Lucas and Eliza spent the next day catching up and enjoying each others company as well. At dinner that night Lucas brought up the topic of leaving. “There is to be a dinner party on Saturday night, where you’ll get to meet John.” She was to meet her fiancé for the first time at a crowded dinner party? This sounded awful, not to mention she still didn’t want to leave at all. Lucas continued on, oblivious to the heart break of his sister and the furry building in Trent. “We’ll probably want to get back to the town house Friday, so you can rest and get settled in, so with tomorrow being Thursday already, we should leave then. What do you think Eliza, shall we leave after breakfast or do you need more time to pack, would after lunch be better?” Lucas waited for his sister’s response, but only silence followed. Look over at his sister he saw the tears welling in her eyes. “Eliza?” Lucas said with concern and question in his voice. Standing up abruptly Eliza said “excuse me, I.. I feel unwell” she ran from the dinning room, she ran from the house. She found herself sitting by the lake where she and Trent had first made love.

Lucas came and sat next to her. Placing his arm around his sister’s shoulder, he let her cry until the sobs slowed to a light sniffle. “Do you want to tell me what this is all about?” Lucas asked in a sympathetic voice. “I can’t marry him Lucas, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, but I can’t!” Eliza blurted out. “Ok, then you won’t.” Lucas replied gently. She won’t? Is that what he just said so casually? “You’re not disappointed or … or mad?” Eliza asked. Lucas replied “I’m not sure why you’re not willing to meet him first, but I’m not mad.”

“What about your friend, will breaking the engagement be difficult?” Eliza still sniffling inquired.

Lucas turned to his sister with a raised brow “engagement? You haven’t even met the man yet!”

Eliza stared at her brother in utter confusion. Lucas finally said “oh hell Eliza, what did father even tell you before he sent you off on this trip.”

Eliza still in shock and still confused tried to form her words “he, he said ‘arranged’ he’d ‘arranged’ a marriage for me and and your letter talking about how we were a perfect match and would fall in love”

“Oh Eliza,” Lucas said with sympathy and a little bit of humor “you know how father is with words, he was just worried about sending you off to New York with out a prospect in mind, so he wanted to know there was a good match available for you there and thought it would be easier for you if you had a beau to look forward to meeting. I wish I’d been more explicit in my letter, but I did think father would have explained better! Hell, imagining John agreeing to marry someone he’d never met! That’s a laugh!” And Lucas did, he laughed and the sound of it made Eliza chuckle softly as well. They sat for a bit and Lucas said “there will be plenty of eligible suitors at the dinner party Saturday and with as beautiful as you are sister, you’ll have your pick!”

Eliza stiffened, she’d gotten over the hardest part, but she wasn’t done. Lucas felt the change in his sisters posture and looked down at her. “I… I don’t want to meet any suitors Lucas.”

Confused Lucas tried to think why his sister would… then he remembered the way he’d seen her look at Mr. Waters the other night when he’d declined to join them in the music room. There’d been other hints, but Lucas hadn’t thought much of it, he had seemed a disagreeable fellow.

“Do you love him” Lucas asked softly. The tears began to fall again “yes” Eliza managed to say.

“Does he love you” Lucas asked.

“Yes, very much” a deep voice from behind them came.