Chapter Six

Louisa picked up her embroidery thread and prepared to continue on with the piece she had been working on for the last few weeks. While she did enjoy embroidery, it often gave her a little too much time to ruminate and that was proving to be a little… dissatisfying at the present moment.

"There is much for me to be thankful for," she told herself, firmly, as she threaded it through and then pulled it gently. "And I may still get my chance to wed one day."

That made her shoulders slump despite her positive words. She did not truly believe it, she realized, not when she knew just how long it might take for her sisters to wed. The ton would soon consider her a spinster and then what was she to do? She would be put on the shelf, no longer a viable match for any gentleman and her future, thereafter, would look rather bleak. Louisa could only hope that her father would be kind to her, that he himself would make certain that her future was secure so that she would not either have to find work as a governess or a nurse or depend on her sisters for lodging and food. Tears began to burn but Louisa blinked them away as quickly as she could, refusing to let them fall. Yes, her father had never really considered her but there was no sense in complaining about it, not when she knew nothing would change. She recalled the times she had attempted to ask her father about her own future and the fact that she might soon be considered a spinster, only for him to dismiss her outright. He had come down heavily upon her with his words, insisting that she put her responsibilities to her sisters first given that their mother was no longer with them. That had stirred Louisa's own guilt and she had decided thereafter never to bring it to her father again.

"So there can be no good in complaining about my situation to anyone, then, can there?" she murmured aloud, her voice echoing around the room. Her two sisters were still preparing for afternoon calls and very soon, Louisa expected, they would come to join her. Her smile lifted in a slightly rueful consideration as her thoughts went to the Duke of Yarmouth. So long as he did not call, then all would be well! Just as she was thinking on this, the door opened and, much to her surprise, her father strode into the room. He did not turn about and remove himself again when he saw her sitting there as she might have expected, however, for he was a gentleman who did not often like the company of his daughters. Instead, he sat down opposite her and, leaning forward, put his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands just under his chin. His eyes were piercing and Louisa set her embroidery aside at once, feeling a little concerned as to what this might mean. Her father had barely said more than a few sentences to her at any one point ever since their arrival in London so why was he now sitting opposite her with such a grave expression on his face? Had she failed him in some way?

"Father?" Louisa ventured, her voice wobbling a little. "Is there something the matter?"

The Earl of Jedburgh's eyebrows drifted low over his eyebrows, his mouth pulling flat as he looked away. He did not say anything for some moments, his dark hair seeming to cast a shadow across his features. Louisa's stomach began to twist, her whole body tightening with tension as her mind whirled with worry.

"Louisa." Eventually, he spoke though his tone remained heavy. "I have come to an agreement for your marriage."

Louisa blinked furiously, one hand gripping to the arm of the couch tightly as she stared back at her father.

"Your engagement will be announced within a sennight, once all the various agreements and the like have been made," the Earl continued as though all that he had said was nothing more than a minor conversation which would have very little effect upon Louisa herself. "However, I have said to the lady that I was concerned about my other two daughters, given that your responsibility is to them and she has agreed that the wedding will take place near the end of the Season, to give you as much time as possible in order for you to make certain that they make a good match. Though, given your connection, that will be a good deal easier, I think!" A glimmer of a smile touched the edges of his lips though it faded just as quickly. "Though, if neither of them make a match then your responsibility will continue for them into the next Season also. This has been agreed between the lady and myself and I presume that you will have no objection?"

Louisa felt as though she had been taken out to sea and was now being hit and crushed by every wave, struggling to find her breath as she battled confusion. Her father's eyebrow lifted in question but still, Louisa could not speak. Never had she imagined that she would be offered such a thing as this, never had she thought that her father would take care of her future in such a way! It was not something that she had thought him interested in and yet, somehow, he had taken it upon himself to find her a suitable match! Yes, her responsibilities to her sisters had to continue but that was something that Louisa was more than willing to do. Her heart began to calm itself as a faint happiness began to warm through her. She was going to be wed! She might be able to have a family of her own, would be mistress of her own estate! Her happiness quickly faded as her mind began then to fill with all manner of questions, wondering who it was that her father had tied her to – and without even speaking to her about it first.

"You say that I am to marry?" she asked, her voice hoarse as her father nodded. Louisa closed her eyes, suddenly fearful that her father had found her an old, decrepit fellow who needed a wife to produce the heir for him before he passed. "I do not understand. You… you have never mentioned such a thing before and, indeed, told me that my sole responsibility was to my sisters. Once they wed, then I might have my opportunity, if I was still of eligible age."

