He grinned and nodded, then turned and made his way down the hallway. Victoria watched him go, stunned. For a moment, she thought she should be ashamed of herself and her wanton behaviour, but she could not bring herself to feel anything close to shame. She was so happy. She could not help but smile as she hurried to make her way to her own room, the events of the night replaying in her mind again and again.
Chapter 33
As he made his way back to his room, he did not feel a shred of guilt. Perhaps he should, as he had just taken an innocent woman’s virtue. But he did not. Not at all.
All Edward felt was relief and joy. Everything would be all right because he was going to marry Victoria. It was the easiest decision he had ever made.
He loved her. He wanted to be with her for the rest of his life.
Reaching his room, Edward walked inside and considered his next move. He was not a fool. He knew marrying Victoria would cause a scandal. There was no way around that. Before he asked for her hand, he would need to inform his parents of his decision, so they could be prepared.
Not wanting to wait long to actually make Victoria his wife, Edward decided that he would leave for the country so that he could meet with his mother and father and tell them of his plans.
He would depart in the morning as soon as he could. With luck, he could speak with his parents, return to London immediately, and be engaged to Victoria by the end of the week.
***
The next morning, Edward was frustrated that he was not able to get as early of a start as he would have liked. He received a message early in the morning that some business matters needed to be tended to, and he could not depart until they were dealt with. By the time he returned to the townhouse, it was nearly noon, much later than he wished. He decided that, at least, he could explain his departure to Victoria before leaving.
When he stepped through the front door, the butler was waiting to greet him.
“Where is Miss Clifford?” Edward asked.
“I am afraid she is out, my lord,” the butler replied. “She took Miss Lily out to the park. I do not believe they plan to return until this afternoon.”
Edward frowned, disappointed. “Ah, I see. Thank you. Have the carriage brought around, please. I am going to leave within the next twenty minutes or so.”
“Of course, my lord,” the butler said with a bow.
Edward nodded and hurried on his way, heading up the stairs and making his way to Victoria’s room. At the very least, he could leave her a note, so she knew he was not just abandoning her after their night together.
Reaching her room, he paused and looked around to make sure no one was nearby to spot him. When he was certain the coast was clear, he opened the door and stepped inside. He was immediately surrounded by her scent, and his body reacted, his heart pounding and his manhood stirring.
He shook his head and forced his focus back on his intended task. Crossing to her writing desk, he pulled out a pen and paper and quickly wrote her a note, explaining that he was leaving for a couple of days and would be back soon. When he returned, he wanted to talk with her about something of great importance. Then, just to make sure she did not think he was trying to get away from her, he told her he would miss her desperately.
Once he was satisfied with the note, he let the ink dry and then folded the paper up and set it on her bureau in a place he was certain she would see. With a sigh, he turned and made his way back out of the room, hating leaving in such a matter. He wanted to stay and see her again. It did not feel right not to tell her in person that he was going to be gone, but he could not wait any longer if he wanted to get to the country manor in a timely manner.
When he returned, though, he would make it clear that he had no wish to ever leave her side again. They would be together, no matter what anyone else thought.
***
Victoria
When she and Lily walked into the house, Victoria was in an elated mood. She had been thinking about Edward all day. She had woken up that morning and had immediately expected to feel guilt and shame for letting him have such intimate liberties with her the night before. However, she had not felt anything like that. She had only felt happiness and excitement. It felt as though things between them were going to continue to grow and blossom.
Was there actually a chance for them to be together? She had allowed herself to hope that it could be possible. Victoria could not wait to see Edward and speak to him. She wanted to find out what he was thinking and if they had the same wishes for a future together. Victoria thought he likely did whenever she remembered the way he had looked at her while they had been together and all the sweet and romantic words he had said to her.
“Miss Lily, your mother wanted you to find her in the garden once we got back,” she told her small charge. “Go on and head out there now, all right? I will come find you both in a little while.”
“All right!” Lily nodded before turning to scurry down the hallway toward the back of the house. Victoria grinned before heading toward the grand staircase and making her way up to the second floor. She walked to her room and stepped inside, wanting to change her dress, which had a muddy hem from their time in the park.
For a moment, she paused and looked around, a strange feeling settling in her stomach. Gazing around the room with a frown, Victoria could not shake the suspicion that someone had been in her room. Looking around, though, she did not see anything out of the ordinary. Her eyes swept over her desk, bureau, and bed, but there was nothing out of place.
Shrugging, she pushed the strange feeling away and quickly changed into a clean gown. She made her way back downstairs and out to the garden to find Lily and Emily. The two were sitting together on a bench among the rose bushes. As Victoria approached, Emily looked up at her and smiled.
“Oh, you look lovely,” she declared. “You changed?”
Victoria nodded. “My skirt got a bit muddy at the park. I was wondering if you knew where your brother was? I have something I wish to discuss with him.”
