“Oh, no…” Lucy sighed with realization.
“He was angry, Lucy. He said… he said that if we did not do something that you would try and stop us. That you would do whatever it took to get in the way…” She sniffed again. “He said you have always been doing that, how jealous you are, how you do not want me to be happy. But I want to be happy, Lucy. I want to be happy like you are.”
“Oh, Amelia…”
“He said this was the only way,” she continued, her voice thick. “That it would force you to stop trying to get in the way, at least until after the wedding. But I promise, Lucy! I did not know… I had no idea… he made it seem that you would only be sick. A fever, he said.”
It came together then, all the pieces that had been floating around in Lucy’s head, fitted together perfectly to form a clear picture.
I should have known, and now that I do, the truth is too obvious to deny… Amelia, I warned you about him.
“Lord Wembley,” Lucy said. “He did this.”
“He did it for us,” Amelia said desperately, her cheeks swollen and stained with tears. “So that we could be together.”
“And the letter?” Lucy said. “I take it he sent that too?”
“He told me that you and His Grace hated us, and that he had to ensure that you could not get in the way. Please, Lucy.” She took Lucy’s hand with both of hers and squeezed. “He loves me, that is why. He just wants us to be together. He wants us to be happy.”
Lucy took no vindication in this revelation.
In fact, hearing her stepsister’s words of pain and jealousy broke her heart. It was ironic in many ways, how Lucy had always thought that Amelia was the favorite, given everything, treated as special while Lucy was always denied love. In Amelia’s eyes, Lucy was her competition, and she was just as jealous of Lucy as Lucy was of her.
She did not do this out of malice. She did it out of a twisted sense of love. Tricked, is what she was, by her own heart and a man who did not have one.
“And you will be happy, Amelia,” Lucy said. “Only, not with Lord Wembley.”
“No!” Her eyes widened. “What… what are you going to do? Please, Lucy. He did not mean it! Please!”
“Amelia…” Lucy looked at her stepsister, sure to show her how sorry she felt. “You almost killed me. By the sounds of it, Lord Wembley meant to kill me. If you think I can forget this…” A shake of the head.
“Please…” She begged.
“If it is any consolation, you will be better off without him. And maybe, in the future, you will thank me. I do so hope that is the case.”
“Please!” Tears fell thick down her face as she clutched Lucy’s arm. “Please! Do not say anything. I am sorry, Lucy. I am sorry.”
“I know you are.” Gently, Lucy pulled her arm free. “And so am I.”
With that said, Lucy turned and walked back toward the carriage. Behind her, she heard Amelia begging and crying and calling to her, but Lucy ignored it. She felt sick with what she hadjust heard, she felt heartbroken. Most of all, she felt a sudden need to be with her husband.
He was not perfect. He still had so far to go. But he cared for her, he would be there for her when she needed him most, and he would do anything to protect her.
Now, it is time for him to prove this true. Lord Wembley needs to be stopped, my stepsister needs saving, and I can think of no man better suited to the task.
