Page 15 of The Truth about the Lady (Whispers of the Ton #6)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

H yacinth did not know what to say. When Lord Sunderland had grabbed her hand and yanked her into the library, Hyacinth had been so caught by fear she had not been able to make a single sound. What had made matters worse was that her very own mother and sister had not appeared to notice her absence for none had come after her! Thus, she had been trapped by Lord Sunderland’s overbearing presence, seeing him leering at her and being overwhelmed with so much dread and fear that her legs had begun to buckle under her. How horrific the situation had been for her! When he had first pulled her in, she had managed to free herself from him, praying that some other young ladies would be in the room so that she might go to speak with them, but much to her horror, the library had been empty. Lord Sunderland had grabbed at her again, pulling her to the shadows and making all sorts of distressing remarks which had both terrified and sickened Hyacinth.

And now, yet again, Lord Thorne was coming to rescue her.

“You… you are engaged to this young lady?” Lady Venables sounded utterly astonished, though Lord Thorne quickly nodded, his hand still held out towards Hyacinth. “You came in here with her and with Lord Sunderland to propose?”

“I did, yes.” Lord Thorne sounded so confident that Hyacinth knew there was nothing she could say to alter this present course. The only thing she could do was accept this new circumstance, whether she wanted it to be so or not. “We are now engaged and, if you would not mind, I must take my betrothed to go and speak to Lady Coatbridge, who, I believe, is just outside the library in the hallway.”

Hyacinth grasped Lord Thorne’s hand and he quickly lifted it to settle on his arm. Lady Venables let out an exclamation, followed by swiftly congratulating Lord Thorne and Hyacinth herself, though to Hyacinth, it seemed to be only a buzzing that ran through her ears. Lord Thorne lifted their joined hands for a moment as the news spread around the room, only to release it but set it quickly on his arm. Hyacinth felt as though she were in a dream, her whole body feeling both light and weak at the very same time.

“Do you wish to tell your mother or shall I?”

Hyacinth looked into Lord Thorne’s eyes as they stopped by the door of the library, barely able to take in what he was asking her.

“I will have to apologize to your father for my lack of propriety, for I ought to have asked him first, I know,” he continued, speaking to her as though she were able to take everything in, as though this was a perfectly normal situation. “Though I doubt there will be much complaint.”

“We… ” Hyacinth squeezed her eyes closed, wobbling slightly. “We are engaged? Truly?”

There was a long pause and when Hyacinth opened her eyes to look, Lord Thorne was frowning.

“Yes, we are engaged,” he said, quietly, so that no one else could hear. “You must pretend that this has been expected and that you are delighted. We can talk about all that has happened and the details of it all later.” Snapping his fingers at a nearby footman, he took a glass from the tray held by him and handed it to Hyacinth. “Take a sip of wine. It will help you.”

Hyacinth did as she was asked, feeling as though she had no recourse other than to do what he asked her.

“I could not let you be forced into matrimony with Lord Sunderland,” he continued, now leading her through the door and into the hallway. “Nor could I let you bear the disgrace that came from his actions. Thus, we are now engaged and we shall marry.”

The decisiveness in his voice made Hyacinth go hot all over, followed by an icy chill that sent goosebumps over her skin. It was not that she felt upset over the thought of marrying Lord Thorne, it was more that she was so completely overwhelmed that she could barely catch her breath.

“I shall tell them, yes?” Lord Thorne’s voice was gentler now, though the sidelong look he gave her still spoke of concern. “You are too astonished still, I think.”

It was all Hyacinth could do to nod.

“Oh, there you are!” A warm smile and friendly voice made Hyacinth’s shock fade just a little as Lady Eve approached. “I was just saying to your mother that – ”

“Eve.” Hyacinth released Lord Thorne’s arm and took her friend’s instead. “I must speak with you.” She looked to Lord Thorne, seeing him frown at her moving away from him. “Lord Thorne, I think my father will be in the card room. You might be best placed to speak with him directly.”

Lord Thorne’s expression cleared. “Of course.” Reaching out, he caught her fingers and pressed them lightly, his eyes fixing to hers. “I will return as quickly as I can. Pray do not speak to your mother until I am present with you.”

A lump came into Hyacinth’s throat at his consideration and kindness and she nodded, blinking furiously so as to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling down onto her cheeks. This, in turn, seemed to frighten Lady Eve, for her expression changed in an instant. Her eyes widened, her face lost color and she took Hyacinth’s other hand in her own, leaning closer to her.

