“You think me a liar?” Mr. Dunn’s tone was filled with unshed tears, and Felicity rubbed at her temple, hoping to ease the pressure there. When his palms brushed her arms, she leapt away, spinning and putting out a hand to ward him off.
“I know you are a liar,” she said with narrowed eyes. “Did you think I wouldn’t realize your letters were falsified?”
Mr. Dunn’s brows shot up, his eyes darting away from her; that spark of surprise was enough to tell Felicity how little he thought of her intelligence. Her revelation discomposed him for only a heartbeat before he met her gaze once more with a pained smile.
“I admit it.” His shoulders dropped with a heavy sigh. “They were the letters I always wanted to send you, but I couldn’t afford the paper or ink then. But neither could I arrive on your doorstep after all this time without an offering.WhenI wrote them may be untrue, but surely those missives demonstrate how much I still adore you.”
Clearly, his opinion of her wits was even lower than she’d realized.
“For goodness’ sake, Mr. Dunn. You are embarrassing yourself and irritating me. For both our sakes, leave it be.”
“But you are my whole existence. I’ve dreamt of this moment for years. Do not say that you are lost to me.” Taking her by the forearms, he held her there, that once handsome visage aimed at her as though that and his false ardor would sway her. And they might’ve, once.
If it weren’t for the pains pricking her temple and the general exhaustion pulling at her as though gravity itself had strengthened its hold on her, Felicity might’ve been impressed with the fellow’s acting ability. In some ways, it eased the embarrassment that tainted her memories of him, for Alastair Dunn was quite convincing as the forlorn lover. It was like he’d stepped forth from the pages of a novel, determined to carry the heroine off into that perfect fantasy of eternal wedded bliss.
Felicity twisted her arm, breaking his hold on her. “Why do you love me, Mr. Dunn?”
Stepping forward, he swept her into his arms, leaning in until she felt his moist breath on her cheeks. “I think my letters say the words well enough.”
Pushing against him, Felicity wrenched herself free again and put another few paces between them. “They conveyed your intentions quite clearly, but I wish to hear it from you.”
Dipping to his knees, he took her hand in his, placing a kiss on her knuckles. “You are the most radiant woman I have ever laid eyes on, my darling. I have traveled across this country, and none could compare with your beauty and grace. It is as though Aphrodite herself fashioned you…”
Felicity yanked her hand away and wiped his token of affection on her skirts. Had his lips always been so soggy?
Mr. Dunn continued to drone on about the same things those fools always said. He was far more gifted with his flattery and managed to avoid breaking into bouts of poetry, but Felicity was finished with the moderate politeness she’d been bestowing.
“Enough, Mr. Dunn. I count myself lucky that my uncle stopped our ill-advised elopement all those years ago, and your renewed attentions have done nothing to change my mind. I will never marry you, so please maintain your last shred of dignity and leave me be. Your petitions have moved from irritating to insulting, and I am done allowing you to waste my time,” she said, turning away with a dismissive wave.
“Felicity, please!”
Hearing that informal address was enough to set her teeth on edge, and Felicity fought against the urge to berate him. Not that she cared about bruising his feelings, but to engage him in conversation once more would only prolong his presence in her life.
With pounding steps, she marched back to the assembly room door and was met by a figure in the darkness. Stepping into the moonlight, Mr. Finch glanced at her and then at Mr. Dunn, his eyes narrowing. But when his gaze returned to Felicity, the hardness fled, leaving them filled with concern.
“You are interrupting a private conversation, sir,” said Mr. Dunn.
Felicity sucked in a breath, closing her eyes and letting it out through her teeth. When she opened her eyes, Mr. Finch was staring at her, his brow pulled low.
“I am here to claim my set with Miss Barrows.” Mr. Finch’s voice was quiet, but it carried through the night air. “And it is monstrously rude for you to keep her out here in the cold without a proper cloak, sir.”
“You’ve had your set,” replied Mr. Dunn as he straightened his jacket.
“My first, but not my second.”
Mr. Dunn stilled at that, and the gentlemen’s gazes locked. Felicity let out another exasperated sigh. Turning away from the pair of them, she made a straight line through the doorway and into the crowd as her thoughts cursed all menfolk. But Mr. Finch was at her elbow an instant later, and he guided her onto the dance floor.
“Will you not give me the courtesy of asking before you force me into another set?”
Mr. Finch’s brows rose. “Do you object to it?”
“To the dancing or to your rescue when none was needed?” Some part of her heart prickled at the tartness of her tone and the hard words, but that organ was so twisted and shaken that Felicity could hardly move through the steps, though the dance had a languid pace with simple movements. Her feet were heavy, plodding things, doing their best to stay on the beat despite the terrible weight that settled on her.
Felicity was so very tired of feeling like a coin purse and not a person. But though Mr. Finch was a source of much of the present heartache, he did not deserve such censure.
“I apologize, Mr. Finch,” she murmured as they passed down the line, weaving between the others. “You were trying to be of assistance, and I have repaid it poorly. But you needn’t worry about Mr. Dunn. He is a pest, but I am used to unwanted suitors haranguing me. They are irritating but harmless, and he will leave when he realizes I will not budge. He may be more persistent than most, but my will is stronger than his.”
Mr. Finch’s blonde brows twisted together, his gaze holding hers with such concern that Felicity felt like crying. But there was no point in spilling tears: her life was her life, and she would make the best of it somehow.
