Page 38 of Scottish Seducer
Chapter 15
Stephanie
I followed the movers’address to where my furniture was stored, and two hours later I was still there.
Maybe I should have gone to Sophia’s and slept on her lumpy couch tonight, but I needed time on my own.
Where no one judged me or tried to sway my opinion.
With six sisters, I was used to sharing, but living on my own taught me how to value my own thoughts without needing approval. So I stayed, and after a shower, I texted my friends my address and opened the wine bottles.
I needed to forget Charlie. I should never have fallen in love with him. I knew better, right from the start. And hanging out with friends was better than staring at myself in the mirror and singing with an open bottle in my hand to drown my sorrows.
I heard the laughter in the hall and checked to make sure my T-shirt wasn’t stained and my face was clear of tears. Then I opened the door, waved them in, and they all crowded in and were glancing around when Sophia asked, “You moved again?”
The chandelier in the dining room was a bit much for my usual...well, less affluent tastes, but the white with a slight blue tinge warmed up the place. As they finished filing in, I closed the door and took one last look around a flat that honestly was big enough to host a Jane Austen-style house party. “I am probably going to leave London soon.”
Charlotte hugged me and said, “I thought you were living the dream life.”
She meant Charlie. I grabbed the bottle of wine and brought it to the table where we’d have our Regency pretend. But instead, I slumped in my seat and said, “There is no dream.”
Amelia brought the wineglasses she must have found in the kitchen and said, “This apartment is posh.”
My friends were the reason I could survive this. Soon, I’d have to call my sisters and tell them Charlie Grannd and I weren’t going to happen. I uncorked the wine and said, “Wine night was delayed, but I’m glad you’re here now.”
Amelia handed out the glasses while I poured, and she asked, “When does Charlie show up?”
I stopped pouring as I glanced around the room and said, “It’s just us girls.”
I poured again and, once everyone had a glass, Sophia asked, “What happened? While I normally don’t go for Scottish guys, even I’d have made an exception for that man.”
I let out a sigh. It was somehow easier to tell my friends first than family. My sisters meant well, but they usually just made me wish I had someone who cared about me the way their husbands did about them. “He…made a bet with his brother he could get me to fall in love with him.”
Sophia’s tone grew hard. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” I sighed and sipped my drink.
Charlotte looked like she was about to cry for me. “And now it’s over?”
I took her hand and held it. The one thing I’d learned from Richard is not to hold on to someone if they want to go. Even staying in this apartment was temporary, but I clinked glasses with her and said, “This is the pity apartment he set up in my name. I guess he felt bad about it.”
Sophia, ever the warrior, asked, “How did you find out?”
I sipped my wine, which made speaking a little easier and said, “He told me.”
Charlotte smiled and said, “That’s something. At least he didn’t lie.”
I slumped in my chair and spoke to my glass. Ann had once been part of this group of friends, and she went behind my back for who knew how long. I shook my head and said, “He still lied and let me believe he was available when he wasn’t.”
Amelia laughed and stood up to get another bottle for us as she asked, “So he was more like Frank Churchill or John Willoughby?”
I called out from behind her, saying, “We’re still comparing the men in our lives to Jane Austen novels?”
Sophia pointed to the living room, and we all stood.
Charlotte said, “We all agreed Richard was more like Mr. Collins in the end.”
I shook my head. “That’s still awful.”