“Whatever has happened, Hyacinth? What does Lord Thorne mean about speaking to your father?” Her eyes searched Hyacinth’s. “Did you speak with him? Did you ask him about the riddles?”

Closing her eyes to garner a little more composure, Hyacinth took in three long breaths and then let them out again before she had enough strength to answer. “Eve, you must keep this entirely to yourself,” she began, as her friend nodded fervently. “It seems… it seems as though I am now engaged to Lord Thorne.”

The words did not only bring a reaction from Lady Eve, who immediately gasped in astonishment and gripped Hyacinth’s hand but Hyacinth herself, much to her shame, began to cry. Tears fell to her cheeks like rain and though Lady Eve pulled her away quickly to a quieter part of the room, a few murmurs followed after her. Soon, she knew, the news would soon be spread through the room and all and sundry would know that she was now engaged to the Marquess of Thorne.

“How did this happen?” Lady Eve asked, handing Hyacinth a handkerchief. “I am sorry to be so blunt but you must dry your eyes quickly else the ton will begin to whisper about your present state.”

“They will, mayhap, think me overwhelmed by happiness,” Hyacinth sniffed, pressing the handkerchief to her eyes. “Oh, Eve, it was quite dreadful.” She shook her head and looked down at the floor, still feeling a trembling in her frame. “Lord Sunderland grabbed at me before I could even realize what was happening and he pulled me into the library. There was no one else present and his intentions quickly became clear!”

“Did your mother not notice? Your father?”

Hyacinth shook her head, the ache in her throat growing steadily. “My father had already gone to the card room and my mother and sister did not appear to see that I was gone from their company. I thought that my mother might follow after me, fearful as to what Lord Sunderland was to do but… but she did not.” Closing her eyes and fighting another wave of tears, Hyacinth took in a shuddering breath. “It shows you how little I mean to them, how much of a shadow I am.”

Lady Eve pressed Hyacinth’s hand. “That is their mistake.”

Hyacinth nodded, trying to force herself to believe it. “I was saved by Lord Thorne. I do not know why he came into the room nor what it was he intended but he came to pull Lord Sunderland away. However, when other guests came into the room, it became clear that I was not to escape.”

“Oh, my dear friend.” Lady Eve’s voice was soft. “You thought your reputation was at an end.”

“Worse than that,” Hyacinth whispered, no longer able to put any strength into her voice, “I thought that I would have to wed Lord Sunderland.”

Lady Eve’s face went very red indeed, evidently angry over what it was Lord Sunderland had done. She did not speak for some moments, turning her head away, her lips pinched. Hyacinth said nothing, fighting with her own emotions, aware that, at any moment, Lord Thorne would return and the news would soon be told to everyone present.

“Lord Thorne stepped in and took his place,” Lady Eve said, after a good few minutes. “He said he would marry you?”

Nodding, Hyacinth let out a slow breath, relieved that the tears in her eyes had now been pushed back. “He said to Lady Venables, the lady who demanded to know what was happening, that he had come into the library with me to propose and that I had accepted him. And now, there is nothing for me to do but marry him!”

“That is not so bad, is it?” Lady Eve murmured, glancing around the room as if she feared being overheard. “He is a Marquess of good standing and with an excellent fortune. Yes, I am aware of the difficulties that the riddles presents but all the same, this could be an excellent match.”

Hyacinth could not answer, still struggling to comprehend it all.

“You are overcome with shock though, of course.” Lady Eve smiled briefly. “Forgive me, I should have seen that.”

“I will have to present a joyous expression to my mother, sister, and the rest of the other guests,” Hyacinth murmured, turning her head just in time to see not only Lord Thorne but her father coming to join her. “I will have to pretend that I think it all a truly delightful thing.”

“And you can do it.” With another press of her hand, Lady Eve took a small step back. “Make them believe that you are overcome with joy and consider the truth of it all later. Think on what is important now, not on what must be done.”

Hyacinth nodded, appreciating her friend’s advice but nothing more could be said given that her father was only a step or two away.

“Hyacinth!” he exclaimed, a broad smile on his usual serious face. “What wonderful news! Come now, let us go and find your mother.”

