Page 62 of Dangerous Games of a Broken Lady
He frowned. “You are usually so clear in your decisions. Indeed, you have told myself and your father that our input is unwelcome, where the Duke of Bradford is concerned. You seemed so content. You confessed that you admired him. What has changed?”
“I am not certain anything has changed,” she replied quietly. “There have simply been revelations that I do not think I can ignore.”
“About the Duke?”
No… about you.
“Yes.”
“What revelations?” His expression darkened. “Has he done something to you? Has he harmed you?”
She shook her head, feeling hot tears rise. “No, he has not. He has been courteous and kind to me. Indeed, I find it hard to believe that he can belong to the monstrous tales that people tell me of his past. He calls me his savior, did you know that?”
“I did not.”
“The truth is… I feel as though I will be sacrificing myself in order to save his soul.”
He leaned forward and took Adelaide’s hand in his. “Oh, my dear friend. I am sorry for this.”
“I cannot break the engagement. Iwillnot. My family is relying upon this match, whether they realize it or not.” She stifled a sob. “I know my father does not like the Duke, but he shall learn to… as shall I.”
“It is not too late,” Jasper urged.
“You must ignore me,” she begged. “I am overwrought after the day I have had. I will return to my house and sleep away my qualms. Please, write to Miss Green. Answer her questions. Find your heart cheered. I have brought this mistake upon myself, and now I must see it through.”
“Adelaide, please, it is not too late to stop this. It is within your power if you desire it,” he urged.
She turned to him, her heart breaking. The sudden realization gripped her chest in a vise. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words would not come out.Oh, but it is, Jasper… it is much too late. Your heart belongs to another and I would not seek to claim it for myself. I can hardly admit that I want it for my own. I never thought to discover a man I could love. Yet here you were, all this time, right in front of me.
Chapter 24
Two days later, on Friday evening, Ephraim descended the stairs of the townhouse and paused in the entrance hall. From the music room, he could hear his wife playing the harp. The melodic sound drifted down the hall, each pulled string wrenching at his heart.
You should go now, without delay,he told himself. And yet, he could not. If he left without saying goodbye, there was no way of knowing when he might return. Lord Rowntree had undoubtedly set a trap, and he was due to walk right into it.
Steeling himself, he crossed the entrance hall and looked into the music room. Margaret glanced up, the music coming to a fading standstill. She smiled, her eyes glittering in the soft light. He had never seen her look more beautiful, not even on their wedding day. Now, at the prospect of losing her, he realized how many years had been wasted on what might have been. Deep down, he had always loved her.
“Was I playing too loud?” she asked.
“Not at all, my darling. I just wanted to come in and hear it more clearly.”
“Shall I go on?”
He smiled back. “I am already late for a rather important meeting, but I shall keep that tune in my heart as I go,” he said, forcing down the sadness that threatened to spill over. “We have been happy, you and I, have we not?”
She tilted her head to one side. “I should say that we have, my dear. Tell me, is something the matter?” A note of panic shivered in her voice.
“No, my dear. I am feeling somewhat nostalgic, that is all,” he lied. “And you sitting there, playing that song… it reminded me of our first years together. You would retreat for the evening and I would hear that sweet music drifting down the corridors of Kiveton Hall.”
“Those were happy times, indeed.”
He paused. “Were they? For you, I mean?”
“Of course, my dear,” she replied. “You and I were getting to know one another. They were the merriest of times. Our walks in the woods, our talks late into the night, our dinners together. Do you not remember it that way?”
“I have always found you difficult to read, my love. In those days, I found it even harder,” he confessed. “You were so frightened in our first weeks of marriage that I did not even know how to approach you. I did not understand women very well then… nor I do now.”
She frowned. “Where is this sadness coming from, my dear? I have never heard you speak this way.”
