Page 36 of The Gentleman Was Right
“You’re friends, then?”
“I’m afraid I do not know Emmeline,” she admitted.
She had not prepared for an interrogation. Although obviously she should have. Why had she assumed she could waltz in and not be questioned about her identity?
“What about Jane or Louisa?”
“Also no.” Why did it suddenly seem stuffy in the room?
“Perhaps you know Edward?”
Belinda’s eyes glittered as if she already knew the answer, and Violet struggled to keep her expression placid. “Edward?”
“My brother.” Belinda leaned forward and arched her eyebrow. “You aren’t…are you…in trouble?”
“Heavens, no. We did not—” Violet’s hand flew to her chest as she nearly lost control of her words and her composure. Her flustered reaction revealed far more than she’d intended, and she scrambled to explain. “I do know Edward. He offered to marry me, but we did not…did he tell you that we did?” It would be just her luck to have a man lie about coupling with her. She’d be ruined and—she stopped. If she were ruined…no…it was too risky. Basil would probablystillinsist on marrying her even then.
Belinda leaned back, a slight smile lighting her face. “He did not. However, men can be reckless when it comes to women. On occasion even Edward has made a poor decision or two. My brother is one of the best men that I know, but after his scandalous liaison with Lady Hayden, there is reason to question his judgment. If he offered marriage to you after such a shockingly short acquaintance, then you can hardly fault me for leaping to assumptions about the nature of your liaison.”
“What did he tell you?” Violet asked, cursing herself for not being better prepared, while at the same time feeling a measure of relief that his sister believed him a good man.
She had not assumed that Belinda would know who she was. Although the fact that Edward had spoken of his family fondly probably meant she should have expected he’d tell them about her.
As usual, she’d miscalculated.
“We inquired about his trip as soon as he returned, and he providedsomeof the pertinent details. I have to admit, I appreciate the trickery involved in residing in the empty residence more than I can say. Unfortunately, Edward either doesn’t know or refused to share exactly why you were trespassing. He was also not terribly forthcoming about why he felt compelled to save you, so I have been forced to make my own conclusions.” Belinda paused and then added, “He doesn’t seem to know as much about you as he ought.”
“I explained what he needed to know.”
“That’s fair. I wouldn’t share my personal business with a man either,” Belinda responded dryly, and Violet wanted to squirm under her piercing gaze. “I can’t figure out why he’s willing to marry you though.”
“Because he likes her,” Isabelle interjected.
Violet shook her head. Edward hadnotlooked into her eyes and fallen madly in love.
But surely, Belinda already knew that.
“Ignore my sister,” Violet said. “She can be fanciful when it suits her.”
Isabelle huffed and rolled her eyes.
“Actually, the reason he offered marriage is because he wanted to help,” Violet clarified.
“Edward does fancy being useful. However, if heonlywanted to help, I wonder why he’s been out of sorts since he returned. Even more so than before he left.”
Belinda seemed to be aligned with Isabelle in relation to Edward’s motive, but—“I have to say, I’m having a hard time telling if you’re encouraging me or suggesting that I should leave well enough alone. If it’s the latter, we won’t take any more of your time, but if it’s the former, allow me to apologize for whatever effect I’ve had on his mood. Now that we’re back in London, I had hoped to revisit Edward’s offer and…”
She bit her lip and waited to see if Belinda would finish the sentence. When Belinda stayed silent, Violet started to stand, but Belinda’s hand darted out to stop her.
“Don’t leave,” Belinda said. “I didn’t mean to suggest you were to blame. It’s just, I’m having a hard time understanding—why did you reject him in the first place?”
“It wasn’t a rejection. I politely declined what was nothing more than an impulsive offer. It seemed foolish to accept, but unfortunately, my situation is unchanged, and I…” She trailed off, embarrassed that she had convinced herself that she could come here and charm Emmeline into revealing whether Edward was trustworthy without answering any questions of her own.
Belinda’s lips turned up. “Believed he would still be willing?”
“Not at all.” She sighed. “I don’t know. Perhaps it was wishful thinking.”
“He’s still willing.” Belinda smiled fully, and Violet was shocked by the sudden change in the other woman’s demeanor. “He hired someone to locate you, and even though he claims he isn’t going to use that information, I can’t imagine he would have managed to resist approaching you for long.” She paused. “I should warn you that Sebastian is not in favor of the match. Edward isn’t nearly as eager to please our elder brother as he once was, but Sebastian is not without sway.”