This was more effusive than her father had ever really been and Hyacinth, a little surprised, tried to force a smile. “Of course, Father.” She accepted Lord Thorne’s arm and, with a glance towards Lady Eve, permitted him to lead her away. Her father had always been rather silent and certainly very absent during her time in London, preferring to give the responsibility for her future to Lady Coatbridge. Now, it seemed, he was to be very present indeed, as though he had been the one behind the engagement.

“My dear, there you are.” Lord Coatbridge beamed at his wife, though Lady Coatbridge did not smile, her gaze darting from Hyacinth to Lord Thorne and back again. “I have just heard the news from Lord Thorne, though half the house is abuzz with it now!”

“News?” It was Rose who spoke rather than Lady Coatbridge, her eyebrows pulling into a frown. “What news?”

“About your sister’s engagement!” Lord Coatbridge exclaimed, bringing both a gasp of shock from Lady Rose and an exclamation of seeming delight from Lady Coatbridge. “Lord Thorne has asked for her hand and not only does he have my blessing, Hyacinth has accepted him – and has done so this very evening! Is that not wonderful?”

For what was the second time that evening, Hyacinth found herself overwhelmed completely. It was not only her mother that came to congratulate her and ask her how such a thing had come to be, but so many of the other guests also decided to join in, overhearing the news from Lord Coatbridge given that he had spoken in a very loud voice indeed, which was most unusual. Hyacinth was dazed, having her hand shaken by one person only for another to embrace her. Lord Thorne was beaming, seeming to be both proud and pleased at the reaction to their engagement, as if all of it was quite real and fully expected and as if he truly felt glad to be marrying her.

“How did you manage this?”

A tight hand grabbed at Hyacinth’s arm, pulling her closer and Hyacinth started in surprise, turning her attention to Rose.

“You know very well that I am to marry first,” Rose hissed, nothing but venom in her expression. “ I am the one who has the beauty, the elegance and the refinement. You are nothing but a wallflower! What did you do to make a Marquess seek to marry you?”

Yet another shock rippled over Hyacinth as she looked into her sister’s eyes, seeing the anger there. Did Rose truly believe that Hyacinth had done something improper to have Lord Thorne ask for her hand? She blinked, then shook her head, glancing around her as she became a little afraid that someone else would overhear Rose speak so. “I have done nothing, Rose. Do not think that I have behaved in any way improperly.”

“Oh, but I do think so.” Anger pulling her lips flat, her eyes flashing, Rose leaned closer to Hyacinth as though it was only the two of them in the room. “Whatever you did, I will expose it. I will – ”

“Do excuse me.”

Before Hyacinth could respond, none other than Lord Thorne came to stand beside her, though his gaze was fixed on Rose who immediately went a shade of scarlet.

“You are congratulating your sister, no doubt?” Lord Thorne took Hyacinth’s hand in his own, pressing it lightly. “You must be very happy for her, I am sure.”

Rose began to stammer but Lord Thorne continued on, speaking over her though Hyacinth could not tell whether or not he had heard anything Rose had said.

“I do hope that you are as contented with our engagement as I am, Lady Hyacinth,” he said, making a slow-growing heat begin to flood through Hyacinth as she looked into his eyes, seeing him now turning his full attention towards her. “I understand that I surprised you with it but I could not help it.”

“I see now that you could not.” Hyacinth offered him a small smile, knowing that there was a good deal more for them to say to each other though they could not do so at this present moment. He had come to her aid and had ended up an engaged gentleman and though relief was one of the emotions she felt, Hyacinth could not help but feel a trifle guilty, though she knew none of this was her own doing. Something within her desperately wanted him to have even the smallest amount of happiness at their connection, wanted him to feel even a little joy at their engagement but she could not be sure of it.

As though he had been able to read her thoughts, Lord Thorne moved a fraction closer to her, his eyes fixed on hers and making her feel as though she were the only one standing there. “I am glad that you are to be my wife, Hyacinth.”

At this, Hyacinth felt her whole being slowly begin to melt into a puddle of relief. She could not look anywhere else but into his face as he smiled, a gentle look in his eyes that she had never seen before.

“How wonderful.” Rose’s tone was heavy, making it clear that she did not truly feel any of the words she spoke. “Of course, I am quite delighted at my sister’s engagement, as you have said, Lord Thorne. I am sure you could not have found anyone better suited.”

Lord Thorne’s smile only grew but he did not so much as glance towards Rose, still gazing into Hyacinth’s eyes. “Indeed, I think that is quite true,” he said, softly. “No one better indeed.”