“Leticia!” The word was spoken quietly, but the outrage in Richard’s voice could not be mistaken. “What have you done?” She turned to see him stomping down the hallway. The thick, black heels of his boots thudded on the tiled floor, and he swung his arms at his sides, propelling himself toward them rapidly. As he got closer, Leticia could see that his lips were fixed into a scowl, and his eyebrows were drawn close together in consternation.
“Richard,” Leticia breathed. “Thank goodness you came after us.”
“I do not believe I had any other choice,” Richard said, his eyes flashing stormily. “Did you think it would be a lark to ruin my wedding in such a spectacular fashion?”
“No,” Leticia insisted at once. “I wasn’t trying to ruin anything.” She looked at him, silently pleading with him to understand her and forgive her for the trouble she’d caused. “If you will only spare me a moment of your time, I’d like to speak to you in private.”
“That’s out of the question,” Harry interceded, stepping in front of Richard, impeding Leticia’s path toward him.
“I agree,” Aunt Amelia added. “It is simply not possible for me to let either of you out of my sight right now. What would the people of thetonsay?”
“They’re already gossiping anyway,” Leticia responded, feeling her own frustrated senses smarting.
“If you must speak to Richard, say your piece right now,” Aunt Amelia commanded, holding her head up nobly.
“I can’t—” Leticia whispered. She glanced around the corridor, and even though it was vacant, she couldn’t be sure someone wasn’t lurking somewhere, ready and waiting to overhear this conversation.
Harry gave a sigh of annoyance, but he stepped away from Richard then and came closer to Leticia. “Look,” he said, nodding toward an open doorway that was only several feet away. “We shall all duck in there. You can say whatever is on your mind. Then, Richard can return to the altar and beg Miss Loery to forgive him.”
“No!” Leticia protested. The others in the hall all looked at her now with alarmed expressions, so shocked were they by her outburst. “No,” she persisted.
“Fine,” Richard said smoothly as he stepped around Harry and took hold of Leticia by her wrist. “Wewill step into this room for a moment. You will say whatever it is you think you need to say. Your aunt and cousin will wait here.”
Harry started to argue, but Richard held up his free hand. “I fear if we don’t handle the situation this way, it might drag out for an eternity.” Harry nodded dutifully and then moved aside. Richard led the way into the small room. He released his grip on Leticia at once and shut the door gently behind them. “Now…” he said, his voice perfectly steady, not at all like it had been a few moments before when he’d stomped down the hallway, “speak.”
It was a command, Leticia knew that much, and so, she did not mince words or even try to delay. “Two days ago, before I met with you in the library, I was listening outside the door leading to Miss Loery’s bridal chambers.”
“Yes,” Richard said, swirling his hand through the air as if to encourage her to go on, “I do remember you mentioning before how you’d done a bit of eavesdropping.”
Leticia’s spine stiffened, and she took a deep breath. “At first, I thought she was speaking of how greatly she admired you, but when I listened more closely, I heard quite the opposite.”
“How so?” Richard’s frown lines deepened, and he moved about the small room so that he could lean against the wall that was painted a dreary grayish white.
Leticia took off her gloves then as she could feel her hands sweating through the material. She clutched them both in one hand then and as she spoke, the flimsy fabric flapped about. “She said that she’s in love with another, and she’s only marrying you because you’re the perfect fool.”
“Indeed?” Richard questioned as he pushed away from the wall.
“Her lover’s name is Matthew. He’s the son of her lady’s maid. I can’t recall the woman’s name… Needers…NeVille…Nemean’s…oh, I don’t know, but I heard Miss Loery say that she and the man she truly loves would never be allowed to wed as he is her footman. So, she accepted your marriage proposal and plans to bring him to your Estate. They’ll live happily there together until they can’t take it anymore.”
“Then what?”
“Then…” Leticia shrugged, “they’ll take all your money and leave you destitute.”
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Impossible—
“Leticia,” Richard said slowly as he began to pace across the room. “I have to admit…this entire situation seems unreal.”
“Unreal?” Leticia echoed. He turned to fix her with his gaze and watched as she squirmed uncomfortably. “What makes you say that?”
“Well…for starters,” Richard began, lifting his own gloved hand, so he could count the ways both verbally and visually, “If you had truly overheard such nonsense, you wouldn’t have been able to hold it inside this long. You would’ve come to me immediately and reported everything.”
“But…I—” Leticia started to protest, and Richard silenced her with a cold glare.
“We are friends, and as my dear friend, you would’ve felt compelled to seek me out and reveal all.”
“Richard, I tried,” Leticia said as she threw her gloves on the table that sat near the front of the room and began wringing her hands. “I’ve been a wreck these last few days because—”