“What a horrible thing to say!” she shouted.
“Lower your voice!” Felicity warned. “I do not want Mother to find out about this. She would chastise me for my rudeness.”
“He deserved it. I can’t believe he said those things to you.”
“That is what I thought too, at first. But as I walked back into the ball, I realized that his comments were probably based on his experience, and I cannot blame him for that. He had no idea about our circumstances. I truly do not think he meant any harm.”
“If you say so,” Delilah begrudgingly agreed.
“If you cannot take my word for it, take his.”
“What?”
Felicity held up the letter. Delilah had clearly forgotten about it during Felicity’s retelling of the night’s events.
“Is that fromhim?”
Felicity chuckled at Delilah’s disbelief, thinking she must have made the same expression when Ruth first handed her the letter.
“It is. He must have written it as soon as he got home last night or first thing this morning. Ruth brought it in with breakfast.”
“Well, what does it say?” Delilah demanded.
“He apologized.”
“Apologized? Just apologized.”
There was no reason for Delilah to know that he had also spent several lines complimenting her in a way that no one else had before. Or that Felicity’s cheeks were pink from receiving those compliments, so she omitted that part.
“Yes. He asked for my forgiveness saying he never thought his words would have any weight. He said that if I did not write back, he would take it to mean that I wanted nothing more to do with him, and that he would understand and leave me be. He only wanted to apologize.”
“What are you going to do?”
Felicity could see the wheels turning behind Delilah’s eyes as she asked that question.
“I am not sure yet. I have not decided,” Felicity admitted.
“You must write him back! You said it yourself that you did not believe he meant any harm, nor did he know of our circumstances, so really, he is not to blame. Even if you never see him again, you must grant him this forgiveness. It will be at no great cost to you, but it will ease any of his worries.”
“Yes,” Felicity conceded, “you are right. I will respond and absolve him of any wrongdoing.”
With her mind made up, Felicity continued to chew on her breakfast, contemplating what she would say in her letter. She had been so lost in thought that it took her several heartbeats to realize Delilah was still staring at her. They locked eyes, and Felicity’s eyebrows rose in silent question.
“What are you still doing here? Go write him back this instant.”
“Surely, there is no great hurry,” Felicity countered.
“If what you say is true, and he wrote this last night or early this morning, then the gentleman has been plagued by the situation since you left him on the veranda last night. Do not make him suffer by waiting for your response.”
Felicity began to argue with her sister again, more interested in finishing her meal first when Delilah snatched her plate away.
“I will bring your food to the drawing room and wait for you there. You can finish eating once you have given Ruth your letter.”
Sighing, Felicity eased out of her chair. She knew that when Delilah had made her mind up about something, it was better to abide by her decision than try to fight it.
“I will only be a moment.”
* * *