The sooner that this is over, the sooner I can decide what I want to do next.
Anger built up inside Edmund as he spotted Mary roll her eyes at him. He was happy with what he had achieved in life; for a man with no father to guide him, he had made a success of himself.
I should have known, he thought with a sharp shake of the head. I should have guessed this would not work out.
After hearing from his mother that he had to meet the Lady to remain polite, he had asked around to learn more about the Lady Mary Roberts. Not many people knew her well. She was not one who made herself known in society, but the people who were aware of her told him that she was known for her standoffish nature. She did not make an effort with people, and that made her seem rude.
He had wanted to believe that maybe she was just shy, but now it appeared that everyone else was, in fact, correct.
Her sister, married to Lord Jones, was also known for her quiet, impolite nature. She did not even speak much in the times that was expected of her. Again, Edmund had tried his best to rationalise that behaviour in his mind, but now he could see that there was nothing to justify. The Roberts’ sisters were rude, and that was all there was to it.
I do not like her, he thought with determination. I will not marry her, I refuse.
He knew that there was some inheritance riding on this, but that did not trouble him. It was not his inheritance and not his problem. He had always wanted to marry for love, and that had not changed.
There was no love to be found here.
Mary was very beautiful, there was no denying that. Her hair was lovely; her face was incredibly pleasant to look at, and she had soft, touchable skin ... but her insides did not match the beauty of her outsides, and that was all that mattered.
“So, Mary,” he said loud enough to grab her attention. If she wished to be impolite, then he would too. “Please, tell me what it is that you do.”
Her face flamed as both men turned to look at her. Mary had not expected to be questioned, and she was not sure what to say. What did she do? She had no real interests, no passions, no work to speak of. Some Ladies rode horses, but it was pointless to go with that lie. She needed to say something to make her seem interesting.
“I erm, I have been helping my sister, actually.” She coughed awkwardly. “My sister is starting a campaign to help get better living conditions for the working classes, and I am helping her with that. It is ... it is something that I feel very passionate about.”
It was not all lies, surely that was something? Mary still felt uncomfortable, though, and it showed in her body language.
“I see,” Edmund replied with a smirk. He could tell this was something that she plucked out of the air. “That does sound fascinating. Please, tell me more.”
Mary cringed. She did not know what else to say. She parted her lips a couple of times as if something were about to come out, but of course, there was nothing but silence. An agonising silence that seemed to go on for days.
“I think we have had enough here,” Walter finally interjected as he realised this was not quite going as expected. “Shall we take a break here, think some things through, then start up communication at another time?
“Yes,” Edmund agreed, relieved.
“I think so,” Mary also said, feeling much better now that she was about to escape. It was utterly apparent that there was nothing but dislike coming from both parties, so she did not feel that she needed to fear anymore. “Thank you for your visit, Your Grace, it has been a ...” She paused for just a beat. Barely noticeable to the naked ear, but Edmund heard it. “Pleasure.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine.” Still, he did not offer his hand, so Mary did not either. “I am sure I will see you again soon.”
As Walter walked Edmund to the door, Mary let out a deep sigh of relief. That was far quicker than she expected, and she was so glad that it was over.
“How do you feel now?” Daisy asked from behind her, making Mary jump. She had almost forgotten that she was not alone. “Are you happier now that you have met the man?”
Mary gave Daisy a smile. “Much better, actually. I am now very sure that there will be no wedding.”
“Oh.” Unexpectedly, Daisy’s face fell. “Does that mean you shall lose the home? Do you think it might be time for us to look for new jobs? After all, the new house owner might not wish to keep us.”
Mary’s body boiled; she had not thought about that at all. She had only been concerned with how this arrangement affected her life and her future. Charlotte was wrong. There were other people that could be affected by what she did next. A whole houseful of people, the sort of people she had just pretended to care about the welfare of.
“Well, I do think I shall keep the house if the Duke does not wish to marry me,” Mary replied with a little uncertainty. “I have not spoken to Walter about the finer details of things, but I will.” She reached out and touched Daisy’s arm softly. “I shall ensure that no matter what happens next, you will keep your job anyway.”
Daisy looked up at Mary gratefully through her eyelashes. “What you said to the Duke about the working classes was very touching.” She paused thoughtfully. “Most people assume that the poor are a parasite; they forget that we are hungry too.”
Mary blushed, recalling Charlotte’s recollection of her husband’s words that matched that exactly. “Oh, well, I am sure that is not true ...” she tried to argue, but it was fruitless. “But yes, I do think it is very important to ... to care about rights.”
Mary felt terrible. She did not mean to lie. Maybe this was something that she did need to think about in the future. Of course, she needed to sort out her own mess first, especially when it affected lots of other people around her.
Chapter 5
“Uh oh.” Iris smiled to herself as she heard her son storming through the house. “Am I to understand that your meeting with Lady Roberts did not go well today?”
Edmund’s face was one of pure fury. He could barely contain the rage that coursed through his body. He had gone to speak with Mary because his mother had told him that he should and also because he held a lot of respect for Lord Roberts, but now he utterly regretted it. She had wound him up so badly he wanted to yell out in temper.
“No, it did not go well,” he growled. “It did not go well at all.”
Iris stood up and guided her son into the living room where they could both sit and talk properly. She knew that Edmund would not like being pushed into a corner when it came to marriage; she felt certain that he would be closed off when it came to meeting this Lady, but this was a stronger reaction than she expected.
“Please, Edmund, tell me what happened.”