CRYSTAL

Chapter 8

'They were simply expressing their interest in me papa, surely you will not have them sent to a prison for wanting to wed your daughter?' Sarah was beside herself in her parents room. She had sang on and on about the two men who had taken to fists to prove which one was worthy.

'Yes Sarah, I have heard you, but if they were willing to fight each other to prove a point who's to say he will not take to fists when you have a disagreement?'

'Uurgh,' Sarah said as she lifted her hands in the air. According to her, her parents were being unreasonable. She did not see what was so serious about men being men. They were both rather handsome and they both came from a wealthy family. 'If anything papa, you should be glad you have a daughter that would inspire such passion,' she said with her hands on her hips. To her this was her way of standing her ground. She would not let herself be bored in the country until a new year came round for them to leave for London again.

The ever so handsome Wilkshire had offered to call on her and her father had adamantly refused to receive him. 'Yes, well Sarah you do remember your aunt. She is long cold in the grave but do not forget what took her there.'

Sarah rolled her eyes. Her mother had told her this story far too often. Her famous Aunt Agatha had had the misfortune of marrying a man she did not know had an addiction to the bottle. Because of this addiction he turned to violence on occasion and one day he pushed Aunt Agatha down the stairway and she did not wake up.

From then on Lord John Anthony Weldrake had sworn to never let a man who seemed to have a love for more than gentry manners and balls. 'I will not be the one to send you off to your undoing Sarah and that is that. We are no longer having this discussion.'

'You want me to die a spinster at the age of a hundred and five papa,' she screeched.

'I want you to leave this earth at the age of a hundred and not now,' her father replied. She stamped her foot and left his study. Lord Weldrake had a lot to learn from his wife. Carmen could listen to Sarah complain all day and still have a calm demeanor about her. He had already lost his patience and if she had continued protesting he would have sent her to stay with wife's cousin on their farm in Northern Scotland.

Sarah slammed Jane's bedroom door. Jane looked up from her book in shock, what an entrance sister.'

Sarah dumped herself on the bed, 'papa is not going to let Wilkshire escort me in any manner, he wants me to be alone for the rest of my life,' she sat up, 'how on earth does he expect me to make a match when he wants to keep me locked in here with no man visiting me?'

Jane took a deep breath. Derek had made himself scarce since his return. He always chose to leave their father's managers and go check on the tenants. 'Sarah, this is your first season. It is hardly the time to be taking things this seriously. And I must say I agree with pap on this, Aunt Agatha...'

'Yes, Janie, I know, she married a man addicted to the bottle and he beat her and pushed her down the stairway. We have all heard this story.'

'And because you know it so well, you know what it did to papa and that was his sister who had decided we were not good enough family. Imagine what it would put him through if it happened to his daughter?'

Sarah was frustrated why did no one in this household see her point. She did not want to spend her days knitting and cooking and learning how to fold sheets and reading. She wanted to go riding and be compromised next to the stream. She wanted to have an adventure. She wanted to escape her life. 'Charlotte has already been kissed Jane. Can you imagine. She explained it to me and it sound like pure joy.'