“I’m sorry, Evan, but I have ended my courtship with the Duke. There will be no betrothal from him,” she said.
Her words were met with silence as her family stared at her like they did not understand a word of what she said.
“What do you mean?” Nancy asked. “You spoke with him only yesterday and you were both happy to be there. I could tell.”
Augusta nodded. “Yes, I made my decision yesterday. It would seem we both did,” she said, reminding her of her impending betrothal but unlike before, it did not elicit a smile on Nancy’s face.
Augusta hated the look of pity that was plain to see on their faces. She did not want to be pitied. She wanted even more to return to her room and lock herself in there for the rest of the day but that would only cause them to worry and pity her even more.
“There is no need to feel sorry for me. I do not want anything to do with that man anymore. The decision to end it all was mine,” she said again.
“There is one thing I wish to know,” Evan said, leveling her with a strong gaze. “Did the Duke behave inappropriately towards you in any way? You only need tell me and I will see to it that he faces repercussions for his actions.”
Augusta shivered as she remembered the duels at dawn she’d read in some of her novels. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to risk her life for her.
“No, he did nothing inappropriate,” she said convincingly.
Evan stared her down but she never wavered and then he nodded. Augusta sighed quietly as she remembered the kiss they had shared in the garden.
Although she’d been unable to sleep because she mourned the end of their courtship and the fact that she would never be able to speak with him as freely as she used to, she had also been plagued by the kiss that they shared in the garden.
Despite her broken-heartedness, her mind had replayed the kiss over and over again until she was transported back to the garden and she could almost feel him there with her. She could feel the warmth of his palm on her cheeks. She could feel the firmness and sweet caress of his lips brushing against hers.
She could taste him on her tongue, the taste of him stubbornly refusing to depart from her memory and she could hear the soft sounds he made at the back of his throat as he angled his head, relentlessly sucking her lips into his mouth until her body heated and she wished to be swallowed whole by him.
No, he had not been inappropriate but he had touched her in a way that she did not think she could ever forget, which was terrible for her, considering she would never get to do that with him ever again.
Evan sighed and nodded, forking a broken piece of bacon into his mouth. He chewed silently, his brows set in concentration, a clear indication of when he was lost in deep thought.
“It’s all right, sister. I’m sorry your courtship had to come to an end but I understand,” he said.
“Is there anything you want?” Jane asked, her eyes filled with even greater concern than before.
Augusta smiled at her sister-in-law. “I will be fine. Perhaps I should remain home for a few days to gather my thoughts but you have no need to worry about me. I will be over this soon and we can go on to plan Nancy’s wedding.”
This time, instead of the many questions, they all nodded, understanding that what she needed more than anything was to be left to her own device without any of them trying to make her feel better.
Augusta was grateful for her family. While there had been times when they mocked her and did not understand her need to protect the young debutantes, they were always there for her when she truly needed them. It was more than she could ever have asked for.
“You can have the days you need, however, do remember that we have the dinner party we need to attend in a few days. I only wish we had not already sent word of our acceptance of their invitation. It would have bee easier for you to skip out and remain home,” Evan said.
She did not think she would indeed be ready to be out in the open at any time soon. The last thing she wanted was to be at any event where she ran the risk of bumping into him or staring longingly at him from across the room while he went about his activities. But choosing to stay home would only alarm her family to the extent of her heartbreak.
Augusta nodded, smiling at him gratefully. “Thank you, Evan. I will be ready to attend the dinner party.”
CHAPTER22
Augusta stood with her back to the wall. She had never felt more like a wallflower than she did at that moment. Dinner had been a sordid affair. She hadn’t caught a glimpse of Benedict yet. She tried to convince herself that she did not care whether he was present or not but her loss of appetite and inability to engage in conversation proved otherwise.
She tried desperately to pay attention to the conversation between Jane and Nancy in hopes of distracting herself but found it much too difficult a task to accomplish. She scanned the crowd once again, her face falling when, as always, she couldn’t find him.
Her attention was pulled from her search as a tall, middle-aged man approached them. He had a friendly face and kind eyes. He was a beast of a man with how much he towered over them.
“Good evening, ladies,” he greeted, his lips spreading into a small smile that held so much warmth. “I sincerely apologize for interrupting your conversations but I merely hoped to introduce myself. I am Henry Trilby, the Duke of Belford.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace,” Jane responded just as kindly. “I am Lady Curtis and these are my sisters-in-law, Lady Augusta and Lady Nancy.”
Nancy curtsied slightly and Augusta quickly followed suit. She grimaced slightly. She’d seen the man countless times before. He often kept to himself and was not the type of man she protected women from. It was too bad he had waited this long to try speaking with Nancy since she was now betrothed.
