He watched as she walked away.
She couldn’t leave it like this.
But she was leaving all the same.
Eight
Olivia,
I refuse to allow a stupid mistake from three years ago come between us now. Meet me at Scandal Lane. Eight o’clock. Please, sweetheart.
I’ll send a carriage and meet you there. And if you don’t come, I’ll simply call on you at home. In front of your entire family. Don’t think I won’t. This is too important.Youare too important.
Alexander
The man was a nuisance.
But he was a determined nuisance, and Olivia knew he meant what he threatened. He would cause a huge scandal rather than allow her to ignore his summons. He really was that stubborn.
And, truth be told, Olivia was worried that she was being rather ridiculous.
After all, it was three years since that dratted day, and they’d shared more than an innocent peck since then.
She certainly felt differently. Couldn’t she trust that he did too?
After she’d gone back to the party, she’d been surprised to see that Jane wasn’t ensconced with Mr. St. Clare. Instead, she was alone in a corner and looking thoroughly miserable. The sight pained Olivia. Much as she’d been frustrated with her sister these past few weeks, she knew Jane was taking their fall to genteel poverty worse than she was.
Jane had jumped at the chance to go home so they’d scurried off, refusing his lordship’s carriage and hurrying home in miserable silence.
Olivia sighed now and paced her bedchamber as she had been doing for hours.
She’d have to go to Hyde Park. She couldn’t risk Alex coming here.
A knock sounded on her door and for one mad moment she was afraid Alex would be standing on the other side of it.
It was Jane who walked into her room, however, and perched on the edge of her bed.
Olivia snatched up Alex’s letter from beside where her sister sat.
“Are you meeting Alexander?” Jane suddenly demanded.
Olivia didn’t know what to say.
There was no point in denying it. Jane was clearly already suspicious, and she’d notice if Olivia suddenly disappeared.
“That’s none of your concern,” she said with a sniff rather than deny it.
“Do you realise this is Alexander?” Jane demanded, crossing her arms, ever the bossy big sister. “You despise each other. Sworn childhood enemies and all that.”
“Do you realise you’re being quite the hypocrite. What about Mr. St. Clare? Don’t think I don’t know that you went sneaking off to meet him the other day.” Olivia shot back, hating feeling so defensive.
“Yes, well. You don’t have to worry about seeing Mr. St. Clare again. He – that is, we – well, we are no longer friends.”
Olivia saw the flash of hurt on her sister’s pretty face and immediately felt contrite. It wasn’t Jane’s fault that Alexander Stratford had her tied in knots.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said through gritted teeth. “What happened?”
Jane laughed though the sound wasn’t exactly happy.
