The Folly (2 page)

“Father, I swear to you on everything that’s
h
oly
that
nothing happened
. 
Why
would
he not tell the truth?  Why?  He knows nothing happened
,
and wh
o am I supposed to marry?”  She was choking on her tears as the gravity of what her father was saying began to sink in.  There would be no
S
eason, no balls, no parties, no young men to woo her and offer her their hand and heart.  Who could she possibly marry on such short notice?  What did her father have in mind?

“
Elizabeth
, there is someone who has previously asked me for your hand in marriage. 
I didn
’
t encourage his suit at the time
, thinking you might make an a
d
v
a
ntageous match after the Season
, but circumstances have changed. 
He has renewed his
suit
and I would strongly urge you to accept.”

“Who is it?” 
Elizabeth
asked
,
shocked
.  Why had her father not told her that someone proposed to
her?
  She sank into a leather armchair in front of the cold fireplace.  This could not be good news.

“It’s Sir Henry Flynn. 
Elizabeth
, he is a
b
aronet and you will be a
l
ady.”

Elizabeth looked at her father
,
stunned.  “
The Sir Henry Flynn whose wife’s funeral we
attended
a few years ago?”

“That’s the one.  He is ready to be wed again
,
and he wants you.”  She could see her father was uncomfortable since he was looking anywhere but at her, but he was serious about the proposal.

“
Papa
, Sir Henry is old enough to be my father.  He is fat and bald and he has no conversation.  I won’t marry him.  I won’t.  I would rather die.”

“Elizabeth, the way things stand now, you are not about to get any other offers.  You are seventeen
,
and in a few years you will be considered an old maid. 
Sir Henry is
certainly
older
than you
, and not as attractive as Peter Jarvis, but he is a
b
aronet and things have a way of changing.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that if you are a dutiful wife to him, you might find yourself being a wealthy, titled widow
;
with the freedom to do as you please
in the future
.”  Mr.
Shipley
looked as if his stock was choking him, but he continued.  “
Elizabeth
, this is your only choice.  If you don’t marry
,
then your mother and I will be shunned by polite society as well.  All our lives will be essentially over.  Is that what you want?  You have a younger sister whose chances for a good marriage will be forever ruined.  I demand that you accept Sir Henry.”

“You would sacrifice me so that you could be invited to parties?  Verity is still young.  She will not be of a marriageable age for years.  Things might change by then.”

“I will have your answer Elizabeth
,
and I will no
t
accept anything less than “
Y
es
.
”

Elizabeth normally loved the library.  It was cozy and
the light from the windows shone on the hundreds of volumes that held the promise of exciting adventures, history of exotic places and romantic poems.  At this moment
,
she felt as if the bookshelves were closing in on her, making her feel entombed in the dusty space and
Elizabeth
bolted from the
room
, desperate for a breath of fresh air and freedom.  The idea of marrying Sir Henry was ludicrous.  Surely
,
her parents would come to their senses and see the impossibility of her accepting such a match.  It would all blow over if she just managed to hold off long enough for them to see the situation for what it was –
-
a terrible
misunderstanding
.  Maybe Peter would come back and tell everyone the truth.  He had to.  He was her friend.

Chapter
2

The wedding was set for August
28
th
,
and Sir Henry dutifully came to pay a call on
his reluctant bride
every week, playing the
ardent
fiancé
. 
Elizabeth
couldn
’
t stand the idea of spending her life with this man, but it wasn’t his fault and she forced herself to be
cheerful
and polite.  She still hoped that Peter would declare to the world that nothing happened between them and save her from this awful future
, but
Peter did not come and the day of the wedding
dawned
rainy and gr
a
y.  Willa helped Elizabeth dress for the ceremony, brushing out her hair until it shone
,
and doing up the tiny pearl buttons of her gown.

“Willa, am I really to marry that old man?  What have I done to deserve such a fate?  All I did was spend half
an
hour alone with a young man I have known
for most of
my life.” 
Elizabeth
was trying hard not to cry, but it wasn’t working.  Tears were running down her face, making her look blotchy and swollen.  She didn’t care.  She wanted to be an ugly bride.

“Miss
Elizabeth
, I didn’t want to tell you, but I think you need to know.  There has been talk about Lord Peter
for years in the servant
s
’
quarters.  They say he prefers gentlemen.”

