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xx Elise
~I~
Chapter 25 - Suitable
"Are ye sure ye can't trust Lord Masen with yer secret?" Angela asked. "His lordship is right taken with ye. Wot wiv the circumstances and all, 'e'd understand the need for yer deception. I'm sure of it."
"But he's betrothed, Angela, betrothed, to the daughter of an earl!"
Bella continued her pacing, the only thing keeping her from giving in to the futility of tears.
"Not formal like," Angela added.
"Formal, informal, it doesn't matter." She threw her hands up in the air. "He will marry eventually, and with so much at stake, I think he must marry Lady Tanya."
Tormented by an image of Edward exchanging vows with the regal-looking blonde she had seen standing near the front of the Hall, Bella crumpled to her knees, her skirts bunched around her on the sitting room floor.
"But he loves ye, not 'er." Angela came to sit beside her. "I think ye should tell 'im yer a proper lady. I'm bettin' he'd do the right thing and marry ye instead."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
Angela frowned, and Bella attempted to explain the complexities of the Marriage Act that ruled Edward's life.
"I'm a nobody," she concluded. "The King would never approve of me. Edward may love me now, but if he was forced to marry me as a matter of honour, sacrificing his heritage and position in society in the process, I fear he would come to despise me. Besides, he doesn't want to marry me. He has already told me I'm not suitable wife material for one of his station."
Angela had no rejoinder, and they sat together for a time, the maid patting her mistress's hand.
"Are ye sure ye couldn't bring yerself to accept 'is lordship's offer?" Angela asked. "Tis the way of the world for powerful men to 'ave both wives and mistresses. At least ye'd know who 'e was wiv when 'e wasn't wiv ye."
As dreadful as the prospect of sharing him sounded, Bella couldn't deny she was tempted by the suggestion.
"It ain't safe to strike out on yer own, Miss Bella. Ye're too pretty for yer own good. Without 'is lordship's protection, ye're sure to fall prey to evildoers. Whether the fellas that 'urt ye are loftily placed or lowly, it won't matter none in the end. Ye'll regret holding on to yer genteel morals when yer at their mercy."
A sob caught in Bella's throat at the dreadful pictures Angela's words inspired. A life as Edward's mistress, with all the complexities and moral ambiguity that entailed, was undoubtedly preferable to falling prey to faceless, nameless men. Without protection, she could easily end up mocked for her righteous stand. Angela had reminded her there were worse fates than the life Edward offered, and that shame and heartbreak came in many forms for the defenceless.
"What is Lady Tanya like?" she asked, her voice the barest whisper.
"She and Lady McCarty are two peas from the same pod," Angela said glumly. "It's not like she'll be expecting Lord Masen's undying devotion or would want it for that matter."
The disclosure brought Bella little comfort. "I can't help thinking how I would feel if my husband was unfaithful. I don't think I could live with myself knowing I was complicit in such a terrible betrayal."
"Yer conscience will be the death of ye, Miss Bella."
"Maybe not," Bella said, though she feared it would bring her much loneliness and heartache. "You forget, I am not completely without resources."
Rising to her feet, she crossed to the dressing room, returning with the pouch containing her mother's necklace. Spilling it into her hands, she looked upon the last connection she had with her mother. The pearls shone luminously, increasing in size from either side of the dark gold clasp.
"What ye goin' to do wiv them?" Angela asked, her eyes wide as saucers.
"Try to sell them. The proceeds could help me to flee to America or Australia. Somewhere remote."
"How ye goin' to find a buyer willin' to give ye wot they're worth without gettin' caught?"
"I don't know. Lord Whitlock might help me if he thought it was in Edward's best interests, but he is friends with Lord Hunter—or acquaintances, at least."
"Not worth the risk." Angela shook her head vehemently. "Wot about Jessica? She's got a cousin who's a trader. He might know someone who could 'elp us."
"Us?" Bella asked hopefully.
"Ye ain't 'eadin' off alone, Miss Bella. Me and Ben will come with ye if that's wot ye decide to do."
Tears of relief and gratitude sprang to her eyes, though she still had to find a way to get Edward to let her go. Unwilling to endure the hours that loomed ahead before he could make his escape worrying in her room, she decided to don her servant's uniform and go with Angela to offer their services to the harried staff. Not surprisingly, they were welcomed with open arms. Caught up in preparing a meal fit for such distinguished, if unwelcome, visitors, she focused her attention on the desserts she was assigned to bake, an integral part of the hard-working team. If the conditions were not so exhausting, and occasionally fraught with danger, she could almost have preferred the life of a servant. That's if Edward had been one with her.
