Twice Betrothed by Cassandra B. Leigh

Author:Cassandra B. Leigh [Leigh, Cassandra B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

As the coach bumped and lurched over country roads, Jane released a sigh of relief; Oliver’s plan had worked to perfection! Although almost too incredible to be true, she and Oliver were on their way back from the border as a married couple.

It had been a gruelling trip north on the mail coach, with only brief stops for refreshment and no rest whatsoever. Travelling as brother and sister had not been as difficult as Jane had imaged; no one challenged them. The driver and other passengers had barely given them any notice. Once they presented themselves to the nearest blacksmith in Gretna Green, the wedding ceremony took only minutes to complete and they were on their way back to England to catch the next mail coach. Now safely married, Jane no longer suffered from fear of discovery. With a ring on her finger and a signed marriage certificate, she was truly a married woman, free from her father’s tyranny.

She enjoyed the new sensation of wearing a wedding ring; her glove made her even more aware of it. Oliver had surprised her with a gold posy ring, which had been his mother’s. However, knowing the dowager had little use for her, she could not be easy about it. “Will your family be very angry that we eloped?” she inquired.

Oliver frowned. “I would like to say I care not one whit if they are—but since I must rely on them to care for you until I finish university, we must stay in their good graces.” She was impressed with his ingenuity. “Your father will no doubt raise a storm,” he added.

“Oh, Oliver, I am in dread of him.”

“You need not be; I shall manage him well enough.”

Oliver’s determination eased her fears and she allowed herself to relax. Resting her head on his shoulder, she attempted to sleep, as some of the other passengers had managed to do; however, the constant rocking and bumping of the carriage as it careened southwards on the Great North Road kept her awake for hours.

On Monday morning, after three gruesome days on the road, Jane and Oliver arrived back at Rutherford House hopelessly exhausted. The rain had been relentless all morning; Jane’s skirts were damp and she was chilled to the bone. After the bruising journey, all she wanted was sleep. She hoped to creep up to her bedchamber, but the dowager countess’s voice rang out from the drawing room. She and Oliver found his mother and sister-in-law gaping at them in astonishment.

The dowager recovered herself, then scowled in her usual way. “Oliver, why are you not at school? Were you sent down?”

Filled with trepidation, Jane stood next to her husband while he calmly announced their news to his family.

“Married? Oh, Oliver, must you tease your poor mama!” The dowager fanned herself while staring at Jane with contemptuous eyes. “And why are you here, Miss Brown? I thought you were in Hertfordshire with your aunt.” Jane had harboured no hopes that her mother-in-law would welcome her into the family with open arms, but this reaction was quite unexpected.

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