A blaze of anger burned across Miss Kellaway’s features. She was silent for several seconds. “Are youmad?”
Miss Lyons flushed. “What on earth do you mean?”
A surge of dread entered my stomach. This squabble—whatever was about to break out between the two women—was centered on me. My instincts had not fooled me at the ball. First the lies, the spilled punch, then the handkerchief. Both women seemed to be on the verge of an outburst, and I wanted nothing to do with it.
Silence thrummed in the air, but I broke it with a few quick words. “Please excuse me.” Without another glance at my companions, I turned and rode in a straight line in the opposite direction. My heart pounded.
“Wait! Mr. Croft—” Miss Kellaway’s voice carried over the breeze behind me, and I heard the thudding of her horse’s hooves across the grass.
I stopped and turned, panic seizing my throat. “Leave me alone. Please.” My voice was harsher than I intended, but I couldn’t stop. “I’m afraid my sisters may have been misleading in their conversation over tea. For that, I apologize. But I find it prudent to tell you now that I have no desire for marriage in the near future. I hope I have not indicated any sign of an attachment to you, or to anyone else. Such a thing does not exist. Nor will it ever.”
I met her gaze for a fleeting moment, but it was long enough to see the hurt behind her eyes.
She stopped abruptly. My gaze lingered for too long on her face. I wanted to apologize for my frankness, but it was too late. My voice was buried under a heaping mountain of pride. My jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. “Good day.”
My skin felt hot as I turned. And then I rode straight toward the sea, away from the Steine, and away from Miss Kellaway. I could not want her if all she wanted was my fortune. I could not want her if she was going to play me for a fool.
I could not want her if I could never trust her intentions.
I repeated these phrases in my mind as the waves rolled ahead of me, untamed and unpredictable. Miss Kellaway was the same—just as beautiful and equally dangerous.
Whatever detailed stratagem she had in mind would end today. There was nothing she could do to catch my attention again. I stayed near the beach and watched the waves until I was certain Miss Kellaway and her companions had returned home.
For some reason, my chest ached as I turned my back on the sea.
Chapter Ten
ALICE
Icouldn’t think clearly as I watched Mr. Croft grow smaller in the distance.
He was even more spooked than my horse.
My pulse raced in my ears, my chest tight with regret. Heat climbed up my neck until it felt like it might consume me entirely. If I looked at Charlotte now, I would cause another scene in public. The Steine was still rather empty, but the pathways were slowly collecting people.
Now was not the time to start another squabble, butoh, would I start one later.
I tapped my heels against my horse’s flanks, causing him to leap into motion. The poor creature had obviously been startled by Charlotte’s handkerchief fluttering into his face, which I knew for a fact had not been accidental. She had used a similar tactic with her shawl on our first day in Brighton. I was learning that she was quite skilled at tossing things into the wind to obtain her objectives. Edmund had chased her down the beach that day, just as she had planned.
And today, I had been humiliated…just as she had planned.
I streaked past Charlotte and Edmund, unwilling to minimize our confrontation by having it here in public. I didn’t want to hold myself back.
For the first time in my life, I was going to speak my mind to Charlotte Lyons.
All of it.
When I reached the house, I tore off my gloves and hat in the entry hall. The hairs at the base of my head stuck to my neck, my skin damp with perspiration. Tears already stung behind my eyes, and not only because of what Charlotte had done. The harsh words Mr. Croft had thrown at me before disappearing down the Steine still echoed in my mind. They hurt. They scratched at my heart like thorns.I hope I have not indicated any sign of an attachment to you, or to anyone else.
Such a thing does not exist.
Nor will it ever.
I blinked, and a tear fell down my cheek.I slapped it away.
I paced the checkered tiles until I heard the front door open behind me. Mama, Edmund, and Charlotte walked into the entry hall together, bringing an awkward hush with them.
I wished Mama wasn’t here. She had a way of softening me when I didn’t wish to be softened. Even now, seeing her worried expression, I felt incapable of anything but shedding tears all down my face and riding habit. Edmund, however, had the opposite effect on my emotions. He looked just as angry as I was. Just as vexed. His dark hair was mussed from the wind, half-flattened by the hat he had just been wearing.