“Oh, Willa, all men prefer gentlemen to ride and hunt with and play at cards, but what does that have to do with the boathouse?”  Elizabeth was confused.  Most men she knew would much rather spend time with other men, including her father
,
who said women gave him a headache.

“That’s not the way I mean it, Miss.  They say that he is a sodomite and his friend,
Lord Allenby
,
is his lover.  Having people believe that something happened between
you and him
in that boathouse
,
is a way to deny the
rumors
without actually saying a word.  He used you to protect his own reputation.”  Willa looked flushed
, refusing
to meet Elizabeth’s gaze in the mirror.  “I am sorry
, Miss
.  I know it doesn’t make it easier knowing the reason, but at least now you can understand.”

Elizabeth was dumbfounded.  She wasn’t sure what a sodomite was, but she knew what it meant to be someone’s lover.  It was reserved for men and women, not two men
,
and it was a sin against God.  No wonder Peter kept his silence.  If this became public
,
he would be
ostracized
and possibly even killed.  She now understood why he threw her to the lions, but she didn
’
t forgive him.  Some day Peter Jarvis would pay for the role he played in her downfall
--
him and his family
--
who probably knew the truth.

Elizabeth blocked her wedding night and her honeymoon from her mind.  To remember it
,
would be to relive the
awkward
days and the
horrible
nights.  She would be a dutiful wife to Sir Henry, but she would bide her time until an escape route
presented
itself
,
then she would take it with both hands and never look back.
  Everyone she loved had betrayed her, from her parents
,
who told her to marry Sir Henry to her sister, who only cared about her own prospects when the time came.  The Jarvis
’
severed all ties after the incident until the news of
her engagement to Henry
became public.  After that, it was as if nothing had happened.  It was just as well that Elizabeth would be going to live in Essex where she wouldn’t be near enough to see any of them again for a long time.  She was on her own now
,
and there was no one except Willa who would remind her of her old life in Suffolk.
  Willa was a year older th
a
n Elizabeth and the only person she could trust
,
in a house where th
e servant
s
’
loyalty lay with the
m
aster.

**

Despite her lack of affection for her husband, Elizabeth had been happier in the early days of their marriage.  Henry longed to show off his beautiful, young wife to his middle-aged cronies and was still eager to please her.  They went to town for the Season during their first year of marriage
,
and enjoyed the hospitality of Henry’s older sister Rosamunde, who had a lovely house in Belgravia.  Henry had sold his London townhouse during his first marriage and saw no reason to invest in another residence
in town
.  He loved living in the country
,
and his sister was more than happy to welcome them for an extended visit. 

Elizabeth had come to love Henry’s eccentric sister and missed her after they left.  Rosamunde had been a true beauty in her day
,
and used her looks and charm to snag an elderly Viscount
,
who delighted her by dying a mere two years after they were wed.  Rosamunde had no children by her husband
,
and swore off getting married again for fear of losing her title
,
and the vast fortune that she received
upon
her husband’s death.  She
’
d confided to
Elizabeth
that there was nothing better than being one’s own mistress.  As long as she was discreet, she could do whatever she pleased
, and most importantly, with whomever she pleased
.

Oddly enough, it was Rosamunde who helped Elizabeth finally come to terms with her marriage.  They were sitting in Rosamunde’s drawing room as a heavy rain drenched the world outside.  The fire crackled merrily in the grate
,
as flickering
candles threw warm shadows onto the two women as they sat companionably across from each other
,
on the matching armchairs facing the hearth. 
It was
the
time of day when visitors
would
normally c
o
me calling, but the dismal weather kept everyone at home. 

Elizabeth was staring into the flames, her face a mask of misery as she tried to put last night from her thoughts.  She had been married for several months now, but she still couldn’t stomach Henry’s visits to her bedroom.  She tried desperately not to scowl as
his
pudgy hands pushed up her
nightdress
, but it was difficult to keep her
revulsion
to herself.  Thankfully, the room was lost in darkness and anyway, Henry seldom looked at her face.  He never stayed longer than strictly necessary and left Elizabeth in peace to cry bitter tears of humiliation
into her pillow
.
  Being married wasn’t so bad during the day, since the newlyweds hardly spent any time together, but it was the nights that left
Elizabeth
feeling hopeless and depressed.

“What is it, my dear?” Rosamunde asked, as
Elizabeth
discreetly wiped a tear from her cheek.  “What’s made you so unhappy?”  Elizabeth could hardly tell Rosamunde that what made her
unhappy
was her younger brother. 

