"Oh! We are ruined for sure this time. Oh dear God, take me before this situation gets worst. My heart cannot bear it." A choking sound from her
silent husband drew Lady Malcolm's attention. It was clear from his expression that her lord husband was not taking the situation seriously.
"Didn't you hear what his mother said about your daughter? She called her a hoyden! She'll drag our name through the gutters because she can. She has no conscience to speak of, she'll exaggerate the story to serve her purposes. No man will have our daughter and matrons will repeat this incident to their daughters before they come out. Oh husband! What are we
supposed to do? I can't even think straight! " At the end of her long monologue Lady Malcolm started crying rather loudly, followed by a fainting
spell for which Lord Malcolm was ready and quickly produced smelling salts to revive her. After almost 30 years of marriage, he was aware of his wife's dramatics.
"My dear get a hold on yourself. That woman is nothing but a nuisance. Do you think that I'll let a lily livered boy marry my daughter? Because only a green boy will listen to Lady Cooper's lies. We will go to the Crawford ball tonight and show a united front. If anyone dares to say anything mean about our daughter, i know you will deal with them with your customary grace and poise. What I don't understand is how could you let that woman slander your daughters name in your own house? You should have put an end to this nonsense before it even began. I always took you for a smart woman, how could you do something so utterly stupid?" Lord Malcolm was already rather annoyed at the early morning visit from that busy body and wanted the whole peace in his household.
"But my dear, you don't understand, a Lady's ......." Before she could get
further, her daughter interrupted.
"Yes yes, you have said it enough times. A Lady is easily ruined, ton forgives no one and forgets nothing." George said, mimicking her mother's high pitched screech. Lord Malcolm choked on his laughter when he saw his wife's murderous glare.
"You have spoiled her completely. No man wants a wife who spends more time on her horse then on her piano bench. When was the last time she practiced? When was the last time she saw a needle?" Lady Malcolm glared at the duo as she asked her questions.
"The man who marries our beautiful daughter will love her for who she is and understand how she is different. I want our daughter to be happy. If being a spinster makes her happy, I will keep her company." Lord Malcolm hugged his wife and squeezed gently, he knew that she worried too much for their daughter.
" But who will look after her when we are gone? I don't want her to be alone and at someone's mercy. If only I had given you a son." Lady Malcolm looked at her only child and her chest tightened. George was a wonderful girl who loved with her whole heart and deserved every happiness in the world.
"I will leave her in the capable hands of Crawford, he owes me for all the trips I had to make to Eton."Lord Malcolm hugged his wife to put a stop to the whole conversation.
"At least he won't make me marry a greasy, bald, old geezer." George replied with a pout, which earned her a smile from her father and a glare from her mother.
"A Lady never says a single unkind word to any man, no matter how deserving he is. Come on child, people would think you were raised by heathens." Before George could protest, her mother stopped her
arguments with a wave of her hand
"I know the two of you are right. I guess I went temporarily insane, asking
you to accept a proposal from an awful man like Cooper.Now George go to
your room and prepare for the ball.Wear the new blue silk gown and I will
send my sapphire necklace to your room.I want you to look like a princess
tonight. We will show Lady Cooper and her toad of a son that you are a
catch." Lady Malcolm shooed her daughter out of the room and turned to
her husband with a new set of instructions for him.
*******************************
Crawford ball was a success. The crush of guests was suffocating and the
gossip was exchanged in every corner of the Duke of Lancaster's massive estate. Every member of the haut Ton was present.
Lady Cooper pointed at Lady George several times while talking to her old
cronies, which made it obvious that the subject under discussion was the
girl her son wanted to marry. Lord Cooper seemed glued to George's side,
scaring away all potential suitors and friends alike. George tried her hardest
to shake him off but he was persistent and ignored her constant request to
leave her alone. Everyone matron noticed and gave her sly smiles when
she passed by. She was positive that the whole ballroom thought that they
were witnessing a lover's spat.
After careful consideration, George asked Lord Cooper for a drink. As soon
as she was partly hidden by the ballroom crowd, she made her escape by
running to the closest alcove and hiding behind a large potted plant that
was placed for decoration. When Lady Cooper appeared in the alcove
followed by her son a moment later, she thanked God and Max's
questionable decoration. The plant hid her completely.
"Have you talked to the Malcolm girl yet?" Lady Cooper asked her son sharply.
"No mother, the blasted girl won't let me speak. I tried to get her to dance with me so that we could have a modicum of privacy but she won't." Lord Cooper's large nostrils became larger with every complain and his cheeks turned red due to his irritation, giving him the appearance of a toddler in the middle of a tantrum.
"I don't care what you do, rape the girl if you have to, just make sure she answers in your favor. We don't have much time. You don't want to go to the debtor's prison, do you? We need her dowry." George stood frozen behind the tree as Lady Cooper's words started to sink in. She was a tall woman who loved spending her time outdoors but she was not sure if she could win in a physical confrontation with Lord Cooper.
George could feel the walls closing around her and her vision turning blurry. She held herself still by sheer force of will. The mother son duo started criticizing every attendant they could see from the alcove and she
started wishing that they would move somewhere as. The panic that gripped her was making her lightheaded. It could have been a second or an hour before the pair moved away and George started breathing easy.
George needed to gather her wits about her before she could do anything else. She decided that it was time to skip the festivities and escape to her safe haven. Making sure that she was not seen, George escaped to the second floor library that was specifically made for her. Collapsing into the sofa near the fireplace, she thought back to the cursed day that started the whole problem with Lord Cooper and his mother.
Lord Cooper's proposal in itself had been an insult to her intelligence and
her family. George never considered herself a vain woman but she demanded respect where it was due. She was a smart girl who invested her allowance in multiple businesses and now had a small fortune of her own. When Lord Cooper had asked her to dance at Smith's ball, she wanted to refuse but her mother was by her side and accepted on her behalf. There were two major reasons for her refusal that could not be ignored. The man had more hair coming out of his nostrils than he had on his head and he danced like an idiot with two left feet.
As soon as the opening strings of quadrille were struck, he came to collect George from her mother. When they took their place on the dance floor, Lord Cooper immediately started speaking and kept on speaking even when they had to move away from each other.
"Lady Georgiana I believe we will be well suited,....... you need a man to
tame you and I need a woman with a huge dowry ..............to pay my debts.
You weren't my first choice............ to be honest but I don't have the
...........time to court proper ladies. You......., on the other hand will accept
any proposal ............that came your way because no .............other man
will offer for you. ....... . It's like we were meant to be."
When the dance ended, George took the arm he offered to escort her back to her mother and decided to let him down gently despite his boorish behavior.
"My Lord it was magnanimous of you to offer but I cannot accept your generous offer as I do not wish to marry." Instead of crushing his spirit, her refusal made him eager to better explain himself and his brilliant idea. Lord Cooper started dragging George to the gardens to talk to her further.
When she tried to free her hand, he tightened his hold farther. After almost reaching a secluded area, George decided that it was time to take some drastic action. She stepped on his foot as hard as she could but the bastard held tight. Self preservation won over shyness and George kicked his family jewels. Last time she saw him, he was on the floor, howling in pain.
YOU ARE READING
Enticing An Earl (Completed)
Historical Fiction***Featured by Wattpad*** Highest ranking #4 For a man used to ruling the British aristocracy, William Hamilton was contend being ruled by the young vixen who fell in his arms accidentally. For a woman used to being chased for her dowry and ridicul...
