Page 40 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
“No…you’re right, Harry. She needs to know, and soon. But she just assumes. That’s what I find so difficult about her. She demands my company, and she’s a jealous woman, too,” he said.
Harry shrugged.
“It’s not as though you didn’t know that before, Nicholas. She’s always been like that. It’s how she behaves. She won’t change. But making her jealous won’t help, and the more she sees your affections growing for Lady Amelia, the more she’ll seek to control things to her advantage,” Harry said.
He was right, and Nicholas knew the matter would soon come to a head. But for now, he was content to enjoy the growing romance between himself and Amelia. It had come about so unexpectedly, though there had been something inevitable about it, too. That first glance in the carriage, the moment they had shared in the woods, their first encounter in the library and the kiss they had shared.
“I know she will, which means I need to be a step ahead of her, don’t I? But come now, the others will be waiting for us,” Nicholas said, rising to his feet.
Harry smiled at him.
“You’re not usually so keen to be in the company of others. Just be careful, Nicholas, you really don’t know anything about her…other than her stocking size,” Harry said.
Nicholas blushed, pushing his friend towards the door, the two of them laughing as they stepped out into the corridor.
“I thought I’d find you here,” a voice said, and looking up, Nicholas saw Constance glaring at him.
She was dressed in a drab linen dress, a black shawl wrapped around her shoulders. If he had not known better, Nicholas might have thought her to be in mourning, and certainly not about to celebrate the Christmas season. He looked at her blankly.
“Was I missing?” he asked, and Constance gave an exasperated sigh, as Harry hurriedly excused himself.
“You’re supposed to be entertaining your guests. And I certainly expected you to pay a little more attention to me, too,” she replied.
Nicholas was somewhat taken aback. But this was precisely what Harry had warned him against, and now he knew he had created a problem for himself.
“Constance, please. I’ve got a lot of guests here. They all need my attention,” he replied, stepping past her, even as she caught him by the arm.
“And when am I to have your attention, Nicholas? Or am I just another guest here? We’ve known one another our whole lives long, but you don’t seem to care about that,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.
Nicholas sighed. She knew just how to cause a scene to her advantage, and he knew if he did not appease her, she would only continue.
“Constance. You know I care for you,” he said, being careful to choose his words.
“Then show it, Nicholas. Prove to me you care for me. Announce our betrothal,” she said, striking a dramatic pose as she spoke.
Nicholas stared at her in astonishment. She was mad or calculating. He had no intention of declaring their betrothal. They were not courting. There was no formal arrangement between them. He knew what she wanted, but as for giving it to her.
“Constance, I’m flattered, but this really isn’t the right time,” he said, even as he knew there would never be a right time.
Her eyes narrowed, and she folded her arms, pouting, before turning on her heels and marching away.
“You can’t make me wait forever,” she exclaimed, and Nicholas sighed.
He knew he had failed to settle the matter as Harry had told him to. He should have told her there and then, but now the matter would continue. He had no intention of marrying Constance, but neither did he know how to dissuade her of the notion without causing a scene.
But it would be one thing to spurn her on general terms, and quite another to do so with a reason. He could only imagine the jealous outburst if Constance knew of his growing feelings for Amelia, feelings he felt certain would soon be revealed.
“But if it has to be done,”he thought to himself, taking a deep breath, and entering the drawing room.
All of the guests were gathered there: the Thorntons and Edmund, the viscount, Edgar and Hugh, Sir Samuel and Mrs. Bennett, his cousins, Clara and Isobel, his aunt, Lady Turner, Amelia and her mother, and Harry. Only Constance was absent, having hurried off along the corridor in a flood of tears.
As he entered the room, the guests looked up from their various pursuits, expectant, perhaps of entertainment. Nicholas caught Amelia’s eye and smiled. He had thought of little else but her in the hours since last he had laid eyes on her. She was beautiful, and the memory of what they had shared in the library the previous day lingered pleasantly in his mind.
“We thought you weren’t joining us,” Lord Thornton said, but Nicholas shook his head.
“No… certainly not. I was just seeing to some business,” he replied.
“On Christmas Eve? You should be making merry with the rest of us,” Sir Samuel said, and the others agreed.