Something passed across the Earl's face, something that Louisa could not quite make out. He looked away, clearing his throat gruffly as he rubbed one hand over his chin. "Yes, I am aware of my previous remarks on the subject."

Shame? Louisa frowned. Could it be that my father has had a change of heart? That he now feels ashamed of his neglect of my future?

"The lady made it quite clear as regards her thoughts as to the present situation and though I will not say that I was pleased by it – or that I was convinced – what she offered made my thoughts on your future change. I did suggest that one of my other daughters might suit, given that I am eager to see them wed but –"

"Why are you not eager to see me wed, Father?" Louisa found herself on her feet, a sudden anger coursing through her which appeared to knock her father back, given how he not only reared back but leaned back against the cushions of his seat. "What is it about my sisters that makes them of much more importance than me?"

The Earl blinked at her, his face paling a little. He then closed his eyes and heaved a sigh, though Louisa remained where she was, her hands now on her hips, her whole body tense with an anger at the injustice of how she had been treated for so long.

"It was your mother." Another heavy breath escaped him as the Earl rubbed one hand over his face. "She insisted that I make certain the girls were cared for, telling me that you would be my aid and my support."

Some of Louisa's anger faded. "But that does not mean that she thought I would not marry," she answered as her father turned a sorrowful gaze to her. "Do you not think that I would be just as caring and considered of my sisters and their unwed state even if I had the chance to marry?"

"That is… that is not what my thinking was," he admitted, a little hoarse now himself. "I always believed that… well, that she wanted the younger two girls to marry first."

Louisa's throat constricted. "I do not believe that my mother would have ever pushed me aside in favor of the other two," she said, tightly. "Can you not see that I would always have done my best for them? If I were to marry, then I would have an ever greater chance of succeeding in finding them a suitable match."

"Ah, but only if you married well." The Earl waggled one finger at her. "And there would also be the honeymoon and that can last well over a year! I could not permit that to happen. They need you as their chaperone, to guide them through society."

Closing her eyes against a fresh rush of angry tears, Louisa let her hands drop to her sides. "They have a father for that." Her voice was quiet, a little louder than a whisper and Louisa opened her eyes to see her father look away, his jaw tightening. Clearly, that suggestion had not been a good one. Whether it was mere selfishness on her father's part or something that, as yet, he had not told her about, it was clear that he had no interest in doing anything by way of responsibility for either Ruth's or Rachel's futures. That was still to remain on her shoulders.

"You will not have a honeymoon until your two sisters are married," the Earl told her, changing the subject completely and returning it back to Louisa's new engagement. "That was agreed with the lady and –"

"Who is this lady that you speak of?" Louisa asked, sitting back down, her shoulders heavy and her spirits low given the way her father had refused to take on any sort of responsibility for his daughters. "I do not understand what has taken place. Nor have you told me who it is that I am to marry."

Her father turned his full attention back towards her. "I believe that you are already acquainted with the Duchess of Yarmouth, yes?"

Louisa's breath caught in her chest, shock rippling through her as her father's eyebrow lifted in question. Surely it could not be that her father thought to marry her to the Duke of Yarmouth?

"I can see from your expression that yes, you are acquainted with her. I did not know of this so her arrival at the house this afternoon was rather surprising." The Earl cleared his throat again, perhaps aware that this next part of his conversation with her was not about to be a pleasant one. "She thinks that you will be an excellent match for her son. I believe that he has already consented."

Louisa could not breathe. She put one hand to her heart, feeling as though someone had come from behind and was squeezing her throat, hard. How could her father think to do this? What made him believe that marrying a gentleman with such a roguish character would be a good thing for her?

"Louisa?"

"I – I would rather remain unwed and a spinster than marry him," she wheezed, her chest heaving furiously as she finally managed to take in a breath. "Have you not heard of him, father? Have you not heard of what he has done?"

"I have. And yet, I believe that, given what the Duchess said, you will make a good wife for him."

"But he will not be a good husband for me!" Louisa cried, tears beginning to fall to her cheeks, her whole body screaming with an inexpressible pain. "I will be left with a gentleman who does what he pleases with whomever he pleases, while I remain at home, left to wonder what rumours will be swirling about him soon. Is that what you think I will be contented with?"

Her father shrugged, sniffing lightly as he rose from his chair. "Given what the Duchess said of you, I am sure that what you fear will not come to pass. You will have her as your companion and as your guide. She seemed to believe that her son can reform himself, only that he needs the right young lady to come alongside him."

