Even if it was not true, Victoria knew the rumours themselves were significant. There would be plenty of those among the Ton who would anticipate the two reuniting.
“If you were not there to see it, then you cannot tell me for certain that it happened,” Emily insisted. “My brother is not a fool. Now, I no longer wish to talk of Cressida and her manipulations. My brother will not return to her, and that is that.”
Victoria released a long breath, trying to take comfort in Emily’s words, but she could not shake her worries…or her jealousy.
At that moment, Lily called out for her, and Victoria had to push her worries aside in order to focus on the children and keeping them entertained. She could not completely ease her anxieties, however, and knew later, when she was alone, all she would be able to think about would be Lord Harford and Cressida.
***
Edward
Releasing a long sigh, he took a long drink of bourbon and stared at the flickering flames in the fireplace in front of him. It was late at night, and the rest of the house was already asleep, and all was quiet. He was thankful to have a bit of time to himself.
It had been a long few days. Cressida’s pursuit of him had grown increasingly relentless. She had made a spectacle of herself at Lady Mayfield’s gathering, practically throwing herself at him. He could only imagine what nonsense the rumour mills were spinning from that night.
Not that he cared. Let the gossipmongers say what they wished to. There was no chance that he would give Cressida another chance. The very idea disgusted him. He had no plans to engage in her schemes. Whatever hold she had held over him was gone. He had once believed her the most beautiful woman in all of England, but now he saw how truly ugly she was. Conniving, snobbish, and false, he would never make the mistake of trusting her again.
He did not even want to waste time thinking of her.
Rather, he let his thoughts be filled with Miss Clifford. She was consuming him, in truth. After their encounter the other morning, he had felt worse and worse about confronting her about her letters.
No matter how badly he might want to know who she was writing to, he realized that it was truly none of his business. She was entitled to her privacy, and whether she hid the letters from him or not, it simply did not matter. She did not owe him an explanation.
Still, he wished she would trust him enough to tell him who it was she was writing to and why she was being so secretive about it. Was she in some kind of trouble? If so, did she not realize that he could help her?
He wanted to help her. He felt protective of her.
His feelings for Miss Clifford were strong, he could not deny that, but they were also complicated. Still, having Cressida back in his life made it crystal clear how completely different Miss Clifford was from her. It was the difference between night and day.
Taking another long drink, he considered what it was he should do. He needed to keep Cressida at bay and then sort through what he was feeling for Miss Clifford. He sighed, sinking further into his chair. For a man who had sworn off women, he certainly was being overwhelmed by them.
Chapter 30
The house was bustling with activity. Victoria could sense the excitement buzzing in the air as everyone prepared for Mr Radcliffe’s arrival.
Of course, no one was more excited than Emily. She rushed around the house, almost in a frenzy, making sure everything was perfect. Even things that her husband would have no way of noticing, like the state of the kitchen, were given great attention and effort by Emily. For the most part, Victoria kept Lily occupied while her mother worked to put the house in order and prepare for Mr Radcliffe’s return.
Lily was also quite excited about her father’s return, but she did not fully understand what was happening. She was so young, after all. She just knew she would get to see her papa soon, and that was all that mattered.
Victoria and Lily were together in the little girl’s room when Emily came hurrying inside, her face flushed, and his lips curled into a wide smile.
“Oh, Tory, he is here!” she cried out, releasing a laugh. “Come, come! Bring Lily along. His carriage is pulling up to the house!”
“Right away!” Victoria exclaimed. She grabbed hold of Lily’s hand and followed Emily as she rushed back out of the room. The three made their way downstairs to the foyer, where Lord Harford was already waiting. Victoria’s heart clenched at the sight of him.
He glanced at her and quickly looked away. She tried to ignore her disappointment and the sting of hurt she felt at his apparent dismissal. She told herself it was not something for her to concern herself with at that moment. Her focus needed to be on Lily and Emily.
The front door suddenly swung open, and a man strolled inside. He was tall with dark hair and bright green eyes. His gaze swept across the foyer and landed on Emily, who let out a gasp of delight.
“James!” she exclaimed, tears filling her eyes to run down her cheeks as she ran toward her husband.
He threw his arms open, and she fell into them, clinging to him as she began to sob in her joy.
“Emily,” he gasped, hugging her tight. “Oh, my darling, I have missed you so.”
“I have missed you too,” Emily replied. She turned her face up to his, and James pressed his lips to hers in an eager kiss. It was clear he did not care that there were other people around to witness it. He was simply too happy to see his wife, it seemed. The sight warmed Victoria’s heart.
She could not help but glance toward Lord Harford, who was looking at anything but his sister and brother-in-law. Victoria wondered what it would be like to have him as excited to see her as James was to see Emily. That pang in her heart returned.
