“Did I say something to upset him?” she asked Sebastian in a sweet voice that had a hard edge to it.
“I think you made him realize how wrong it was of him to tell you such a tale.”
“I’m glad he did tell me, because it has answered two questions that have been plaguing me.”
“Oh?”
“Would you like to know what they are?”
Terrified of the answer, he nodded.
“Firstly, the identity of a willing and eligible lady to whom I could introduce Mr Shorncliffe, as he is in dire need of a mother for his children. And I believe Lord Dunridge’s aunt may be the answer.”
“That is very kind of you.” His words sounded hesitant, even to his own ears.
“I try to be kind to my fellow human beings. Have I not been kind to you all your life, Lord Stanworth?”
A lump had formed in his throat. Where was this conversation going? Not where he had hoped, of that he was certain. “For as long as I have known you.”
She inclined her head. “And yet I find, through your close friend, that you also sent a hoax Valentine to the plainest...” Her voice faltered, but she ploughed on. “M...most unattractive woman of your acquaintance.”
“No!” He had to make her understand that it wasn’t like that.
“So, the Valentine I received a few years ago was not sent by you, but someone else?”
Had she received others? “I...I don’t know.”
Her eyebrow quirked. “You did not send me a Valentine’s Day ditty three years ago?”
“Did you only have one secret admirer that Valentine’s Day?”
Her raised eyebrow crept towards her hairline. “Do you think I have so many that I can’t keep track of them?”
“I cannot see why you would be short of them.”
“I can assure you, I do not have a surfeit.” Her voice was glacial.
“Violet—”
Her mouth flattened at his familiarity. She sat rigid in her seat.
“Violet, I confess, I sent you tokens of my love on Valentine’s Day, at Christmas...and other times. I accept they were completely inadequate expressions of my feelings, but they were sincere. They were never sent as a joke or a prank. They were from the heart.”
Violet flinched. “Your cruelty surpasses that of your friend, as you sent multiple letters of false encouragement, compared to the single one Dunridge sent.” She rose to her feet, face set and lips compressed. She impaled him with a glare. “Are your university friends still in on the joke?”
He shot to his feet. “No!”
She huffed. “I don’t believe you.”
“I would never lie to you.” He had to stop her leaving before he could explain. “I truly admire and adore you.” Sebastian tried to clasp her hand, but she snatched it back.
“If this confession of your admiration another part of your twisted game? I want no part of it.”
Sebastian’s heart contracted. “But...but I love you.”
“You love me?” Tears glistened in her eyes. “I don’t believe you!” Emotion vibrated through her voice. “I suspect you have no idea what love is.” Her voice cracked.
“I know what it is,” he answered bitterly. He tried take her hand again, but she thrust them behind her back.
