable offer. Didn't I mention Lord Humphries? Or shall I bring him here for you instead?"

"No!"

"Then you're marrying Egerton," he announced.

While Georgiana wouldn't call it a growl, she wasn't exactly confident about what sound it was that came out of her mouth. She suppressed the urge to stomp her foot. "Father, no. I––"

"Or you're no longer welcome here."

"Mother left me some funds. I will––"

"And I'll send Emma away."

She gasped in horror. Staring at him, seeing the way he turned away so he would not look at her, she wondered if she had heard him right. She must have. And yet he would not be so cruel as that. He couldn't be.

That school he talked about sending me to, that's where he would send her. Or to the old family property in Scotland. Good Lord. I would never see her again. Never find her.

"Father?"

"Do as I say," he ordered. His voice rang out loud and clear in the room. Still, he wouldn't look at her.

Strong and proud, Ernest Honeyfield, Earl of Lincoln, could command his daughter to do as he liked––he just couldn't look her in the eye with his threats.

He doesn't mean it. Not really. He can't. Father is strict, but he is not cruel. If I don't sign the contract, then… then he'll have to let me stay. Emma needs me. He needs me to run the house, doesn't he? And yet… If I do stay, what then?

The tightness in her throat loosened, only for a heavy weight to settle in her stomach. Discomfort as her fate slowly sank in. There was no option but this. For Emma's sake, Georgiana understood she could only take so many risks.

"You don't care," she whispered. "A gentleman never wants daughters. And you have two."

"I do care," he countered. "I am doing what I must to protect you."

The idea made her scoff. "Protection, yes, by throwing me at the first man that comes along. Or second. I don't care. It hardly matters. I should have known. Ever since Mother passed––"

"Don't," he said in a strangled voice.

But Georgiana just raised her voice. "Ever since Mother passed, you have hardly tried to connect with us. You can barely look at Emma. My sister and I deserve better—you and I both know it."

He opened his mouth to argue, but she pressed on.

"I will sign the contract. I will marry. I will do what I must to truly protect Emma. And you, Father, had better give her the very best care."

She wasn't very experienced in giving threats, so it would have to do.

Her father hovered, staring her down as she stepped forward to sign the contract. They might have both been equally stubborn, but she knew that he held the power. For now, at least.

It's the only way I can help Emma. For now, at least. I will look for another way to be there for her when I can. I must. The fight isn't over yet.

With that, the papers were signed.

"Georgiana––"

She strode out of the room without looking back.

It didn't surprise her when her father let her go. There had been few arguments between them that lasted this long. Besides, he won. What more could he want?

Striding down the hall, Georgiana tried to think. Her heart hammered in her chest, and the weight in her stomach had yet to ease up.

A week, he said. I will get married next Thursday.

"There you are!" Emma scampered around the stairs with a hopeful smile. "It's not too late, is it? Can we still go riding in the park?"

Horses were the last thing on Georgiana's mind. Struggling to look up, she blinked several times. She looked at her sister, only to feel tears welling up in her eyes.

Could she really leave Emma, even if it would keep her safe? Would Emma really be safe here?

"Georgiana?" Jean asked, following behind Emma.

"I'm not feeling well," Georgiana forced out. She ducked her head, veering around them toward the stairs. "Why don't you two enjoy the fresh air and take a stroll? Perhaps we will ride this evening. I think I need to lie down."

Her maid murmured something to Emma before asking, "Why don't I fetch you some tea?"

But Georgiana shook her head. Up the stairs, she went without her sister and maid. "Enjoy the stroll. I need to rest. Some time alone would do me well, that's all."

She didn't linger for them to make any further suggestions.

Hurrying up to her room, Georgiana locked the door before collapsing on her bed. The tears couldn't stay hidden any longer. They spilled down her cheeks, soaking the pillow she clasped to her chest. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to tell herself this was for the best.

Anything for Emma. Perhaps marrying Lord Egerton will not be so awful. At least, I suppose, it isn't the Duke.