Page 47 of Scars of a Passionate Revenge
He nodded. “Very well.”
She left the room, the door falling shut behind her with a slam.
Benedict allowed himself a complacent smile. He was getting closer to the truth, he could feel it. Could it be the baroness who held the key to the truth that he had been denied for so many years?
Chapter 21
Alice rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. She was not sure what had woken her up, but she had that sense that something had disturbed her sleep.
There was a knock at the door, and she started. That must have been it. She was momentarily confused. Could it be Benedict, come to speak with her about what had happened the previous night? She wrapped her robe around herself then called out, “Come in!”
The door swung open, and Clara appeared. She was already dressed in a pale pink gown, and her cheeks were pink. She looked as if she had already been outside.
“Gosh, Alice, you have slept rather late!” Clara said. “You will miss breakfast if you do not hurry up.”
Alice shrugged. “I do not care about breakfast.”
Clara sat down on the bed and looked at her. “I have something to tell you, dear. I hope that it will not distress you too much.”
Alice looked up. “Is it Benedict? Has something happened?”
“Well, I do not know if something has happened, I thought perhaps you could tell me that,” Clara replied. “But the truth of it is that he has gone. He has left the house party and headed back to London. Cecil has just told me this morning, while we were out on our walk.”
She blushed a little and looked at the floor, then turned her attention back to Alice. “Cecil said that he had some business emergency in town that he had to attend to. But… well, it all seemed rather curious to me. I wondered if perhaps the two of you had quarreled?”
Alice swallowed. “I am a little shocked that he has left without saying goodbye,” she confessed. “But I suppose if he had an emergency in London that he had to attend to, then it cannot be helped.” She paused for a moment and gathered her thoughts.
Her liaison with Benedict last night had not ended exactly how she would have wished, but overall, the night had been wonderful. She did not regret allowing him to make love to her, even though she knew that they were taking a grave risk. But it had felt so wonderful to be in his arms, and to feel the waves of pleasure rushing through her body, that she felt sure that it was worth the risk.
“We had a small disagreement,” Alice said eventually. “But it was nothing, really. And in fact, I think we will be married soon.” She looked at Clara a little shyly and saw her friend’s face break into a delighted smile.
“Oh, how wonderful it is!” Clara said excitedly. “I think that Cecil will begin courting me properly once we are back in London, too. And then imagine, we will both be married, to men who love us for who we really are! Can you think of a more beautiful thing?”
Alice shook her head. “Indeed, I cannot!” She tried to push away the twinges of doubt that she felt in her heart, and to believe in her friend’s optimism. Surely he would propose, now, after what had happened between them last night. She could not believe that a gentleman as caring and decent as Benedict would take any other course of action.
***
It was a little later in the day, after Alice had managed a hurried breakfast, that she decided to take a walk by herself in the gardens. She could not deny that she felt sad that Benedict had left without saying goodbye to her, and her heart was in a turmoil of confusion. She loved him, there was no doubt about that, and he had said that he loved her too. So why had he not proposed?
Perhaps he had been about to, when she had mentioned the theft. Maybe she had ruined everything? But she felt in her heart that there love was strong enough to overcome such an obstacle, it was just a question of her speaking to her father. Surely, he could not have left because of that?
She was walking along by the rose garden, when she heard a voice calling her name. She turned to see Lord Grant walking quickly towards her.
“Miss Dunberry, I am glad I have found you!” he said, rather breathlessly.
She smiled at him, noticing that he was holding an envelope in his hand. “Do you have a letter for me?” Her heart leapt. Was it from Benedict.
He nodded. “Well, it is not for you, it is for your father. I went up to Benedict’s room just now, to check that he had left everything in good order—he is terribly messy, you know—and I found this lying on the floor. He must have dropped it when he was leaving.”
Alice reached out and took the letter, seeing her father’s name and address written in a clear, slanting hand on the envelope. “Thank you, Lord Grant,” she said softly. “I shall ensure that my father gets it.”
Lord Grant smiled. “Very good,” he replied. “I feel that I have done my duty, and now I can return to enjoying myself!” He looked at her rather intensely for a moment. “Are you quite alright, Miss Dunberry? I am sure Benedict will make contact with you when you are back in London. No one can be in any doubt of his feelings for you.”
Alice flushed. “I hope so, Lord Grant. The house party will not be the same for me without him here.”
“Would you like some company on your walk?” Lord Grant asked.
Alice shook her head. “You are very kind, but I would like a little time on my own to gather my thoughts, before the afternoon’s excitements begin.”
