Page 32 of The Gentleman Was Right
Edward left the day after Violet disappeared, and with only himself for company on the slow journey back, it was impossible to avoid his thoughts. He alternated between hoping Violet was safe and cursing his decision to only interfere if she wasn’t. He wanted her to be unharmed and happy, and he also wanted a reason to contact her. The two did not coexist well.
His journey to London was rainy and wet. The dark gray skies were rather fitting for his mood. If the sun had shone even once, he might not have managed to remain so disgruntled. Because it didn’t, the dejection he had shed on his journey to the cottage returned with a vengeance.
The carriage rolled to a stop outside of the London townhouse as the pitter patter of rain became more of a deluge. Edward dashed up the stairs and into the house as quickly as he could, but he still got soaked. He was damp and cold when he entered the front hall and would have retired to his chamber immediately if Emmeline hadn’t appeared as he was removing his greatcoat.
Following a firm hug, she ushered him into the largest sitting room and installed him in a chair near the fireplace. The warmth of both her greeting and the roaring fire granted him the comfort he hadn’t known he needed, and for the first time in days, he felt the tension seep away.
Within minutes, Sebastian, Belinda, Jane, and Louisa all flooded into the room. Jane pulled him out of the chair to give him a hug, and then Louisa clung to him as if he’d been gone for years. Belinda offered a half smile and a shrug when she came close enough to squeeze his shoulder, and even Sebastian offered a brief hug and a casual, “It’s good to have you back.”
His family’s actions indicated that they had missed him, and their affection was so welcome that tears welled in his eyes. He countered the urge to cry by smiling with such conviction that the liquid had no choice but to retreat.
“We didn’t expect you to return so quickly,” Sebastian said, once the initial chatter and elaborate greetings had ceased.
“I intended to stay longer. The cottage is situated in such a lovely spot. I’m surprised you don’t visit more often.”
Sebastian shrugged. “It’s a long journey, and I have things to attend to here.”
Edward barely resisted the urge to argue. Marriage had softened his brother, but it hadn’t lessened his need to fulfill his role as earl to the best of his ability or his belief that he needed to actively control every aspect of the earldom. The mess their father had left behind when he died would likely always linger in Sebastian’s mind and force him to stay focused on his responsibilities.
“If you thought it was lovely, why did you return so quickly?” Belinda asked, settling into a nearby armchair.
“Well—” Abruptly cutting himself off, he debated what to say.
“Did you do something horrid? Did the villagers banish you?” Louisa asked breathlessly.
He shook his head. “What? No, of course not.”
His youngest sister’s imagination had run rampant since they had arrived in London. He blamed the steady stream of sensational novels she spent her pin money on.
“Was it haunted?” she asked, her voice lowering to a whisper.
He chuckled. “No. I did not encounter any ghosts.”
“What, then?” Belinda demanded impatiently.
Five sets of eyes waited for his answer, and he couldn’t stop himself from revealing part of the truth. “Two young ladies were living in the cottage, and they had been there for months.”
All five mouths dropped open.
“Who?” Louisa asked.
“Why?” Jane added.
“Are they still there?” Belinda demanded.
He held up his hand. “Allow me to explain. When I arrived, Mrs. Eggington informed me that our cousins, Miss Violet and Miss Isabelle, were staying in the back bedrooms. Both confused and intrigued, I did not correct her. Instead, I gathered what information I could from our conversation, and then I waited for them to return?—”
“We do not have cousins named Violet or Isabelle,” Belinda interrupted.
“Belinda,” Louisa snapped. “Hush. Let him tell the story.”
Belinda glared at their youngest sister but said nothing else, so he continued, “Not long after I arrived, they cornered me in my bedchamber but refused to tell me why they were there. I kept pressing, and eventually Violet revealed that she had fled London to avoid an unwelcome marriage and ended up in the village. When they learned that the cottage was empty, they somehow managed to convince everyone that they were our cousins and were supposed to stay there.”
“You simply left them there?” Emmeline asked.
He sighed and shook his head. “No. They slipped away during the night and didn’t leave their destination. I tried to discover where they might have gone, but the gossip in the village was not useful.”
“You must have frightened them away,” Belinda said. “What did you say to them?”
