Page 35 of The Gentleman Was Right
Isabelle finally closed her mouth, but she didn’t say anything, so Violet added, “The only thing we know about Lord Greydon is derived from gossip. The only thing we know about Edward is from the man himself. I need to…uh…discover more if I’m going to?—”
Isabelle interrupted, “You’re considering marrying him, then?”
Violet had only slept for short periods during the night. During one of the countless stretches where she was awake, she’d reluctantly concluded that she had overreacted when she fled from Edward without a word. Sexual chemistry was not a flaw in marriage. In fact, most would probably consider it a boon. “You’re not wrong about Basil, so it seems wise to explore Edward’s offer further.”
“What ifhehas changed his mind?”
It was a sensible question—one that Violet didn’t particularly want to consider.
It had only been a fortnight since they’d been with Edward at the cottage, so she hoped that his offer hadn’t expired.
And that he’d returned to London.
If he were still gone, she wouldn’t be able to discern whether marriage was still an option, but she wouldn’t be worse off than she already was.
“Then I’ll locate someone else willing to marry me. I seem to be able to attract a certain sort of man well enough.”
Isabelle’s eyes narrowed. “Whatever do you mean by that?”
“Handsome men with ulterior motives, of course. I’ve had two proposals. Both from men who don’t love me but offered to marry me anyway.”
“Tis not a reflection upon you. Edward wanted to help. And Basil…”
“Loves someone else,” Violet finished softly.
She abhorred that acknowledging it still caused a pang in her chest. What if it always did? Being used and lied to was bound to cause damage, but she desperately wanted to reach the point where it didn’t hurt. Regrettably, wanting something didn’t make it so.
The hack came to an abrupt stop, and Violet had to brace herself to avoid ending up in a heap on the floor. She paid the driver and climbed out as quickly as possible.
The townhouse in front of them was quite a bit larger than Violet had expected, but it wasn’t overly ostentatious, and while it did rise from the street in a daunting fashion, she refused to be intimidated by it. Scanning the dark windows, she couldn’t help wondering if Edward was behind any of them.
Not knowing made her palms sweat.
Standing in the street was not conducive to her plans, so she marched up the stairs with her sister by her side and presented her card to the butler with a blinding smile.
It was probably not the thing to arrive unexpectedly and without an introduction, but he took the card and asked them to wait. She hoped Lady Greydon was as kind and generous as Edward had led her to believe.
The butler disappeared from view and then shortly thereafter returned and gestured for them to follow him. He escorted them down the hall and through an open door. Violet attempted to keep her steps measured so as not to expose her nerves, but it was not easy.
The room they entered was less formal than she expected, with comfortable-looking furniture and a pianoforte in the corner. A stunningly beautiful woman with eyes nearly the same color as Edward’s and a scowl upon her face watched them impassively as they entered.
“Lady Belinda, allow me to present Miss Violet Shaw and Miss Isabelle Shaw,” the butler said before he turned and departed.
Where was Lady Greydon, and why was Edward’s sister taking callers alone?
“How pleasant of you to call.” Belinda welcomed them with an expressionless look on her face.
Violet wasn’t sure how to react. It was too late to retreat, so she had no choice but to keep her smile firmly intact as she glided across the room. “I apologize for bursting in uninvited.”
“You may be uninvited, but you’re not unwelcome.” Belinda looked her up and down as she gestured at the two-person settee and the chairs that flanked it. “Please take a seat.”
“Thank you.” She lowered herself onto the edge of the settee. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
Isabelle echoed Violet and sank onto the settee next to her.
Violet had intended to engage in casual small talk before informally mentioning Edward, but Lady Belinda spoke again as soon as they were settled. “The season has not started yet, and other than Emmeline’s family, we rarely receive callers. Are you a distant relation of Emmeline?”
“Not precisely.”
