“I will not attend any events, not yet. But I will not hide, and I will not lie if I am asked.” She let out a deep sigh before touching his cheek again. “I am tired. I think I will retire for the night.”
For the second time that day, Benjamin felt bombarded, unable to get a word in edgewise. He knew both Mister Marwood and his mother were right. It was time to announce his brother’s untimely death, but he needed to figure out how he would announce it all, and how he would tell Felicity. Owens had also been right in that Felicity deserved to hear the truth from him, not rumors of what he could be, especially not after everything she had revealed to him. She was desperate for a titled gentleman to marry, and here he was, a titled gentleman writing her multiple letters, sometimes in the same day. He was not sure how she would respond to the fact that Benjamin could be the solution to all her problems if she wanted him to be.
What if… no. It could never happen.
He had not let himself dare to hope or even think that there would be the chance that they could help each other. When she divulged the situation her parents had put her in, the first thing he had wanted to do was reveal his own secret and offer a solution. Whether that was simply the funds to support her family or something more drastic, he was hesitant to say. He felt incensed at the fact that it had only taken a single conversation and a handful of letters before he was ready to do anything for her. Benjamin was not the kind of reckless man who threw himself into anything and everything. He always thought long and hard about his next steps. But one look at Felicity’s white gold hair and emerald eyes sent all of his precaution and strategizing out the window.
A glance at the clock informed him that he had a few precious hours to spare before it was time to get ready for tonight’s ball. He knew it was time he should spend knee deep in his estates or paperwork, but instead, he sat staring into the dancing flames, daydreaming about a Diamond.
CHAPTER9
Dear Benjamin,
I will be in attendance tonight. Perhaps during our dance, we can discuss your letter. I look forward to seeing you again and being able to judge for myself how successful all those dance lessons truly were.
Felicity
* * *
“Hold still!”
“I am, but you are making it impossible for me to breathe.”
“You are so dramatic. If you can argue with me, then you can breathe just fine. Now hold still!”
Felicity hid her laughter behind her hand as she watched Ruth tug on the laces of Delilah’s corset in the mirror. She had to agree with Ruth that her sister had a flare for the dramatics; Delilah was currently clinging to the bedpost with both arms wrapped around the column as if the frame could keep the maid from tightening the strings any further. Delilah had never been one to submit herself to societal customs, and that included her disdain for the corset.
“There,” Ruth said, tying the ends of the lace around her sister’s cinched waist, “that wasn’t so bad.”
Delilah only puffed out a breath before twisting to sit on the edge of the bed. Felicity drew her attention back to her reflection as she dusted on some loose powder.
“I doubt I will ever get used to the effort it takes to get ready for one of these balls.”
“I am sure you will eventually, Delilah,” Felicity said. “What if you marry a duke and are expected to spend the rest of your life hosting balls and attending operas in between tea with the ladies of the ton?”
Delilah sighed dreamily before answering, “If I am to marry a duke, that would make me a duchess, and as duchess, I would not allow my maids to lace my corset so tight.” She shot Ruth a wry look before standing, so the maid could slip the first petticoat over Delilah’s head.
“Yes, well, you are not a duchess yet, and your mother would dismiss me immediately if I did not have you both in perfect condition for tonight.”
Ruth’s tone left no room for argument. They all knew she spoke the truth.
“I cannot believe Lord Roberts had the nerve to return today,” Delilah said from under another layer of fabric. The linen did nothing to muffle her animosity for the man.
“He came back?” Ruth asked, spinning to search Felicity’s face for the answer.
After his first, rather eventful visit, Felicity had spent the evening telling Ruth all about the Earl’s antics. The lecture she had dreaded from her mother never came, and Felicity had dared to hope she had seen the folly in pairing Felicity with the man. However, seeing the way her mother had lit up this morning when his arrival had been announced dashed those hopes.
“Yes,” Delilah cried incredulously, “and mother welcomed him in with open arms. It was like she had completely forgotten the things he had said. Today was no better.”
“What happened today?” Ruth asked, eyes wide on Felicity.
“He was very… insistent on spending time alone with me. No, not without a chaperone, but he did nothing to hide his annoyance with the other callers. He requested a stroll around Hyde Park and spent the entire walk talking about how lucky his future bride would be and all the things he expected of her.”
“Expected of her?” It was Delilah’s turn to look confused as she had not been privy to the conversation between Lord Roberts and Felicity.
“Oh, yes. The brood of children he wants to ensure his lineage, all the events she will be expected to host, the houses she will be in charge of running. And the entire time, he kept such a firm grip on my elbow, I thought I had bruised.”
“I have been asking around about him” Ruth admitted with an attempt to keep her voice light.