Page 33 of Love, Lies, and the Lyon (The Lyon’s Den Connected World)

“I cannot let my brother marry into a family so loose,” Jeremiah said. “The girls in the Banks family have low morals, and it would be an insult to be aligned with such connections.”

Anastasia stared at him.

“I’ve had intimate knowledge of this girl, and she willingly came to my bed. I could hardly stop her—she was that keen. So how do I know her sister isn’t the same and is trying to do what her sister could not?”

“And what is that, sir?” the blacksmith asked.

“Seduce a man to get him to the altar, or in this case, your anvil.” He smirked.

Percy let out an angry mutter and Betsey gasped. “I am a maid.”

“Are you? How can we be certain? How can my brother trust your word, when I’ve known your sister? How do we not know you Banks girls aren’t in the habit of seducing young men for sport?”

“I beg your pardon,” Anastasia snapped.

She slapped him across the face, and he gripped her wrist, squeezing hard. “Do that again, and I’ll show you what happens to women who cross me.” He growled.

“Oi, take it outside, you lot. I’ll not have you fighting in ’ere,” the blacksmith warned.

“Let me go. You’re a lout, and my sister is innocent. She is a maid,” Anastasia said, her voice cold.

Jeremiah shoved her away. “That may be. Or not. Either way, I’ll not have you make fools of us. So no, I will not give my permission for our families to be allied. And as my brother’s guardian, what I say goes.”

Anastasia looked at Percy. As he was not yet twenty-one years of age, then they would need his guardian’s permission to marry.

But once he had reached his majority, they could have gone to St Albans and done the proper thing and waited.

Reading the banns for an upcoming wedding would only take a few weeks…

Heads turned toward the blacksmith, who asked Percy, “How old are you, son?”

“Twenty.”

“And you, lass?”

“Eighteen,” Betsey said.

The blacksmith hmmmed and said, “By Scottish law, the people who wish to be wed only need to be of fourteen years of age for a young man and twelve years of age for a young woman, and they need only declare their intention to marry before two witnesses. I can proceed without your guardian’s permission. ”

Percy looked at Betsey, whose face was red and splotchy with tears.

“I won’t stand for it. He deserves better. And as our father is dead, I am the head of our household. He does not have my permission, do you hear?” Jeremiah growled.

“Yes, I heard ye. Now shove off. These two want to be wedded, they can.”

Anastasia nodded in understanding. That explained why Percy went along with Betsey’s idea to rush to Gretna Green. He’d wanted to marry her, before his brother had a chance to refuse his permission.

“Oh, Percy. Not like this,” Betsey sobbed. “This is wrong, all wrong.”

“I know.” Percy squeezed Betsey’s hand and stepped back. “Miss Banks, would you…Wait for me? We’ll wait until next year when I’m old enough. And with your father’s permission. We’ll have a proper church wedding with all your friends and family there. Would you like that?”

Betsey’s face was red, her cheeks splotchy as tears coursed down her cheeks. “This day was meant to be the greatest day of my life and now I just want it to be over. I hate this.”

Anastasia came up and put an arm around Betsey. “Come away, Betsey.”

Betsey sniffed and angrily wiped away a tear. “This is all your fault.” She glared at Jeremiah.

He grinned. “Better than for him to marry a girl like you.”

Betsey uttered a sob, and Anastasia hustled her away down the aisle. She whispered, “Don’t let him see you cry. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”

Together, the sisters walked away, conscious of the pairs of eyes on them, in silence. Anastasia said not a word as they exited the smithy, and upon seeing their uncle, Betsey threw herself into his arms and sobbed.

Her uncle and Mary found them rooms at the local inn. The young women took one and had Mary draw up a bath, as they were all tired and dusty from the constant traveling.

Anastasia stood back and gave Betsey her privacy as she bathed first. She moved to leave the room when Betsey called from the bath, “Wait.”

“What?”

Betsey sighed as she sank into the steaming metal tub. She splashed and said, “I owe you an apology.”

Anastasia glanced at her sister.

“I… I was angry with you. Here I’d found a man and fell in love with him and all you seemed to want was to separate us. I couldn’t understand it. I was so angry. We even went to Mrs. Dove-Lyon for help.”

“I know.”

Betsey said, “You did? Oh. Well. It seemed like the best idea at the time. Even if it didn’t work. And then Percy left Town and I didn’t understand why. Not until he told me.”

