Lady Enderly raised her eyebrow. “Do you have a sister? Any neighboring young ladies that might find him of interest?”
He laughed. He hadn’t realized exactly how desperate Harewood’s mother was to have him wed. “I do not have a sister, but yes, there are a number of young ladies in the area. I will caution that he has already met a few of them.”
Lady Enderly waved her hand as if that was of no import. “Then it’s time he became reacquainted. I will suggest he spend the rest of the festive season with your family. I have no doubt that my husband will—”
“I’m sorry to interrupt.” Lady Garmoyle appeared suddenly.
How had he not noticed her approach?
“What is it, dear?” Lady Enderly immediately focused on Lady Garmoyle.
Lady Garmoyle wrung her hands and looked at each of them worriedly before finally returning her attention to their hostess. “I think perhaps you’d best see.” She looked at them again. “All of you.”
Immediately, a fission of worry slid up his spine. As they followed the woman out, he scanned the ballroom for Amelia. She wasn’t dancing, and he didn’t see her. Hoping she’d gone to the ladies’ retiring room, he followed, trying to figure out what was afoot and how to intervene. If Lady Garmoyle was involved, it could be life changing for any of them.
They stopped at the library doors where the lady turned to look at them. “This is rather shocking, so prepare yourselves.” Then with a flourish, she opened the two doors upon which, they viewed Harewood and Lady Amelia talking.
At first, he didn’t understand why there was a problem and then he did, his heart hammering inside his chest. No!
Lady Enderly broke the stunned silence. “Felton! What are you doing in here alone with Lady Amelia?”
The two, who had stopped their conversation to look at them, both frowned.
He glanced at Lady Garmoyle’s smug expression and knew. Whipping his gaze to Amelia, he found amusement shining in her eyes. How could she find this funny? Did she not realize she’d be forced to marry Harewood? He wouldn’t allow it.
Lady Amelia nodded to Harewood, who held out his palm to her in deference. Finally, she addressed them. “Why would you think, two intelligent, unmarried people would be alone in the library?” Her gaze lit on Lady Garmoyle and turned calculating.
Lady Garmoyle straightened. “Because you are.” She gestured to the rest of them. “We are all witness.” The woman’s gaze shifted to Harewood, and she no longer hid her gleeful triumph. She didn’t even know she’d harmed them both in the process.
Amelia’s eyes sparkled with humor. “My dear, lady. We are hardly alone. Right, Father?”
“That is correct.” The creak of leather came from one of the wingback chairs next to the fireplace as Lord Wakefield rose and faced them all.
Andrew had never been so relieved that Amelia’s father enjoyed books more than people. Profound relief swept through him, and he took a deep breath to restore his equilibrium. The urge to ask for Amelia’s hand in marriage in front of everyone right then was too strong to deny, and he opened his mouth to do so, but a niggling doubt had him staying silent. What if she refused him? If she was fully invested in their bargain, she may well do so, and they were so close to completing it.
Wakefield walked over to where his daughter stood and pointed at Lady Garmoyle. “This woman, if the conversation of my daughter and Lord Harewood is to be believed, arranged this to trap Lord Harewood into marriage with my daughter in revenge for the lord having foiled her attempt to trap another man in marriage to her.”
He could keep silent any longer. He stepped forth. “This is true. I was the man she attempted to trap into marriage, but I was fortunate enough to have Lord Harewood walking in the garden with her mother at the time. Despite having found a husband, she is bent upon revenge.”
Lady Enderly turned to look at Lady Garmoyle. “Is this true?”
The woman refused to admit the truth. “I’m completely flummoxed that they could think so ill of me. Yes, I was in the garden with Lord Sommerset a couple years ago, but I only went out there because I knew my mother and Lord Harewood were there too.”
Anger burned its way up his spine that she could look so wounded when she knew she lied. He glanced to Amelia, thankful that she was nothing like Lady Garmoyle, and found her smiling.
She linked her arm around her father’s. “Then why did you enter this room with all these people in attendance,” Amelia gestured to all of them, “as if we had been caught unchaperoned?”
The lady lifted both her hands in supplication. “I only did so because I knew you had come in here and when I noticed Lord Harewood slip in, too, I thought that he was interested in you. Lady Enderly had always hoped that would be the case. So I thought if she were to see that Lord Harewood already had affections for you, she would be pleased.”
Andrew couldn’t stay silent any longer. “And how did you know that Lady Amelia was in here?”
Before the woman could answer, Amelia spoke. “She told me that Lady Enderly wanted me to look at a painting in here that was in need of repair. She insisted I do so immediately.”
Lady Enderly frowned. “There is no painting in here in need of repair.”
He addressed Harewood next. “And you said you needed to come in here to settle a debate your father was having.” He looked about. “I don’t see your father.”
Harewood lifted his chin. “My father was not in here when I arrived.”
