Chapter Six
When Ava got back to her aunt’s townhouse, she saw an unfamiliar carriage in front of it. No one with that particular family crest etched into the side of their carriage had ever been there to visit her family before. In fact, no one with such a fancy carriage had ever paid a visit, with the exception of Opal.
Her steps slowed. What if it was someone from the Ton? What if a prominent member of the elite class had read the Tittletattle and was here to condemn her?
Without thinking, her grip tightened on a copy of the Tittletattle that she had tucked under her arm. She had every intention of showing her aunt the article after she warned her about it. She would rather her aunt find out from her than find out from someone else. As unpleasant as the news would be, it would be more manageable if her aunt could hear it from her.
She took a deep breath and proceeded on to the townhouse. She only hoped it wasn’t someone like Lady Cadwalader paying her family a visit. She’d heard about Lady Cadwalader. The lady was infamous for ruining reputations. Not that Ava had much of a reputation at this point, but having to deal with that particular lady would be even worse than what she was dealing with right now.
She reached the door before the butler could let her in. Just as the butler was coming to the entryway, she beckoned for him to come over to her before the visitor or one of her family members could see her.
“Who is here?” she whispered to the butler.
The butler, in a low voice, replied, “Lord Youngtown is here.”
Lord Youngtown? Why would he be here? Her gaze went to the paper neatly folded under her arm. Was he here to talk about the article? Did he think she had reported the story?
“Your aunt and Lord Youngtown are in the drawing room having some tea,” the butler whispered. “Would you like to join them?”
No. No, she wouldn’t. But did she have a choice?
Despite the unease welling up in her stomach, she nodded and followed him to the room. She hesitated as soon as her feet hit the threshold. Her aunt happened to look over at her from where she was sitting in a chair next to Lord Youngtown.
“Well there’s Ava,” her aunt said.
At once, Lord Youngtown turned those amazing brown eyes in her direction. Lord Youngtown was more handsome today than he had been at the ball. Every time she saw him she experienced the sensation of butterflies swirling around in her stomach.
Lord Youngtown rose from his chair and bowed. “Forgive me for coming without notice. I don’t usually show up unannounced at someone’s residence, but certain things have prompted me to act in haste.”
He knew! He had seen the article. Ava rushed over to him. “Please believe me, my lord. I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t tell anyone about yesterday. The last thing I would ever do is embarrass you.”
Her aunt shot her a puzzled look. “Do you mean that you have no intention of accepting his proposal?”
Proposal? That wasn’t exactly what she had been expecting Lord Youngtown to discuss with her aunt. She was sure he was there to express his disappointment in her. Ava shook her head. “I don’t know anything about a proposal.”
Her aunt looked over at the spot the butler had been. Recalling him, Ava turned around, relieved to see that he was no longer there. In fact, he had shut the doors to give them their privacy.
“Your aunt is right,” Lord Youngtown told Ava. “I came to ask you to marry me.”
“I didn’t think you wanted to see me after,” she glanced at her aunt, “what happened.” She really didn’t want to go into specifics with her aunt right there. She still intended to explain everything to her aunt. Otherwise, she wouldn’t understand why Ava had suddenly become an outcast in London.
“Actually,” Lord Youngtown began, “I didn’t think you’d want to see me. I am at a loss on how to properly handle the situation, except to apologize on my brother’s behalf.”
It occurred to Ava at that point that he wasn’t putting the blame on her for the article. “Your brother?”
Lord Youngtown gestured for her and her aunt to sit, and after she sat close to her aunt, he returned to his seat. “Your aunt is right. I came to ask you to marry me. Words can’t express how ashamed I am of what my brother’s done. I want you to know that I had nothing to do with that article in the Tittletattle. That was Stephen’s doing.”
All at once, relief flooded over her. He didn’t blame her for the article. But then, in the next instant, she realized his proposal wasn’t romantic at all. He wasn’t marrying her because he wanted to. He was marrying her because he had to.
