Unforgiven (The Horsemen Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page B

solemnized tomorrow or even—he smiled at his own playfulness, surely excusable in a newly successful lover—today, would take place later in the spring, when his mother’s health could be expected to be more robust and when the weather would be more clement for the long, thirty-mile journey she and his sisters would be required to make. In the meanwhile he would do himself the honor of remaining at Penwith Manor until Christmas was over and would then return home in order to see that his affairs were in order prior to the permanent move to Penwith to claim his bride.
    Moira breathed a silent sigh of relief. She would have a few more months in which to prepare herself for the new life that was to be hers. Her mother touched her hand on the table and smiled at her. Sir Edwin expressed his pleasure at this sign of happiness in his future mother-in-law for the good fortune of her daughter. Moira knew that her mother understood, and that she realized as well as her daughter did that the sacrifice must be made. Though it was unfair to think of her approaching marriage in terms of sacrifice. It would be no worse than the vast majority of marriages that were solemnized every single day, and it would be considerably better than many.

3

    S IR Edwin introduced another topic of conversation before luncheon was over, one that animated him even more than that of his own wedding. In questioning the butler about the neighbors of sufficiently elevated rank that they merited a call from him during his stay at Penwith Manor, he had discovered an extraordinary fact. Doubtless Lady Hayes and Miss Hayes were already aware of it, since apparently it had occurred all of a week earlier. The Earl of Haverford had returned to Dunbarton Hall to take up his residence there.
    “Yes, Cousin Edwin,” Lady Hayes assured him, “we have heard. But—”
    But Sir Edwin scarcely paused for breath. He smiled at the ladies. “It is a conceivable truth that less generous, more petty-minded gentlemen than myself might resent the fact that I nolonger outrank everyone else in the neighborhood, ma’am,” he said, “but I must pronounce myself deeply gratified to be given this chance to claim the Earl of Haverford as a neighbor. And as an acquaintance, of course. Was his lordship not a war hero? A major in one of the finer regiments? One can only assume that he would have reached the rank of general had the wars continued for a year or so longer. I must regret even more deeply than I did yesterday that ill health prevented my dear mother from accompanying me here. But she will be happy for my sake, and for yours, ma’am. And yours, Miss Hayes. She has a generous heart.”
    “But Cousin Edwin—” Lady Hayes tried again.
    Moira knew it was hopeless. It had been a wretched week. Not a word had been spoken at Penwith about the Earl of Haverford after her first abrupt announcement of his return when she had come back from her walk that day. Not a word had been spoken about him during any of the visits they had paid any of their neighbors during the week or during any of the visits paid them. And yet she—and surely her mother too—had been fully aware that conversation when they were not present must center about nothing else. Dunbarton had been without its master for seven years, after all. It was almost a relief to hear Sir Edwin finally speak openly on the forbidden topic.
    “I intend to leave my card at Dunbarton today, before I call upon anyone else,” Sir Edwin said. “It is, of course, a fitting courtesy that I wait first upon the Earl of Haverford. It would be quite unexceptionable of his lordship to receive my card and refuse my admittance today, but I must congratulate myself on the hope, ma’am, that he will receive in person the baronet ofPenwith. His lordship, after all, will be happy to discover that there is someone of such elevated rank nearby with whom he might consort on terms of near equality. He has perhaps been informed that only