And to think Georgiana had thought her a naive, helpless young girl. For a long moment they gazed at one another, then Georgiana took her leave.
Her first instinct as she climbed into her aunt’s coach was to go tell Tristan that he’d been right, and to find out if he had come up with any sort of plan.
As she considered the problem, though, one thing kept coming to mind. She really had done all of this to herself. First she’d decided Tristan needed to be taught a lesson, and that she was the only one who could do it. Then she’d failed miserably at it, entangling her life with his all over again.
But she wanted Tristan Carroway. As Robert had said, she couldn’t simply give up and accept the future someone else left for her. They needed to talk, so she could decide whether she could ever trust him as much as her heart desperately wanted to.
Georgiana leaned out the window. “Hanley, please take me to Carroway House,” she called. “I would like to call on Miss Milly and Miss Edwina this afternoon.”
The driver nodded. “Very good, my lady.”
Chapter 21
What say you? Can you love the gentleman?
—Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene iii
When Tristan returned home for the afternoon break at Parliament, he went straight to his office. He knew damned well that he’d never find nine hundred quid over the next three months, but he needed enough blunt to give himself a few days of breathing space—to plan how in the world he would maneuver Georgiana into marrying him, without ruining her in the process.
“My lord?” Dawkins scratched at the office door.
“What is it?”
“I am to inform you that Lady Georgiana is here, visiting Miss Milly and Miss Edwina.”
Tristan bolted to his feet and strode to the door, slamming it open so quickly the butler nearly toppled backward. “Who told you to inform me about this visit?”
“Lady Georgiana did, my lord. They are in the morning room. She has been there for some time, but I don’t believe she was aware that you had returned.”
“And why didn’t you tell her I was here?”
“I was in the pantry, my lord, reviewing the larder contents.”
“You mean you were sleeping in the pantry.”
The butler snapped up straighter. “My lord, I—”
“Never mind.”
If she was here, then she’d spoken with Amelia. Part of him hoped she’d convinced the chit to give up the stockings and the letter; with nothing held over Georgiana, he could ask for her hand today. The other part of him, the part that wanted to sweep in like a medieval knight and free his damsel from the dragon, hoped that Amelia had turned her down. He’d done little enough for her that this felt like his responsibility.
“Good afternoon,” he said, strolling into the morning room.
She was seated between the aunties, all of them laughing. As she met his gaze, though, he knew that she’d been unsuccessful. Whatever she might try to tell him, her eyes never lied.
“Good afternoon,” she answered. “Your aunts have just been telling me about Dragon’s antics.”
“Yes. Thank God he’s not any larger, or he’d be tearing the house down around our ears.” He walked closer. “Aunties, may I steal Georgie for a moment?”
“Oh, I suppose so,” Milly said, chuckling. “You always steal away our prettiest visitors.”
“Really?” Georgiana murmured, as she moved past him into the hallway. “And how many pretty visitors have you stolen?”
“Just you. What happened?”
Georgiana glanced up and down the hallway. Reading her reluctance, he motioned her into the library and shut the door behind them as she sat on the couch.
“Tell me.”
