‘I pushed him away, Annabelle.’
‘Do you think you can get him back?’
Beth considered for a moment. He had been unable to hide the hurt in his eyes when she’d rejected him, but he did love her.
‘I have to try.’
‘You should go before Mother finds out your intentions.’
‘No,’ Beth said decisively. ‘I’m not creeping around any more. I will tell her what I plan to do and she will just have to accept it.’
Annabelle squeezed her into a hug and Beth felt her resolve hardening. She would go after Josh and show him how sorry she was and hopefully that would be enough.
‘Ah, Elizabeth—good. I wanted you to see the letter to Leonard Ashburton before I send it.’ Her mother passed over the neatly written note, staying seated at her writing desk and straightening her stationery as Beth read the words.
Dear Mr Ashburton,
After careful consideration, Lady Elizabeth is eager to settle the details of the arrangement between you. She is keen to announce the engagement as soon as you are happy to do so and would like a date in the coming few weeks set for the wedding.
I know you will honour your promise to my late husband and hope you will be in contact shortly to finalise the details.
Yours sincerely,
Lady Hummingford
It was short, to the point and left no room for doubt. Beth held the note out so her mother couldn’t miss what happened next and then promptly tore the paper in half.
‘Elizabeth, what are you doing?’
‘I am not going to marry Leonard Ashburton, Mother.’
‘Don’t be silly, Elizabeth. I don’t want to discuss this again. That other man has left, never to return, and now it is time to forget all that silliness and think of your future.’
‘I am thinking of my future. I am going to marry Josh.’
‘Don’t be selfish, Elizabeth. Think of your family, the debts.’
‘They’re not my debts, Mother. I will not leave you destitute, but I am not going to give up my chance of happiness just for the sake of keeping up appearances. Sell the house, the debts will be settled.’
‘And your sister? You would see her out on the street?’
‘She won’t be on the street. She can come with us to India or she can stay here with the modest yearly income Josh can provide.’
‘You think that’s enough?’
Beth forced herself to remain calm. Normally this was the point when her guilt would start to kick in and she would concede because she felt so responsible for Annabelle.
‘Yes. It is.’
Her mother looked at her long and hard, a flicker of contempt in her eyes.
‘You know I would never blame you for what happened to your sister...’ she began.
‘You always blamed me.’
‘That’s unfair, Elizabeth. You were only a child, of course. But it is indisputable that you have certain advantages, chances that your sister will never have. If you choose to throw that away on a man who cannot support you and your sister in the appropriate manner...’
‘Yes, Mother?’
‘Well, it is selfish.’
Beth took a deep breath and steadied her nerves. Her mother had always been strong and impossible to argue with, but she had to do it now or risk a lifetime of regret.
‘You and Annabelle will be provided for,’ she repeated calmly. ‘And I get to be happy. Surely you must want one of your daughters to be happy.’
‘Happiness is fleeting. Security is not.’
‘You speak as if Josh was a labourer or a poor sailor. He has good prospects and is from a good family.’
‘I cannot let you marry him.’
Beth remained silent for a moment, holding her mother’s eyes.
‘If you marry him I will have no more to do with you.’
Even though Beth knew her mother was just pushing her, testing her limit, she felt the pain of the betrayal.
‘So be it,’ she said calmly, hoping her voice wouldn’t catch on the lump in her throat. She turned to go, aware they wouldn’t get any further, when a thought struck her. ‘Tell me, Mother, why did you choose to take Annabelle out yesterday? After all those years of encouraging her to stay inside, why yesterday?’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
Beth saw the flicker of unease in her mother’s eyes and felt sick at the implication.
‘For seventeen years you’ve kept Annabelle hidden, then yesterday you pressed her to go to the village.’
‘If you have an accusation to make, just say it. I am too weary to be trying to guess what you mean, Elizabeth.’
‘You organised it, didn’t you? The young men in the village—you paid them to insult Annabelle, to ensure she was so upset she would ask me to save Birling View, to marry Leonard Ashburton.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ The words were a denial but Beth knew with a sickening certainty that she was right. Her mother had set the whole horrible experience up.
For a moment she was too shocked to move and then she knew she didn’t want to be in the same room as her mother a single second longer.
Quickly she ran upstairs, throwing open the door to her and Annabelle’s bedroom to find Annabelle at the writing desk.
‘Come with me,’ she said, crossing the room and crouching down in front of Annabelle. ‘I can’t leave you here with her.’
‘Don’t be silly. You’ve got your new life to start. You don’t want me holding you back.’
‘I do. Come with me. Please, Annabelle.’
Annabelle leaned forward and kissed Beth on the forehead.
‘For once stop worrying about me and go live your life.’
‘You don’t know what Mother has done.’
‘It doesn’t matter. I’m staying here. I will help Mother deal with selling the house and we can find a suitable house somewhere. Perhaps our cousin will assist us.’
‘You could come to India. It would be an adventure.’
‘Your adventure, Beth, not mine.’ Annabelle
