Page 95 of Sinful Persuasion of a Lady in the Making
“Good morning,” Sebastian said, not truly hearing her words for he was in awe of her presence.
No matter what he did, he couldn’t marry together what he had heard her say with who she was, and that left him uncertain as to what to believe. Shehadsaid those words, plainly and aloud, and yet, to him, she was an angel who had come to rescue him from himself.
“I’ll give you a little privacy,” Diana said after a moment of watching them watch each other. “It seems you need to talk.”
As she slipped silently out of the room, neither of the two young lovers turned to watch, nor did they say goodbye. They were too engrossed in their own storms.
“Last night,” Jenny began, her voice soft and tentative. She took a seat next to Sebastian, leaning forward to catch sight of his face.
“I know. I was—”
“No, you misunderstand, like you did at the ball. The gentleman I was dancing with was far from anew beau. Not by my reckoning, at least, although I’m sure my brother would be happy with such a result.”
“Who is he?”
“Earl Bexford. He’s—”
“Nothing like me,” Sebastian muttered. “And probably better for you.”
“That’s what Luke certainly believes,” she said with an unamused chuckle. “But it’s not what I think. You should know that, without needing me to tell you.”
Sebastian groaned again, turning away from Jenny and feeling even more ashamed that he had. She looked at him fiercely, a residue of fury running through her words.
“Why?” Sebastian asked, looking at her with bewilderment.
“Because since the night we met, there was only ever you. I could not even entertain the idea of finding another suitor, not after you. No matter what Luke corralled me into doing.”
“And I’ve ruined it all.”
“Yes. You have.”
Sebastian hung his head in his hands, feeling Jenny’s eyes staring into him. What could he say? How could he explain how he felt and what happened?
“What happened, Sebastian? Why didn’t you come to the dinner? Lady Diana said that you wanted nothing more to do with me, that our match was always destined to fail, but that was all the explanation I received. It broke my heart.”
Sebastian scoffed lightly, memories of her words flooding back to him as though he was hearing them for the first time all over again. The thought flared his rage. Yes, he had behaved badly, perhaps even unfairly, but he had good reason to hold her as accountable as she held him.
“I heard you,” he said. He held her gaze steady, his voice calm and focused.
“What do you mean? Heard what?”
Sebastian took a few deep breaths, then said, “That you had tricked a lord into believing you loved him, all in the name of gaining wealth and status. It’s just as Diana warned me about.”
“What?”
Jenny shook her head, clearly very confused and that only served to make Sebastian more confused. She blinked rapidly, her mouth hanging open and her brow heavily creased.
“Only, I canfeelyour love,” he urged. “And so, I’ve been in quite a state over the past week or so. To hear you say those words was like a dagger to my heart, and it made me realize what a fool I am. But now, with you here, I know that you feelsomethingfor me, at least. I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Wait.” She held up a finger to silence him. “I’m confused. When did you hear me say that? Because it is neither something I would say, nor is it something I believe.”
“I…” Sebastian faltered as he began to doubt himself.
Did I hear her say those words?
He looked into her eyes and he could see all the hurt and rage and upset, swirling around inside her, and he realized that it matched his own.
“Well?” she demanded. “When did you hear me say that?”
