“But we are,” Richard persisted. “I never would have waited until her wedding day to tell her—” He paused unsure of whether he wanted to tell his mother the entire story regarding Miss Loery.
“To tell her you cared for her,” his mother finished with a triumphant flourish. “You see, my darling. You feign indifference toward the girl, but I think thou dost protest too much.”
Richard snickered in spite of himself. He turned toward the full-length mirror in his chamber and gazed at his own image.
I look like a ragged mess.
He took a deep breath and said aloud, “I do not love Leticia. We do not even see each other in a loving way.” But as he said the words and watched them float out of his mouth, his mind conjured an image of Leticia as she had been when he kissed her. He skipped right over the first attempt, as she had made a mockery of that, and flew toward the second kiss. That one had been soft and gentle, and as he pressed his lips to hers and felt her stop resisting him but rather relax into the embrace, he had felt a connection with her that he had not experienced with anyone else before.
“Ah—” his mother said, standing and coming toward him. She locked eyes with him in the mirror. “I may not be able to see inside your head and read your thoughts, but your looks give you away. You are thinking of Leticia in a loving manner, and why shouldn’t you? If you love her and your heart belongs to her, you must have her on your mind all the time, right?”
Richard groaned and turned away from the mirror, so he could look his mother directly in the face. “Mother, I do not feel as though you are listening to a word I’m saying. Try to hear me when I tell you plainly: I have no intention of marrying Leticia.”
The joyous smile that had been affixed to his mother’s face disappeared. Her spine stiffened, and her jawline hardened. “What are you saying?” she asked, her voice tense and rigid.
“Leticia and I are decidedly not getting married. I only said what I did, so I could break my engagement with Miss Loery.”
“No…no, no, no, no,” his mother mumbled as she took several steps away from him. He could tell by the confused expression on her face that she was reeling from his announcement, so he held out a hand to calm her, but she skirted away from him.
“Mother,” Richard said, reaching out toward her again, “try to settle yourself.”
“I cannot!” the Dowager exclaimed, her voice taking on a high-pitched quality that he had never heard her use before. She became rather hysterical as she started pacing the chamber. “First, you say you will not marry Miss Loery because you are in love with Leticia, and now, you claim you will not have her, either. Have you no feelings?”
Richard was wounded by his mother’s words, and he dropped the hand he held out to her at once and reeled back a few paces. She did not notice this as she continued stalking about the chamber.
“Miss Loery may manage to avoid being swept up in the scandal that is likely to ensue because it was you who rejected her at the altar, but you best believe Lady Leticia will not be so lucky.” She paused and put both hands on her hips. She cast a furious glare in his direction. “Tell me this, my son, if you do not marry Leticia, who will?”
“I…I…” Richard stammered as he wasn’t sure what to say, “I had not thought of such things.”
“Of course not,” his mother huffed, her tone full of contempt. “You did not want to marry Miss Loery, so instead of breaking off your engagement at an appropriate time, you waited for Leticia to jump in and save you from this imprudent marriage.”
“No,” Richard argued, “it didn’t happen that way. I wasn’t thinking of leaving Miss Loery until—”
“Until what?” the Dowager demanded. “Until you thought you might have a chance with Leticia? But now that you have her on the hook, you do not want her, either.” She eyed him coolly and whispered, “I never would have thought you capable of such dealings.”
“I’m not!” Richard protested.
“But you are,” his mother retorted, now enraged as she continued stomping about the chamber. “Do you have any idea what you have done today? Lady Leticia’s reputation will be ruined, all because she stood up and tried to help you—her friend. If you do not marry her now, no one else will.”
Richard pursed his lips together to contemplate that idea. “Mother, I think you may be processing all of this information poorly. It seems to me you are jumping to the worst possible outcomes and acting as though they have already begun playing themselves out.”
“Son,” his mother said, softening her tone dramatically and slowing her steps so that she stopped right in front of the couch. “I am not overreacting which is what I think you were politely attempting to imply. I am only speaking the truth—the one that the members of thetonwill circulate. Lady Leticia’s reputation will be tarnished beyond all repair if you forsake her now. And that would be a very selfish way to repay the kindness she showed you when she came to your rescue.”
“Selfish?” Richard echoed. He had never been described as such in his entire life as he always did the right thing, in all situations.
His mother nodded robustly. “She saved you, Richard. Leticia kept you from making a mistake you were likely to regret for the rest of your days. Now, what you must decide is how you wish to proceed going forward. Are you going to renounce Leticia and leave her to face the cold whispers and the wrath of the Society all alone, or are you going to stand by her side?”
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
“Thank Heavens, Admiral Shelling was willing to let us stay in his London house for the time being,” Aunt Amelia said as she sank slowly into a chair near the fireplace in the sitting room.
“Yes, well,” Uncle Sebastian muttered, “he did owe me after all the—” His words trailed away whether because he forgot why the Admiral owed him this favor or because he did not wish to speak of it in front of his wife, son, and niece was anyone’s guess.
Harry thundered from one end of the room to the next. His steps were so swift and furious when he brushed by the heavy blue drapes that they fluttered. “Yes, yes, Admiral Shelling has done us a great service in rescuing us from having to stay another night at Braxton Manor or worse, having to make arrangements to travel back to Pearl House.” He paused and cast an angry look at Leticia. “But none of this would be necessary if you would just dispense with your secret keeping and tell us all what has unfolded between you and Richard.”
“Yes,” Aunt Amelia agreed as she jumped up from the armchair and came to stand next to her son. They did not often look this much alike, but now, standing side by side with identical scowls smeared across their faces, Leticia thought they looked more like mother and son than ever.
“I am not sure what to say,” Leticia replied as she peeled off her gloves and tossed them on an end table. “I am not certain which parts of the story I have permission to share.”