first impressions

"If you insist upon my marrying your sister, sir, then I assure you I will do my duty."

The words, spoken by one Mr. Robert McKenzie to Mr. Henrik Bergstrom, caused a wave of panic to rush over Miss Clara Bergstrom.

"No!" The word escaped her lips as she threw herself towards her brother, clutching his arm as she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Please, you mustn't—"

"But Clara, my dear," Henrik said as he placed a reassuring hand over hers, "your honour is at stake."

"I will not marry him!"

Henrik threw a worried and apologetic glance in the other man's direction. "I am afraid you do not have much choice. The position you have been discovered in—"

"Heaven forbid! It was nothing – a mere accident!"

"But you were seen together, and people will talk. I will not have your reputation ruined over this when the man in question has offered to do right by you and preserve your honour."

"Hang my honour! The old bitties will gossip for a few days, but it will all be forgotten within a week, I assure you!"

"If our brother were here, he—"

"If Magnus were here, he would agree with me!" Clara argued. "He would never force me into an unwanted marriage."

But Mr. Henrik Bergstrom would not be convinced, no matter how much his younger sister cajoled him. When she realized any further argument would be in vain, she narrowed her eyes at her prospective husband, who stood straight with his head held high, an unusually serious expression on his face. It was all his fault, and she wished, not for the first time, that he had never come to Mossheath Manor.

***

~ A fortnight earlier ~

Clara Bergstrom held the reins loosely in her gloved hands as the horses pulled the curricle down the country road towards her home. Or rather, her brother's home – for although it had been the home of her childhood, she was now more like a permanent guest. Upon their father's death a year earlier, the estate had been passed down to her eldest brother Mr. Magnus Bergstrom, and as he had no interest in living in the country, he left it in the hands of his younger siblings.

Henrik Bergstrom, on the other hand, embraced country life, and fully invested himself in the running of the estate. He was never more happy than when he was mucking about in the fields or barns, and his hands-on approach and friendly manner made him quite popular with the tenants. Indeed, for the two brothers, it was a situation that suited them both equally – Henrik was able to spend his time outdoors and did not mind the limited society, and Magnus was able to follow his own pursuits in town, much to the delight of the ladies who resided there.

Clara, meanwhile, was able to enjoy the best of both worlds. During the social season, she lived in town with her eldest brother and entertained a wide variety of visitors and suitors. The rest of the year, she resided at the country estate and, since their mother's passing when she was but sixteen years old, took on the running of the household. It pleased her to maintain her brother's house, and despite the receipt of a number of offers of marriage, she had thus far chosen to remain in her current situation in order to maintain some level of independence rather than being under some man's thumb. Beggars could not be choosers, but she was no beggar – when it pleased her to marry, she would do so; but not before.

Her situation, however, had recently changed with the union of her brother Henrik to a young Miss Chelsea Edwards. The young lady was, at present, content to let Clara continue the management of the house, but she knew that eventually things would change and she would have to relinquish her duties. Therefore, it behooved Clara to find a suitable match, even if she was not in a hurry to do so.