Page 19 of A Match for Princess Pompous
“Instead she has endured months of loneliness and rejection while you, Mr. Hewitt, have carried no such burden.”
“I know.” Lud, he’d hated the way this had played out. “I’ve doubted the idea almost from the moment we conceived it. She does not deserve to be viewed or treated the way she has been. But we didn’t know what else to do.”
Mrs. Northrop took a step closer to him, her gaze never wavering. “And if you could have thought of a different strategy, perhaps one that sent you into isolation rather than her?”
“I’d have taken it up in a heartbeat. But what good would that have done? A gentleman being disagreeable is seldom reason for rejection if he is in expectation of a fine income and can claim some standing. Only ladies are judged and rejected so quickly and harshly.”
Mrs. Northrop didn’t confirm his evaluation, but neither did she contradict it. “What if I were to tell you that this scheme of yours is making her utterly miserable?”
Pain clutched at his heart. “Is she truly so unhappy? I know she has not enjoyed the arrangement, and I am certain she will rejoice when the Season is over, but—”
“She hasn’t any friends, Mr. Hewitt. No one to take ices with. No one to walk about a room with in congenial conversation. She is eyed with dismissal and disapproving amusement. She is a caricature in the eyes of those who might have been her associates.”
This was worse than he had imagined. “We must do something, then. We must address this. She cannot be required to live this way.”
“You would risk your future together?” Mrs. Northrop pressed.
Though he recoiled at the possibility of losing her, he could not simply dismiss the fact that she was suffering. “We could think of something different, something that won’t cause her sorrow. Surely we could. We have to.”
The first hints of a smile touched Mrs. Northrop’s stern expression. “Congratulations, Mr. Hewitt. You, it seems, are not a cad.”
“Thank you?” He couldn’t help making the answer a question.
“Now, to the business at hand.”
“Was interrogating me not the business at hand?”
She arched an eyebrow, but the look was not truly one of reprimand. Indeed, he felt certain she was thoroughly enjoying herself. “I have begun working on the task of rectifying the mess the two of you have made of Miss Armistead’s position among those who would otherwise be her friends and companions.”
He actually sighed, something he’d not been anticipating. The impact of this plan on Odette’s happiness had weighed on him the past months.
“While that damage is being addressed,” Mrs. Northrop said, “you and I will begin seeing to your future in a way that is not absurdly foolish and, therefore, will actually work.”
He was both hopeful and insulted.
“First”—she turned to Terrance—“our efforts would be greatly helped if you would put it about that Odette is something of a sister to you or a pleasant but ultimately neutral companion.”
Terrance paled a bit. “Has my name been coming up in connection with hers?”
Had it? Jack shot him a look of warning.
Terrance shook his head with tremendous emphasis. “Not intentional, Jack. I’ve been kind to her, and few people have paid any real heed to Princess Pompous.”
“Do not call her that,” Jack growled.
“You did it on purpose,” Terrance insisted. “That nickname is what has kept the suitors at bay.”
“And everyone else,” Mrs. Northrop added.
Jack slumped in his chair. “It really was a bad strategy, wasn’t it?”
“Horrendous,” Mrs. Northrop said.
“I’ll put the idea of a sibling-like connection in a few select heads,” Terrance said. “That will help squelch any rumors.”
Mrs. Northrop eyed Jack. “And you need to put ‘the idea’ of Terrance’s indifference into your mother’s head, since she is the source of many of these whispers.”
That was a sticky complication. “I’ll do what I can.”