Returning to her rooms after supper, Bella discovered her monthly visitor had arrived. Edward's intriguing methods of protection had been effective, but she couldn't help feeling melancholy. A baby would have tied them together far more effectively than the marital vows she feared he would feel compelled to utter if he discovered her true identity.
Waking alone in her bed the next morning, Bella saw Angela curled up in the padded chair by the wall. The maid's neatly coiffed hair assured Bella she had not spend the night in the uncomfortable position.
"Angela?" she whispered.
Her friend's eyes fluttered open.
"Did Lord Masen not come by last night?"
"He came real late, miss, but ye'd fallen asleep, and 'e didn't want to disturb ye. He told me to tell ye that 'e'd see ye later this mornin'."
"Oh." Bella felt a mixture of disappointment and relief at the unexpected reprieve. The conversation awaiting them was not one she anticipated going easily or ending well.
"But that's not the half of it." Angela sat beside her on the bed. "There was a huge ruckus last night with the staff kept up to the wee 'ours toing and froing like mad."
"Goodness." Bella clutched the coverlet in front of her. "Whatever happened?"
"Well . . . I 'eard from Jessica, who 'eard from Bevan, who opened the door to pass Stephens an extra bottle of brandy for the gentlemen, 'cos they was gettin' low and they couldn't risk the brandy runnin' out, that the earl was tellin' Lord Masen 'e 'ad to 'urry up and set a date to marry Lady Tanya or 'e'd not support those important laws His Grace wants passed."
While it was painful to hear her fears confirmed, Lord Denali's ultimatum was no less than Bella expected.
"What did Lord Masen say?"
"Apparently, Lord Masen walked away, all upset lookin', then 'e turned and told the earl 'e couldn't marry 'is daughter 'cos 'e was in love with someone else and 'ad decided 'e would never marry rather than tell lies in church."
Bella's hand rose to cover her mouth.
"Then the earl told 'im to stop being ridiculous, that of course 'e'll 'ave to marry to provide Worthington with an heir. But Lord Masen told 'im Lord McCarty can provide the heir in 'is stead them being cousins and all. Then the shouting started, and the ladies came rushing in, and it was a right 'ullabaloo."
"Carry on." Bella rose up onto her knees.
"Well, as you can imagine, Lady Tanya was not impressed and called Lord Masen all sorts of 'orrid names. Then Lady McCarty realised what Lord Masen was sayin', that 'er 'usband would be the heir—but only if Lord Masen dies, I'm thinkin' so she could 'ave a very long wait in front of 'er' afore she gets to be a duchess—and she started to support Lord Masen. Then Lady Tanya turned on Lady McCarty and said everyone knew she was barren and wouldn't be able to provide an heir, so Lord Masen would 'ave to marry or the Worthington line would die out altogether.
"Then Lord Whitlock tried to calm everyone down, but it was no use. The earl got raving mad and said 'e'd 'ad enough of all the nonsense and Lord Masen 'ad a week to come to 'is senses or 'e, the earl, would not only rescind 'is support for His Grace's cause, 'e'd do everything in his power to see it defeated. Then 'e ordered 'is carriages brought around and everything that 'ad just been unpacked had to be packed up again, and they all left to return 'ome in the middle of the bloomin' night! Beggin' yer pardon for swearin', miss."
"That's perfectly understandable, Angela." Bella assured her, far worse swear words dancing figuratively in her head. She had never, for the life of her, expected her outburst by the river to have precipitated such a dramatic series of events. While she was moved by Edward's gesture, with so much else at stake, it was clear she could not allow him to continue down this foolhardy path. Leaping from the bed, she ran towards the dressing room.
"What are ye goin' to do?" Angela followed after her.
"I'm going to take a risk and trust Lord Whitlock with my secret. Maybe with his help I can get Edward to see reason."
"And what reason would that be?"
"That Edward needs to marry Lady Tanya for the greater good and then let me go." Bella's heart broke at the expediency to which she was forced to bow. "Unless I can bring myself to continue as his mistress, the only role for which I am suitable."
~I~
Another short chapter and a bit of a cliffhanger (though I suspect there are a few of those in a row, as we're getting to some exciting stuff!), so I'll post another straight away. I'm not joining them together, as it messes with the numbering.
xx Elise
PS: I hope you can make sense of my attempt at a rural English accent for Angela. If you're struggling to figure it out, the missing letters represented by a single apostrophe where one shouldn't be is an H.