Page 55 of Under the Seductive Ladys Charm
Charlotte thanked him and hurried toward the house as she adjusted her hat. She knocked and was greeted by the doorman. “Is Lord Easterly in his study?”
“I think he is yes,” the doorman said.
Charlotte hurried off, not waiting for the man to say more. She knew it was not terribly proper to see the man in his study, but it was his place of business and therefore it was not totally private. She knocked on the door and heard a gruff “Enter”.
Charlotte hesitated before she opened the door and slipped into the room. Lord Easterly had his back to her. She cleared her throat and he finally took note of who had entered. “Miss Browne.” She could hear the surprise clearly in his voice. “I did not expect to see you.”
“I honestly did not expect to be here,” Charlotte replied. She came to stand in front of his desk. She felt tears well up, and she had no idea where they sprang from. “I came because I have to tell you something about Lord Stanhope.”
Lord Easterly drew in a deep breath. “You just missed him.”
“I know. I saw his carriage,” Charlotte said with a sigh. “Lord Easterly, he is not who he claims to be. I say this more for you than your sister, but he is not worthy of her. He visited me under false pretences and, well, he offered to marry me.”
Charlotte did not know whether she should say anything more about the kiss or not. Would it matter? All that mattered was that Lord Easterly knew that Lord Stanhope was not as genuine as he claimed.
Lord Easterly drew in a sharp breath. “And when did he do this?”
“Yesterday,” Charlotte said. “I could not get away to tell you until now. I turned him down.” Charlotte choked up. She wanted, needed Lord Easterly to believe her.
Lord Easterly watched her silently for a long moment before he said. “I see. I assure you that he is not marrying my sister.”
“What?” Charlotte stared at Lord Easterly, unaware of what she should think of this development.
He raked a hand through his dark-blond hair and sighed. “He asked for permission to marry her, but I did not consent.”
Charlotte looked down at her feet. “Are you sure that he will really leave her?”
“Is this about the proposal, because you do still have your dowry,” Lord Easterly said as if reminding her.
The words stung Charlotte. This was not about the proposal, nor any dowry. The very fact that the dowry was still on his mind was proof enough that Lord Easterly was not going to marry her. Yet in his kindness, he was still giving her some means to find a match.
Charlotte wiped tears from her eyes. He did not deserve her scandal or her guilt. “I had not thought of the dowry. I was just concerned that Amanda and I might fall victim to a lie. No matter what she has done, I would never see that happen to her. He was quite forward, and I thought it was probably due to the rumour.”
Lord Easterly’s eyes narrowed. “Did he do something to you?”
“I handled myself,” Charlotte assured him. “I, well, I felt you should know in case he was still hoping to marry Amanda. I do not know that I would trust his words.”
Lord Easterly came over and wiped a tear off her cheek. “I am sorry that he has hurt you, but I will do all I can to make this right.”
Charlotte looked up at him and tried to blink away the tears. “You are always doing what is right.” She turned to leave then she turned back. “No matter what you think, Lord Easterly, you do not deserve to hold guilt for anything in the past or present. You are a good man.”
She left trying to feel proud of herself. She had delivered her message and made sure that Amanda would be safe from any duplicitous schemes. There was a lot to be proud of in her accomplishment.
Yet, Charlotte did not feel proud. She felt hollow and oddly bitter. For once she had found an honest, good man, and he proved too good for her.
Had she lost so much of herself in her adventure to London? Perhaps the cracks had always been there, but it took the glitter of society to reflect them back at her. Charlotte squared her shoulders.
“I am going to make you proud of me, Father,” Charlotte whispered. “I promise.”
Chapter 10
After Miss Browne had left, Graham sat for a long while in his study. Thoughts of a bitter nature to his chagrin swirled in his head. The idea that Miss Browne might truly use her dowry to marry Lord Stanhope was one of dismay, yet he could do little to persuade the woman not to. What right did he have to do so?
Graham closed his eyes and thought back to the times with Miss Browne. Had he imagined her affection and jealousy? Certainly, he had not imagined the kiss, but perhaps she had thought better of the risks. He could not fault her for that.
The people of high society could be a cruel and vaporous lot that was prone to exaggeration and spreading falsehoods. The tale of his night with Miss Browne had no doubt reached all corners of London and beyond by now. Graham sighed at the window of his study as a bird flew into the tree he could see through the glass.
“If only we were all as free to choose our destinies as you, little bird,” Graham whispered. He rubbed his beard.
