Page 47 of A Marriage is Arranged

Louise had been in bed for some time but was still trying to sleep when her husband’s characteristic short knock sounded at the communicating door. Before she could think of a way to say she was indisposed and couldn’t receive him, he was at her side.

She sat up, her heart beating suddenly against her ribs. “M… my lord!” she stammered.

“My lady!” he responded. All the earlier good humor had disappeared from his face.

He stalked up and down once or twice before standing in front of her and saying abruptly, “Disturbing intelligence concerning you reached my ears in the club this evening. I cannot believe it to be true, but it would settle my mind to have you deny it.”

In vain did she try to answer lightly. Her words caught in her throat and all she could stammer was, “D… deny what?”

“That you gave the Shrewsbury bracelet to Barnstable in payment of a gambling debt.”

“Wh… who told you?”

“You don’t deny it, then?”

“I… I….”

There were no words to explain her action, which now seemed unbelievable. Even if she could have found them, she was incapable of saying anything coherent. Her throat had closed shut and not a sound would come out. Tears came to her eyes, and though she tried to wipe them away on her bedsheet, they came faster than she could control.

“Very affecting,” sneered her husband. “But I require an answer. Did you or did you not give the bracelet to Barnstable in payment of a gambling debt?”

“Yes… no… yes, that is….” She wanted to say she hadn’t given it away. But she couldn’t explain it was simply being held until she could pay her debt.

“Yes or no? Answer me plainly.”

She collapsed entirely, her body wracked with sobs. “Yes. Bu… but I was unwell. My head was aching and I just wanted to get away. I… I was vilely sick afterwards….”

But her husband didn’t seem to have heard. “And may I ask what the sum was for which you sold a piece of property that has been in my family for three generations?”

“S…seven h…hundred p…pounds.”

The words came out as shuddering sobs. Why couldn’t she say she hadn’t sold it? But it was no use.

The Earl looked at her for a long moment then turned on his heel and left. Louise clutched the sheet to her face and sobbed and sobbed. She wept because she was stupid, she wept because she had done something unforgivable, she wept because she had irretrievably lost the only man she would ever love.

She finally wept herself into a fitful sleep from which she awoke to cry again. Thus she passed the worst night of her life, crying and waking, waking and crying. When Rose brought in her tea she was shocked by her ladyship’s appearance.

“Oh, m’lady, you do look ever so bad. Shall I ask Mr. Lisle to call the doctor?”

“No, I have the headache, that’s all. The tea will revive me, thank you.”

And Rose went away, thinking again that her ladyship must be increasing. That would explain her moody ups and downs. She was never like that normally.