“It’s
nothing
,
really
.   I am just feeling a little maudlin because of the weather.”

Rosamunde reached out and took
Elizabeth
’s hand, forcing her to meet her kind eyes.  “Elizabeth, I might be an old woman, but I was young once too.  I can understand how you feel.  Henry was not your choice of husband
,
and you feel angry and betrayed by your parents for arranging the match
,
and
by
society for making it necessary.  Would it shock you to know that I was desperately in love when I got married?  Oh, it wasn’t with my husband, mind you.  It was with my dance tutor.  His name was Victor Tully and I thought the sun rose and set on him.  Of course, my parents would never allow a match between their daughter and a common dance instructor, so Victor was dismissed as soon as they got wind of the
romance
,
and
I was married off to Viscount
Grayson
.  My husband was fifty-two at the time and I was eighteen. 
I was so miserable
, I
thought I would die, but it was my husband who died instead.  He contracted a putrid sore throat and died leaving me a widow at twenty.”  Rosamunde smiled at
Elizabeth
as she continued her story. 

“I observed my year of mourning, of course, but as soon as it was over, I hired a dance instructor to help me learn the new dances that became popular while I was in my bereavement.”  Rosamude’s eyes sparkled with mischief.  “Can you
g
uess
who my dance tutor was?”

Elizabeth giggled at her sister-in-law’s ingenuity.  “You hired Victor Tully?”

“I did
,
indeed.  It was all very respectable and aboveboard.  No one had to know that he was now my lover
,
and that I was
finally
living life on my own terms.  Our society doesn’t present women with too many choices.  You are expected to marry and marry well.  If you don’t, you will end up being a spinster, living on the generosity of some relative who considers you a burden and treats you as if you were invisible
;
o
r you can always choose to take a post of governess and spend the rest of your life being one step above a servant.  Not very appealing choices, I
’
m afraid.

Elizabeth, very few people of our station marry for love.  Marriage is a contract between two parties where each side brings something to the table.  Henry brought you a title, respectability and a place in society you would have never had otherwise.  You brought him your youth, beauty, and certain
financial boons which make his life easier.  You both benefited from your union.  The sooner you see that, the happier you will be.  Love is something many people find outside of marriage.”  Rosamunde leaned back against the
antimacassar
covering the
back of the chair, her hooded eyes watching Elizabeth.

“Rosamunde, are you suggesting that I take a lover?  I
’
m your brother’s wife.” 
Elizabeth
was shocked, but
intrigued
that her sister-in-law would give her such brazen advice.

“I am suggesting no such thing, dearest.  I am merely saying that one can still be master of one’s destiny if they learn to play the game better than their opponents.  Now, how about some tea?  I
’
m simply parched.”

“But what happened to Victor Tully?”
e
xclaimed
Elizabeth
, needing to know how the story ended.

Rosamunde rang for tea and gave Elizabeth a wicked smile.  “Oh, I got tired of him after a while and he found employment someplace else. 
I gave him a glowing reference, of course. 
I hired a drawing master to help me perfect my technique.  I always did enjoy painting
,
”
she replied, giving Elizabeth a meaningful look. 

“Rosamunde, you are a wicked woman,” giggled Elizabeth
,
a
s a
maid brought in a tea tray and set it on the low table
in front of the sofa.  Rosamunde rose from her seat and reached out a hand to
Elizabeth
, tracing a finger across the childish curve of her cheek.  “I
’
m not wicked, simply on a constant quest for self-improvement.  No one can fault a woman for wanting to be a beautiful dancer or a talented painter.  I pride myself on my accomplishments.  Now come and have some tea.  I would like to take you to my dressmaker tomorrow.  We really must do something about these maidenly frocks.  You are a married woman now
,
and you must dress accordingly.”

Rosamunde wholeheartedly embraced the new fashions and discarded her old corset in favor of short stays, which she wore under high-
wai
s
ted
gowns of flowing silks in vibrant colors, occasionally with matching turbans.  Elizabeth secretly thought that she resembled the Wise Men from the Bible, but she kept that opinion to herself.  Rosamunde was a fixture in society and
knew anyone who was worth knowing; she was an invaluable source of gossip, feeding
Elizabeth
juicy tidbits about
the
people she met
and even the Prinny himself
.