His time with Helena seemed to be spinning away fast. They should start planning for the end of their engagement.
Matteo let out a long breath. He had gotten quite used to spending time with Helena. He liked spending time with her.
Oh, is that all?
Another long breath. In the solitude of his own company, Matteo admitted to himself that he was moved by her in ways that he had never experienced before. So yes, he very much liked her company.Thatwas a problem. But it seemed that the worst part was that he wanted his time with Helena to last longer.
His logic told him that they must end it soon; his heart told him not to, not soon, not even at all.
He groaned inwardly; it maddened him to be in a quandary, inthisquandary. How could two such contradicting feelings rage within him? How was a man supposed to choose? And yet, choose he must.
Chapter Nineteen
“My lady, Her Grace, the Duchess of Valen, and Her Grace, the Duchess of Wylds, are waiting for you in the sitting room.”
Dahlia closed her eyes. She knew this visit was inevitable. Since reading Matteo’s note that he had been to see Dahlia and Peter, Helena had been in a constant state of anxiety about her friends’ wanting to know more about their engagement. In truth, what she was most anxious about was that she would need to tell them fabrications.
She put down the meal plan that the cook had submitted to her for approval and rose from behind her desk.
“Thank you. You may tell them to come up, Mr. Keble.”
“Very good, my lady.”
A few minutes passed before Helena heard the sound of footsteps outside her door.
Bedchambers were not unusual places for the three friends to conduct their calls. Indeed, she was very familiar with both Celine’s and Dahlia’s rooms as they were with hers.
“There you are!” Dahlia said.
“Rest, pregnant lady.” Helena said, leading them to her bed. “Did you wait long? I told Mr. Keble to send you up at once.”
All three of them took off their slippers and, in stockinged feet, found comfortable positions on Helena’s bed.
“Not at all, and Chastity and Grace were both there. We had a short gossip session.” Celine said with a grin.
“Grace?” Helena asked, confused. “But she should be in her painting class.”
“Oh, she finished early,” Dahlia answered. “Truly, her work has much improved.”
“Yes, the last watercolor she did was of the pergola. It was quite beautifully done.” Helena said proudly.
“Chastity is looking very well, too,” Celine said. “How are her suitors?”
“Still present, there are two who are consistent, one who has recently returned from an absence, and one whom I am not sure is a suitor at all.”
“Well,” Dahlia said, smiling in anticipation. “Tell us all about them!”
Helena told them in detail about the gentlemen suitors and Chastity’s opinion of each of them. When she talked about Lord Clifton, she received different reactions from each of her friends.
“If there is no one who can vouch for him, then that is most suspect,” Celine said with a frown.
“I am sure he is merely still reestablishing himself here, after all, he has been away for so long,” Dahlia said.
“I do not know why you are defending him, Dahlia,” Celine replied with a sniff.
“I am not defending Lord Clifton,” Dahlia argued. “I am merely giving him the benefit of the doubt. There is no proof that he is of the bad sort.”
“Nor is there proof that he is of the good sort.”