Anastasia was silent.

“The night of the ball, back in London when we first saw him again, he told me how he went to you and you counseled him to get our father’s permission.

He left that very day and came back once he got it.

But I know it’s down to you that he got Papa’s permission to court me.

I’m sorry I didn’t say so earlier. I know I have you to… Anyway. Just wanted you to know.”

“Is that a thank you ?”

Betsey splashed water at her.

“I’ll take that as a yes .”

“Then when I heard about your being involved with the elder Mr. Jemisin so long ago, I was furious. I was sure this was another scheme to prevent us from being together, when I should have asked if you were all right. I was too worried about myself.”

“I never meant for you to know. It was wrong of me, a foolish mistake. I never meant anyone to know.”

“I know that now. Percy told me. I didn’t know it then.

And I knew that Percy was too young and needed his brother’s permission.

We couldn’t run the risk of Mr. Jemisin refusing to let us marry, and we didn’t want to wait.

Who knows what other rumors he could start about you and our family in the meantime?

Going to Gretna Green seemed like the solution Percy and I both wanted.

I was afraid when Papa saw the paper that he’d put a stop to both of us marrying and…

Anyway. It was my idea for us to run away.

But I’m only eighteen. The long coach journey made me realize that I don’t know the first thing about running a household. I’m just so keen to be with Percy.”

That was the first practical thing her sister had said in a long time. “I’m glad you’re thinking about the practicalities of marriage and not just the romance.”

“Oh, I’m thinking about that too.” Betsey giggled.

“But it did make me think. Percy has been working odd jobs to support himself, and has plans to buy a house in St Albans, which would work for us since Jeremiah is always away with his regiment.” She took a breath and said in a hushed voice, “I gather his brother isn’t very good with money.

He racked up debts in St Albans and Percy had to sell off most everything they had to pay them off. ”

Anastasia’s mouth formed into a hard line. That didn’t surprise her at all.

“I think the timing wasn’t right for us right now.

And that smithy was so horrible. The place was so dirty, I’m sure I got soot on my dress.

I barely understood the blacksmith and did you see what he was wearing?

He was literally wearing a leather apron and trousers.

I could see his bare arms and part of his hairy chest. And he’s not a young man.

It was positively scandalous and if I dare say, bordering on indecent.

And those people who were our witnesses, I don’t know them.

It felt all so rushed, and… It’s not the wedding I want to have. ”

“What would you want?”

“Well, you as a bridesmaid, for one. And my friends there, and me in a new dress, with flowers, and our father to give me away, and…” Betsey began listing details.

After a warm bath, Anastasia joined her sister and uncle downstairs for some lunch.

They would stay the night and take the carriage back the next morning.

They spotted Jeremiah and Percy sat not far away.

Jeremiah was drinking heavily and chatting up one of the maidservants, while Percy sat looking miserable.

He looked over and nodded, when the doors to the inn opened and in walked…

“Why, it’s Mr. Hardwicke,” Betsey said. “What’s he doing here?”

Anastasia froze and turned in her seat.

There he was, clear as life.

Theodore was furious. He stormed into the inn and looked over the room, when he saw the reason for his coming.

He marched over to Mr. Jemisin and pulled him by the collar, dragging him out of his seat.

Jeremiah pushed him back and said, “Oi. You spilled my drink. You’ll have to pay for that.”

Theodore took off his glove and smacked him across the face. “You have grossly insulted me, and I demand satisfaction.”

Mr. Jemisin, for his part, wavered and slipped back into his stool and onto the floor. “What?”

“You heard me. I challenge you to a duel.”

Gasps and mutters sounded.

Jeremiah said, “Hardwicke, you old arsehole. What the devil are you challenging me for?”

“I have it on good terms that you besmirched a lady’s honor.”

Jeremiah snorted. “If you’re talking about Miss Banks, I did that years ago. And she came willingly. Could hardly keep her out of my bed, come to think of it. Isn’t that right, Ana?”

Theodore looked over. Across the room sat Anastasia and her sister. Her face flooded with red, and she turned her head.

His heart went out to her. He’d heard the news about her past liaison with Jeremiah Jemisin, of course.

He’d first heard it over breakfast with his parents and then read it in the paper.

His father had chuckled at a young woman’s foolishness, but his mother had been more sympathetic.

“She’s not the first woman to throw caution to the wind for love ,” she’d said.