“It was terrible,” Lady Anderson whispered before Lady Cromwell sent her a severe look that clearly said not to interrupt.
“I believe that is where Edward’s fear of marriage comes from,” Lady Cromwell continued.
Amelia began to shake her head. “Forgive me, Edward has told me much of this. But I do not believe him to have any fear regarding marriage. He informed me on our wedding day that he’d intended to marry this Season.”
“Do not doubt me; marriage terrified the boy. Much as he may pretend otherwise.” Lady Cromwell shook her finger at Amelia. Again, they would have to agree to disagree.
“Regardless, the fact was that he never once saw a healthy relationship of which he could rely on. Things grew worse when his mother died. Edward was old enough to miss his mother and to remember the volatile relationship she had with his father but still young enough to have the natural desire to impress his father.”
“He did notseehim, you understand,” Lady Anderson interjected. “Edward’s father. He never once took the time to see the man Edward was becoming, and Edward was desperate to counteract that.” This time Lady Cromwell did not reprimand Lady Anderson’s interruption with a look, but instead, she nodded.
“Yes, and then there was the incident.”
They shared a look again.
“What incident?” Amelia could see she wassoclose to discovering those missing pages of music. They were fluttering in the air around her, and if she could only reach out and snatch them before the wind picked up, perhaps she would learn what they contained.
“The first time a woman attempted to ensnare Edward, of course,” Lady Cromwell explained. “He told me of it only when I confronted him regarding the rumors. Essentially, a young woman decided she would like to marry the heir to an earldom, so she concocted a plan to force him into a compromising situation. They were found, and it was demanded that Edward marry the girl. Edward refused.”
Amelia’s sharp intake of breath was audible.
“Indeed.” Lady Anderson nodded. “It was nearly unheard of, but Edward refused to act honorably when the woman had done the exact opposite. His standing would weather the scandal. Hers did not, and so she retreated to her family’s country home in disgrace.”
“But what—” Amelia could not form the questions in her mind.
Lady Anderson nodded emphatically. Though at what, Amelia hadn’t a clue. Lady Cromwell continued the story.
“From what I understand, that was the first time in his life that Edward received praise from his father. It would appear that his father recognized and noted that his son was no chicken-hearted boy. And so, the second time such an event occurred, Edward acted in precisely the same way. Of course, he was still never one to purposefully slander a woman’s name, so he did not give the particulars to theton. Therefore, they believed him to have dallied with a woman, then left her. Perhaps he would have corrected that thinking in time, but then his father died, and Edward was quite suddenly the earl.”
Lady Anderson was nodding again. “And if women wished to catch his title before, they certainly wished for it then.”
The door to the drawing room fairly burst open, and Edward hurtled through the opening. His hair was windswept and his cravat skewed to the side. His eyes found hers, and warmth shot through her even as she jumped to her feet. She was torn between stunned happiness at his appearance and frustration that he had come before the dowagers had finished their tale.
“Amelia.” The word was nearly a breath, and he simply stared at her a moment.
“Well, Augusta, ought we to leave these two to sort the rest out?”
“I do not know, Charlotte. At this point I think we ought to stay and ensure he tells the story right this time.”
Edward’s eyes flicked to the women. Confusion marred his brow for the space of a breath.
“We have begun your confession; you had better finish it.” Lady Cromwell spoke with a clear command but did not move. Edward’s eyes continued to piercethroughAmelia as his chest rose and fell heavily. Slowly, he lifted his arm and pointed for the door.
“Thank you kindly for returning Amelia home. Truly, I am indebted to you. But if you do not leave us immediately, I will be forced to disown you.”
Lady Cromwell leaned heavily on her cane as she came to her feet, sighing dramatically. She turned to Amelia. “I will write tomorrow—to be sure he has not bungled things again.” Then she swept from the room, Lady Anderson following her. The door closed behind them with finality.
Edward took a deep breath, eyes not leaving hers. “Will you let me?” his voice was hardly above a whisper. “Will you allow me to explain what I ought to have weeks ago?”
Amelia could hardly breathe when he looked at her that way—as if everything in his life hinged on her answer.
But everything in her life hinged onhis, and what if the answer was not what she desperately hoped it was?
Even still, they had danced about the issue for weeks now, and she was growing weary of the set.
She nodded—slowly—and braced herself for the very worst.
Though all the while her heart leaped about, secretly desiring the opposite.
