Page 15 of A Beguiled Gentleman (The Bradley Brothers #1)
Chapter 15
Hannah strolled down the hall toward her room in a hazy dream, reliving every touch and word Noah had given her. They had stayed out longer than she had intended, and now Joyce would be rushed to get Hannah ready for dinner. A small price to pay for such a magical day.
At her room, she opened the door and slipped inside, pressing her back against the solidness with a sigh and a smile.
“That nice of an afternoon?”
Hannah’s eyes flew open, and she jerked up at her mother’s voice. “Mother, what are you doing in here?”
She stood from the small chair beside Hannah’s writing table and walked toward her. “Waiting for you, obviously.”
Hannah swiped a hair away from her cheek, striding toward the toilette where Joyce would arrange her hair. She sat down and inspected her reflection to distract herself from her mother’s gaze. “Is something the matter?”
“Yes, Hannah. Something is the matter.” She sat on the edge of Hannah’s bed, keeping her eyes fixed on Hannah as she did so. “I do not know what to think of Lord Noah’s behavior. I had thought he would have spoken to your father by now.”
“Oh.” Hannah fiddled with the brush on the table. “I—I don’t know that Father should expect such a conversation yet. These things take time.”
“Hannah.” Mrs. Gibbons’s words were cold as ice. “I have allowed Joyce to give you certain liberties whilst on your outings with Lord Noah—”
Hannah spun toward her, mouth agape.
“—with the expectation that he was courting you. I plan to have your father speak with Lord Chatham very soon about his son’s behavior. Once he returns from London.”
“No, you mustn’t.” Hannah gripped the handle of the brush with such ferocity she thought she heard a faint crack.
“And why should he not?” Mrs. Gibbons scoffed. “I understand that here in this small town, things are not as constrained as in London. But a true gentleman would not lead you on as Lord Noah has.”
“He hasn’t led me on.” Was this it? When the stolen moments with Noah would end? If she didn’t stop her mother, then her father would go to Lord Chatham and demand that Noah marry her. And Hannah wouldn’t be able to tolerate putting Noah in that situation. But, if Hannah told her mother the truth, then she wouldn’t allow her to see him anymore. No matter what, Hannah would lose. And so, she did the only thing she could palate.
“Noah and I are only friends, Mother.”
Mrs. Gibbons’s eyes widened. “Noah is it? So informal?”
“Lord Noah,” she hastened to add. “You see, he had a young lady break his heart at the beginning of spring, and we formed a close friendship as he healed.”
“And what of you, Hannah? You are only friends with him?”
She stared at the table, not wanting her mother to see the truth in her eyes. “Of course. I would not be foolish enough to fall in love with a man who is in love with someone else.”
“I think that is exactly what has happened.”
Hannah lifted her eyes, meeting her mother’s gaze. “He is only my friend.”
Mrs. Gibbons shook her head. “You are not allowed to see him anymore.”
“Mother, no.” Hannah stood, the chair almost falling over as she did so. “That is not fair. He has not done anything wrong.”
“But he has, Hannah. Clearly you are in love with the man, and he is stringing you along for his own little plaything whilst he waits for someone he deems better than you. I will not tolerate that. You deserve better. With a dowry the size of yours—”
“Stop it!” Hannah pressed her hands against her ears to block out the words. Her mother thought she deserved better. Not because of who Hannah was, but rather the monetary value she offered to a man. The beautiful words Noah had said about her all but vanished from her thoughts. The warmth of his touches turned cold, and Hannah felt herself shiver. “That is not true, Mother. Noah cares about me, just not romantically. But perhaps given time, he will get over Miss Lewiston and finally see me.” Internally, she begged it to be true. That someone as wonderful as Noah would see her and love her, flaws and all. Brash words and impetuousness—no obstacle too much for his love for her. It seemed too good a dream.
“No, Hannah.” Mrs. Gibbons stood, walking over and standing behind her. She took Hannah’s shoulder in her grasp, making her sit before removing the pins from Hannah’s hair. Hannah felt like a show horse, being primped and primed for the highest bidder. “No more afternoons with Lord Noah. It will only hurt you, and I need you to move your attention to someone else. Like Mr. Hodge. Assuming he will forgive your behavior from earlier. Or Mr. Swinton, perhaps.” She met Hannah’s eyes in the looking glass, then her face softened. She let out a sigh. “Hannah, I am doing this for your own good. I know it does not feel like it now, but I love you and don’t want to see you hurt any more than you already are. Lord Noah has behaved poorly.”
“But you don’t understand—” she tried saying again.
Mrs. Gibbons held up her hand. “No, Hannah. But, out of the goodness of my heart, I will offer you a choice. We can use this situation to your benefit and have your father confront Lord Chatham.”
“Or?” The word came out dull. Empty.
“Or you choose someone else. And quickly.”
Mrs. Gibbons began brushing out Hannah’s hair, and Hannah let her eyes flutter closed. Those were not appealing choices at all.