"And she thinks that I am that lady?" Louisa laughed derisively, tears still falling to her cheeks. "She and I had one conversation, Father, one ! She does not know my character in the least!"

"It is has been decided, Louisa."

Louisa's hands curled into tight fists as she attempted to control her tears, sobs still threatening to overtake her. "Father, please." Her words were filled with desperation, her heart pounding as fear poured into her veins. "You cannot force me to marry him."

Her father made his way to the door, his duty done. "You complained to me that you had no chance to marry, Louisa. Only just now, in this conversation, you stated that I was deeply wrong in making certain that only my younger two daughters found suitable matches rather than including you. Yet now that I give you a husband, now that I find you a match with a gentleman far above you in both title and wealth, you are not contented!" Putting one hand to the doorhandle, he pulled it open but did not step through it, turning his head to look at her, his gaze steady. "I can understand your concern but I am sure it will not be as dreadful as you think. To be wed to a Duke is an excellent thing, for your standing will improve and your sisters' chances of a good match will also increase. You will have the security you told me that you required for your future and I will have my responsibility to your mother fulfilled. I cannot see what your concern is."

Louisa flung herself out of her chair but her legs were so weak, she could only take a few tottering steps forward. "But no-one will want to be connected with our family, not when they know that I am engaged to a rogue!"

The Earl let out a snort as though he did not know what it was she was talking about. "My dear girl, are you so foolish as to believe that? The Duke of Yarmouth may be a scoundrel, yes, but to be connected to a Duke in some way is still seen as an excellent thing. I can assure you, your sisters will do very well out of this. And," he continued, his voice dropping low, "if you end the engagement, then there will be scandal, shame and your sisters' chances of a happy match will fall significantly. I do hope you are aware of that."

Louisa opened her mouth to say something more, to try and find a way to beg her father to change his mind, but she could say nothing more for the Earl walked away from her directly, leaving the door to close behind him.

She was alone.

The Duke of Yarmouth? He is to be my husband? Louisa covered her face with both hands, tears beginning to fall again as she considered her future. The Duke of Yarmouth was, to her mind, the most selfish, arrogant, inconsiderate scoundrel she had ever had the chance to meet – and now he was the one she was to consider as her betrothed? She could not understand why it was that the Duchess of Yarmouth thought that she would be a good match for him, why she had gone directly to Louisa's father and spoken of such a thing, for they had only had one minor conversation and nothing more! Was the lady truly desperate to have her son wed?

"Yes," Louisa sniffed, dropping her hands and going to sit back down on the couch, her embroidery forgotten beside her. "Yes, that is precisely what she is." The Duchess of Yarmouth, just as every other mother would be, needed to see her son wed and the heir produced, so that the family line could continue on without concern and the title handed down. Could it be that the Duchess was as selfish as her son? She shook her head to herself at this thought, for the lady had not given that impression when they had first met but yet, all the same, she had thought to force this match upon Louisa?

And forced it must be, for if I end the engagement, then what hopes are there for Rachel and Ruth?

"Louisa?"

She blinked, trying to clear her vision as she looked at her two sisters. "Rachel? Ruth? I did not hear you come in."

"The gentlemen callers?" Ruth frowned, tilting her head as she gazed back at Louisa. "Is something wrong, Louisa? Do you not recall that we are to take afternoon calls?"

Louisa sniffed and shook her head. "No, I did not recall it."

"You have been crying." Rachel frowned, pulled out her handkerchief and handed it to Louisa. "You should wipe your face, if not go to splash water on it also. We do not want anyone coming to see us to think that you are upset!"

A heaviness sank into Louisa's spirits as she heard her sister's words, realizing that yet again, Rachel was thinking only of herself. Ruth said something that Louisa did not quite make out, though it sounded as though she was berating Rachel a little.

"I think I shall do just as you have suggested, Rachel." Getting to her feet, Louisa made her way to the door, her shoulders rounded and her steps heavy. "Forgive me for my melancholy state. I will come back as quickly as I can so that we do not miss any gentlemen callers." She did not listen to Ruth's words of encouragement to remain, to tell them why she was melancholy but instead, made her way out into the hallway. For whatever reason, she did not want to tell her sisters about their father's news, did not want to tell them a single word of what had been said. For the moment, it was her secret, a terrible and distressing secret that she hid in the very depths of her heart, knowing that one day soon, it would be told not only to her sisters but to all of society… and there would be no escaping it then.