Hearts Entwined (Victorian Love #3) - M.A. Nichols Page 0,66
in his seat. “Do not make a hasty decision on my behalf.”
“If you’d been party to my thoughts the past weeks, you would not accuse me of being hasty, Mr. Kingsley,” said Miss Caswell with a wry smile. “But I shan’t allow you to make such a grave mistake.”
“Everyone seems to know my heart better than I.”
“Because everyone sees how you look at Miss Banfield.”
Oliver threw up his hands. “You speak so casually, but do you think I could abandon you over some infatuation?”
“I will survive the loss, Mr. Kingsley.”
Slanting her a look, Oliver watched her expression as he asked, “Will you?”
Miss Caswell opened her mouth and shut it again. Though she gave no outward signs of blushes or fidgets to signal her unease, Oliver felt it in the tightness of her muscles. Beneath the silence, the young lady searched for something to say.
“You said we need to have a frank discussion, and I believe that is true,” he said. “But we cannot do so without complete honesty, Miss Caswell. Especially concerning you and your family.”
*
Mr. Kingsley’s tone was too marked for her not to notice, and her stomach sank to her toes as Victoria rifled through all the usual excuses she made in such circumstances. However, despite the wealth of experience she had in side-stepping the casual comments and pointed questions, this was a new hazard to navigate.
But even as she attempted to form a response, Victoria met his gaze, which was her undoing. There was no judgment there or derision. No triumph over her lowered situation or glee at unearthing the gossip. Mr. Kingsley watched her with an open expression, his eyes filled with compassion and honest curiosity.
Victoria took in a deep breath and let it out in one long sigh. “We are destitute.”
Mr. Kingsley gave no sign of surprise or shock at that, merely nodding in return, and Victoria curled forward, covering her face. When she pulled away from him, Mr. Kingsley merely brought his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him. Though it was probably wise to distance herself, Victoria gave him her weight, allowing him to comfort her as he could.
“How did you know?” she asked.
“That is unimportant—”
“Hardly!” Victoria clutched her stomach as it began to spin. “Do you know how much effort we put into hiding our disgrace? And to know that others suspect it—”
But it was Mr. Kingsley’s turn to interrupt. “It’s a fool’s errand to think you can hide that. Though I doubt it is common knowledge, I was told a rumor your family is having difficulties.”
Victoria huffed. “That is one word for it.”
“How would you describe it?”
Her throat tightened, her body tensing as though holding back those truths that had lived so long in the dark. The words begged to be released, but a lifetime of silence was not easily overcome.
“Speak, Miss Caswell,” he said with a gentle smile. “Whatever else may come of this, I think it may do you some good.”
And so Victoria spoke. At first, she meant to disclose the barest portion of the truth, but her words expanded and grew like the light flurries of snow that herald a blizzard. Having never been free to speak openly of her family’s troubles, Victoria found it difficult to be circumspect once she’d begun.
For his part, Mr. Kingsley was a mostly mute audience, giving the necessary nods and reactions as she unraveled the whole convoluted mess—from the first time she lied to cover her parents’ empty pockets to her current hunt for a husband. Perhaps she ought to have omitted the last portions, but Mr. Kingsley was far too intelligent not to understand the financial implications surrounding her marriage prospects.
Like a satchel filled with stones, the secrets weighed her down. It was only in the removing of them, stone by stone, that Victoria realized how large a burden she’d been carrying. Though she avoided the stones with Mr. Dixon’s name etched on them, Victoria ridded herself of the rest, and for the first time in a long while, she could breathe.
*
There were ladies aplenty who had mastered the art of manipulation, and though Miss Caswell was skilled enough to nudge others towards her intended goal, there was no malice in her actions, and she rarely did so for her own benefit. Oliver doubted she understood just how thoroughly she was binding his future to hers, but with each sentence, she gave him more and more reasons to move forward with their engagement despite her objections.