she has a large fortune.’
‘Indeed. I can see you are too sharp for me to pull the wool over your eyes so I freely confess I have imagined how useful
it would be to have a fortune. Oh dear me, yes!’ An irrepressible smile twitched the corner of his mouth. ‘But I have also
imagined how it would be to have Miss Thynne’s unfortunate face opposite mine at the breakfast table every morning and how
much I would rather it was yours, dear Susannah.’ He took her hands in his. ‘Please, do tell me that you have changed your
mind?’
Chapter 6
Susannah pinned her hair up and allowed it to fall in loose ringlets over her shoulders, in the way she had seen Arabella
dress her hair before she went out. She peered into the age-spotted mirror and adjusted one of the curls so that it lay over
her décolletage. Anxious green eyes peered back at her from a face as pale as her gown. She pinched the colour into her cheeks
and forced a smile. She couldn’t see all of herself at once in the small mirror but she knew that the tightly laced bodice
made her waist look tiny. She could do no more; it was time to go downstairs.
She closed her bedchamber door behind her for the last time and gathered up the heavy cream silk of her skirts, cool and slippery
to her touch.
Downstairs in the parlour, her father waited for her.
‘You look delightful, my dear,’ said Cornelius, kissing her on the forehead.
‘Thank you, Father. Arabella took great interest in helping me to choose my wedding dress.’
‘I am glad that you have become friends, at last.’
Never friends, thought Susannah. She had remained steadfast in her refusal to wear the vulgar dress with too many ruffles
and furbe-lows that her stepmother had wanted for her. But they had bothmade accommodations in their relationship and in the circumstances the outcome was as good as it was ever likely to be. ‘I
hope that you will be able to return to the quiet life you are accustomed to, Father, now that I am leaving.’
‘I fear there is little chance of that,’ said Cornelius. ‘When the new baby arrives he will doubtless overturn any thoughts
I might have had about a peaceful old age.’
‘Perhaps Arabella is right and you should employ a nursemaid? The money will be well spent, I assure you.’
Cornelius kissed her again and there were tears in his eyes. ‘I do feel as much affection for you as it is possible to feel
for a daughter,’ he said. ‘I am not blind, you know, I do realise that Arabella can be a little difficult at times.’ He blinked
hard. ‘But I still love her in spite of that.’
‘I know you do. And I want you to be happy, which is why I am leaving.’
‘You are so like my dear Elizabeth. You look at me with your great wounded eyes and it tears my heart to pieces. If I could
only have had her back again I would never …’
‘What’s done is done.’ She couldn’t talk of it any more. As the time to leave drew nearer, a numbness began to descend upon
her and it became too much effort to speak. She wondered for a moment if King Charles had felt the same as he made his final
walk to the scaffold. In the distance, the bells of St Bride’s began to peal.
‘It’s time. I wish you much happiness, my dearest.’ Cornelius took Susannah’s arm and led her down the stairs and into the
street where the hired carriage waited to carry them to the church.
There had been only the three weeks while the banns were being read for Susannah to become used to the idea that she was to
be married. Entering the shadowy interior of the church she felt as if she was in a dream. This was a day she had never expected
to happen. Standing dry-mouthed at the altar beside Henry, with her heart fluttering as if it were a bird trying to escape,
she forced herself tobreathe deeply as the voices echoed around her. It would never do to faint now.
It wasn’t until they all emerged into the sunshine that Susannah really looked at
‘Indeed. I can see you are too sharp for me to pull the wool over your eyes so I freely confess I have imagined how useful
it would be to have a fortune. Oh dear me, yes!’ An irrepressible smile twitched the corner of his mouth. ‘But I have also
imagined how it would be to have Miss Thynne’s unfortunate face opposite mine at the breakfast table every morning and how
much I would rather it was yours, dear Susannah.’ He took her hands in his. ‘Please, do tell me that you have changed your
mind?’
Chapter 6
Susannah pinned her hair up and allowed it to fall in loose ringlets over her shoulders, in the way she had seen Arabella
dress her hair before she went out. She peered into the age-spotted mirror and adjusted one of the curls so that it lay over
her décolletage. Anxious green eyes peered back at her from a face as pale as her gown. She pinched the colour into her cheeks
and forced a smile. She couldn’t see all of herself at once in the small mirror but she knew that the tightly laced bodice
made her waist look tiny. She could do no more; it was time to go downstairs.
She closed her bedchamber door behind her for the last time and gathered up the heavy cream silk of her skirts, cool and slippery
to her touch.
Downstairs in the parlour, her father waited for her.
‘You look delightful, my dear,’ said Cornelius, kissing her on the forehead.
‘Thank you, Father. Arabella took great interest in helping me to choose my wedding dress.’
‘I am glad that you have become friends, at last.’
Never friends, thought Susannah. She had remained steadfast in her refusal to wear the vulgar dress with too many ruffles
and furbe-lows that her stepmother had wanted for her. But they had bothmade accommodations in their relationship and in the circumstances the outcome was as good as it was ever likely to be. ‘I
hope that you will be able to return to the quiet life you are accustomed to, Father, now that I am leaving.’
‘I fear there is little chance of that,’ said Cornelius. ‘When the new baby arrives he will doubtless overturn any thoughts
I might have had about a peaceful old age.’
‘Perhaps Arabella is right and you should employ a nursemaid? The money will be well spent, I assure you.’
Cornelius kissed her again and there were tears in his eyes. ‘I do feel as much affection for you as it is possible to feel
for a daughter,’ he said. ‘I am not blind, you know, I do realise that Arabella can be a little difficult at times.’ He blinked
hard. ‘But I still love her in spite of that.’
‘I know you do. And I want you to be happy, which is why I am leaving.’
‘You are so like my dear Elizabeth. You look at me with your great wounded eyes and it tears my heart to pieces. If I could
only have had her back again I would never …’
‘What’s done is done.’ She couldn’t talk of it any more. As the time to leave drew nearer, a numbness began to descend upon
her and it became too much effort to speak. She wondered for a moment if King Charles had felt the same as he made his final
walk to the scaffold. In the distance, the bells of St Bride’s began to peal.
‘It’s time. I wish you much happiness, my dearest.’ Cornelius took Susannah’s arm and led her down the stairs and into the
street where the hired carriage waited to carry them to the church.
There had been only the three weeks while the banns were being read for Susannah to become used to the idea that she was to
be married. Entering the shadowy interior of the church she felt as if she was in a dream. This was a day she had never expected
to happen. Standing dry-mouthed at the altar beside Henry, with her heart fluttering as if it were a bird trying to escape,
she forced herself tobreathe deeply as the voices echoed around her. It would never do to faint now.
It wasn’t until they all emerged into the sunshine that Susannah really looked at
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