But what else was he supposed to do? His brother had been the one to enact the scandal and then his brother elaborated on it to someone who worked at the Tittletattle. His hands were tied. Either he was going to ignore it, thereby leaving her to deal with her ruined reputation, or he was going to save her from further disgrace by marrying her. He had no other options. She should be grateful he was willing to help her out. Who knew if any other gentleman would do the same thing?
“I would be happy to marry you,” she told him.
Her aunt clasped her hands together in delight. “I’m so glad this whole thing has been resolved in such a wonderful way. I can tell you’re a good gentleman,” she told Lord Youngtown. “Ava’s parents had wished her to marry well. I think you two will make an excellent match.”
Ava wasn’t sure if he agreed with her aunt on that sentiment, but she supposed it didn’t matter. Their future was set. They would be spending the rest of their lives together. She could only hope he didn’t spend every day of their marriage wishing his brother had dragged someone else up to his bedchamber instead of her.
Lord Youngtown cleared his throat and straightened in his chair. “Since we are to be married, it’s only right that we address each other informally. Your aunt told me your name is Ava. My name is Brad.”
Not knowing what else to say, Ava replied, “That’s a fine name.” Any name he had would have seemed like a fine one to her, but then, she was very much aware of her attraction to him.
“I also think,” Brad began, “that we should have our families meet before we marry. I won’t make you wait for the reading of the banns before marrying you. In light of the Tittletattle, it is prudent that we marry sooner, but I would still like our families to know each other before the wedding.”
“Oh, I think that is a splendid idea,” her aunt said. “I think it’ll make Ava more comfortable that way.”
Ava was about to ask if his brother would also be there at the dinner. She didn’t think the evening would be all that pleasant if his brother was there, but this was going to be Brad’s dinner party. He had a right to invite anyone he wished to it.
After a moment, Brad said, “I think I can get a special license in a week. Would a dinner party in four days work for you?”
Because Brad was looking directly at Ava, she decided to answer. “We have no pressing engagements then. A dinner party will be fine.”
“Ava has two younger siblings,” her aunt said. “Timothy is twelve, and Dinah is ten.”
“I’ll tell Cook to expect them, in addition to you and Ava,” Brad replied. When no one said anything for the next minute, he continued, “I suppose that’s all we need to discuss for the time being. I will make the arrangements for the dinner and the wedding. I’ll send a missive with the details.”
Her aunt gave an enthusiastic nod as they all rose to their feet. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Ava smiled, once more, at Brad. She should just be glad he wasn’t upset with her. He didn’t come here accusing her of lying to the Tittletattle about what had happened. He was being very gracious about the whole thing. He had extended a way to save her reputation, and therefore her future, so she should be thankful. And she was. He was every bit a gentleman.
After extending a couple more formalities, Brad left, and her aunt turned to face her. “You poor thing. Why didn’t you tell me about the incident yesterday?”
“It was too embarrassing,” Ava replied. “I didn’t want everyone to know what happened. And it’s not the way the Tittletattle said happened.”
Her aunt stopped her. “I know. Brad explained everything. He didn’t want me to think you had acted inappropriately. He said your behavior was impeccable and that I shouldn’t believe what the Tittletattle said.” She smiled. “I like him. I can see why you enjoyed dancing with him at the ball.”
“I enjoyed dancing with him, but I don’t think he enjoyed dancing with me. I did make him fall on the dance floor.”
Her aunt waved Ava’s argument aside. “He was enjoying himself. I watched you two together, and there is no denying that he was enjoying the conversation you two were sharing.”
Maybe. But did any of it really matter? He was settling for her because of what his brother did. It wasn’t the kind of arrangement she had been hoping for when she entered the Season. She really wanted a love match. And now she wasn’t going to get one.
“Why don’t you go upstairs and rest?” her aunt asked. “You look tired.”
Ava was tired. She hadn’t been able to sleep well ever since she caught Brad in the bathtub. She doubted she would sleep well now, either. But it probably wouldn’t hurt if she lay down in bed for a while. Returning her aunt’s smile, Ava left the room.