Page 39 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
“No, in the summer. I do hope we’ll be able to,” she said, for she hoped very much to be invited back to Ashworth House, and for her dream to come true.
***
“What a strange thing to say. And she’s certain she heard correctly?” Harry said, looking at Nicholas with a furrowed brow.
“I don’t doubt she heard correctly. But it’s what it means that matters. I don’t understand the connection between Amelia’s mother, Lady Turner, and Lady Thornton. I didn’t know there was one, and it was I who brought the party together for the very reason of knowing connections between the others. And then there’s this business over a secret child. Do they mean me?” Nicholas asked.
He had brought Harry into his confidence, keen to know what his closest friend thought of what Amelia had overheard in the woods the previous day. But Harry had drawn a blank. They were sitting in the library while breakfast was taking place, but Nicholas had a restless night, his thoughts turned to Amelia and the things they had shared in that very room.
“I don’t know, Nicholas. It all seems very strange. And Amelia came and told you this, did she?” Harry said.
Nicholas nodded.
“That’s what I said, isn’t it? She came straight here after overhearing it,” he replied.
Harry pondered for a moment.
“Do you trust her?” he asked.
Nicholas had not even considered the question. He had no reason to doubt her, even as his friend’s question now raised a doubt in his mind. He trusted Amelia, and had without question. In truth, he knew hardly anything of her, except for the intimacies they had shared. He had taken her story as truth, but it could just as easily have been lies. He had allowed himself to be seduced, and to what end?
“Well, she told me what she overheard,” Nicholas said, and Harry raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, but do you trust her?” he asked, persisting in his question.
Nicholas felt suddenly uncomfortable. He wanted to trust Amelia. His feelings for were growing stronger by the moment, his passion for her unexpectedly aroused. They had shared such intimate moments, and Nicholas had thought of nothing else since the scene in the library the day before. He glance towards the bookshelves, recalling the taste of her lips, the touch of her hand, the pleasure she had given him.
“I think so, yes. I don’t have any reason not to,” Nicholas replied.
“But you don’t have any reason to do so, either, do you? You don’t know her or her mother. But from what you’re telling me, there’s some connection between you, one you never even suspected. Be careful, Nicholas. Especially if you’re going to fall in love with her,” Harry replied.
Nicholas looked at him in surprise. He had given no indication of his feelings towards Amelia, though perhaps they were obvious.
“What do you mean?” he asked, and Harry laughed.
“A woman can hide herself behind a curtain, but she can’t hide the scent of her perfume so easily. And if she will leave her stockings lying on the floor…” he said, raising his eyebrows.
Nicholas blushed. He could not deny it, even as he knew his friend would not be scandalized. Harry had had his fair share of affairs. He was a womanizer, a man with whom women fell easily in love, and who used that fact to his advantage.
“Yes, well…we’ve become close,” Nicholas said, finding no need to justify himself for his actions.
He was falling in love with Amelia. There was no doubting it, and his feelings for her would only grow stronger in the coming days; he was certain. He trusted his own judgement in the matter, and he trusted Amelia, too. He had no reason to think she was not telling the truth, even as Harry’s words sounded a cautionary note.
“I’m sure you have. But you need to be careful, Nicholas. A house party is hardly the place for keeping secrets. You’re only lucky it was me and not someone else who realized. What about Constance?” he asked.
Constance was the perennial question. She was an ever present presence, looming large over the gathering, and constantly making her presence known. The previous evening, she had stood between Nicholas and Amelia, barring Amelia’s way, as she had come to say goodnight.
She was a jealous woman, and to spurn her would make her far more dangerous. She existed in the constant presumption of her place in Nicholas’ future. They would marry, Constance would be the Countess of Amhurst, and Nicholas’ future would be decided. But that was not what Nicholas wanted, or intended, even as he knew the moment of their breaking would be a painful one.
“What about her? I’ve given her no indication as to any future we might have together,” Nicholas said.
Harry raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, but you haven’t disabused her of it, either, have you? She follows you around, demands this and that of you, expects to be your wife in time. If you don’t do something about it soon, you’re going to find yourself in trouble,” Harry said.
They were wise words, though difficult ones, too. Nicholas knew his friend was right, and if he was to have any future with Amelia, he could not allow the situation with Constance to continue. But Nicholas did not know what he wanted. Bachelorhood had suited him.
He was a recluse, though not unsociable. He preferred his own company, though had found himself enjoying the house party, and the various intrigues of the guests. But all of it was on his own terms. Ashworth House was his. He was comfortable there, and the thought of disrupting his comfort put him ill at ease.
