“It was after I had retired for bed.”
His eyebrows pulled together. “Someone came to your room?”
Oh dear.She must arrange her words so that she didn’t say something unnecessary. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went out to the stable to saddle Pegasus. That’s when I had the visitor. They saw me and came to speak with me.”
Leaning back in his chair, he linked his fingers across his middle. “Who was it?”
She forced a small laugh. “You will not believe it. The truth is too strange.”
“Explain yourself.” One eyebrow lifted higher than the other.
She proceeded to tell him about seeing Lord Calvin Drake, and the confession he had thrown at her. She studied her father for his reaction, and thankfully, it was the same as she’d had. Disbelief was on his face, so she continued to tell himwhyAdam had lied to everyone.
Her father released a growl and stood from his chair. He marched back and forth across the floor, shaking his head.
“I don’t believe it,” he muttered before glancing at her. “What if this is just another man after your fortune?”
“No, Father. It’s really Adam.”
“How did he make you believe?”
“I gave Adam my locket—the one that my dear mother gave me before she died. Adam told me he still had that locket.” She shrugged. “Only Adam knew I had given that to him, since it was done in private, right before he left.”
Her father pushed his fingers through his thinning brown hair. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. I still doubt it.”
She chuckled. “Yes, well, it’s the truth.”
His head snapped up. “Does he still want to marry you?”
“Yes.” After she said the words, she thought back on their strange conversation. Had he actuallysaidhe wanted to be her husband? In all of the shock and heartbreak of seeing Vincent and Lady Livingston, Ellie couldn’t trust her memory anymore. Not today, anyway.
“And what are your feelings?” her father asked in a soft, understanding voice.
Tears stung her eyes again. Hadn’t she shed all her tears by now? “I…don’t know. I loved Adam and hadn’t wanted to let go of his memory. But after meeting Lord Trenton, I thought I had found a man who would be able to replace my memories.”
Confusion filled her, tugging painfully at her heart. Did she still love Adam, even though he was now Lord Calvin Drake? Or did she really love Vincent?
“But what will Society think? Will they expect me to marry the soldier I pined away for all those years? Or will they be unforgiving if I marry Vincent? I just don’t know—Vincent or Adam?”
“Ellie, you told me he goes by Lord Calvin now. They won’t know he was Adam Haddington.”
“I know.” She covered her face with her hands. “But I will know the truth.”
“My dear.” He sat beside her and wrapped comforting arms around her shoulders. “Please don’t fret. There is always a solution to every problem.”
Sniffing, she lowered her hands and looked at him. “What is the solution, Father?”
“What does your heart tell you?”
“I…I don’t know yet. It’s been crushed so many times in the past twenty-four hours, I cannot trust it any longer.”
“Then that is something you will have to decide. We shall postpone the wedding with Lord Trenton until you realize who holds your heart.”
“But what about Society? I’m the daughter of a duke. I have to follow rules, and not cause a scandal—”
“Shh…” He touched a finger to her mouth. “Don’t you worry about them. Let me worry about it.”
She struggled to smile. “I suppose I don’t need to make a decision now.”
