Page 76 of Unmasking a Wicked Marquess
Her eyes were not on his face, though, nor on Clarissa’s, but on their joined hands.
“It’s true then?” Lady Violet murmured and blinked madly. “I thought. I thought Juliet had to be wrong, that she had to be mistaken. Oh, God.” She backed up, turned, and started to walk away.
“What?” Edward flung down Clarissa’s hand. “No!” He cried and ran after Violet, cutting in front of her and managing to drop Clarissa’s portmanteau as he held out his hands and begged to be heard by Violet. “Whatever you think is happening between Clarissa and me, whatever Juliet thinks is happening, she’s quite wrong.”
“How can you say that? God’s wounds, this is awful.” Violet clutched her breast and tried to walk around him to escape. In some strange way, Edward felt as if he was begging with Juliet to be heard out. He ran after Violet again, once more cutting in front of her to stop her. “To think that I was the one who encouraged the pair of you, who thought you should have your chance at love. Pff, how wrong I was!
How foolish, how romantic and naive a mind. You are to marry another?” She waved a hand at Clarissa. “When Juliet accepted Arthur’s hand yesterday, I could not understand why, then she told me –”
“Wait, what did you say?” Edward cut her off in shock. “Juliet is to marry Arthur?” He could have swooned there and then or run and fetched his pistol ready to duel Arthur for Juliet’s hand, for that was how mad an idea it seemed. “She cannot marry a man like him. He infuriates her. He’s irksome. She is not in love with him.”
“Yet the man she loves is to marry another, is he not?” Violet waved a hand between him and Clarissa, who had now reached them, walking slowly to meet them and pick up her portmanteau. “Juliet overheard your mother and sister talking, explaining that you were to wed Clarissa –”
“We are not getting married.” Clarissa laughed with the words. The sound was so sudden that it clearly snatched Violet’s attention away. She turned to look at Clarissa, her face full of incredulity.
“You’re not?” Violet looked between them, plainly not believing them.
“Ah, I see I have been the cause of much confusion here.” Clarissa stepped towards Violet, extending her hand towards her kindly. “If I may ask, Lady Violet, would you come with us on our short journey to the edge of London? There, you will have all the answers to the questions you long to ask.”
Violet did not look convinced, but Edward was nodding eagerly at her to do so.
“You see, I am not marrying Edward.” Clarissa shook her head quite firmly. “I am to marry another, and Edward, in his kindness and as my friend, is helping me to elope with the man. Come, you shall see all now.”
Apparently, overcome with shock, Violet followed Clarissa to the coach. Edward trailed behind them. He gave instructions to the driver where to go, then pulled himself into the back of the carriage with the ladies, and the coach set off a few seconds later.
“You see, I am to marry a man called Mr Jeffrey Darcy,” Clarissa said softly as the carriage bounced along. “He is a merchant, looked on poorly by my father, who has quite refused to give his permission, though I do not accept he has a right to control my life. Besides, I have another to think about in my life now. In fact, I have two others to think of.” Slowly, Clarissa placed a hand on her stomach, and Violet’s eyes widened.
Edward fidgeted on the seat, struggling to concentrate on the conversation when he had now learned that Juliet had agreed to marry Mr Pensky.
I must stop this. I must!
“This is true?” Violet whispered in amazement.
“Every word,” Clarissa said. “Come, you shall see it all for yourself.”
It was a quiet journey thereafter. Every time Edward endeavoured to ask Violet about Juliet, she shut the conversation down, clearly not wishing to speak about it.
When they arrived at the coaching inn on the edge of London, where Clarissa was to meet Mr Darcy, Edward helped her and Violet down from the carriage. He and Violet stood together as Mr Darcy emerged from the coaching in.
A strong and tall figure with russet red hair, his handsomeness was strongest when he smiled as he did now as Clarissa ran towards him. He hurried toward her, too, and they met in the middle of the road in front of the coaching inn, embracing tightly.
Edward looked away from their happy moment, feeling as if he was intruding on their privacy. His jealousy curled in his gut like a monster as he looked at Violet, seeing she was quite teary-eyed as she watched the pair together.
“I have only ever loved your sister,” Edward said abruptly. “The person I intended to ask to marry me was Juliet.”
Violet blinked some more, though she could no longer hold back her tears as one escaped down her cheek. She brushed it away with a sad sort of smile.
“Then you better go and claim her, Lord Ashton. Before Mr Pensky can.”
***
“Why are we here?” Juliet asked as they walked into Hyde Park. “You said the other day you had had quite enough of walking with me.” It was starting to rain now, the light rain falling and wetting them through. They appeared to be the only ones entering the park as most left, hurrying away from the rain.
“There is someone I must see,” Cecily said calmly, her arm linked with Juliet as she steered her deeper into the park. “I admit, I am not sure she will come, but … oh …” She stopped walking, her feet falling still so much that she jerked Juliet back a little.
Juliet looked up to see there was one other person not leaving the park. A little distance behind her stood her maid, who was trying her best to shelter from the rain under a nearby tree, but the Duchess of Lantham made no effort to hide from the rain.
She stood by the pond, watching the ducks as they circled one another on the water, quacking noisily. Looking up, her eyes met Cecily’s across the park, and though she didn’t quite smile, there was something a little like it on her face.
