Page 37 of A Duke to Restore her Memory
Christina sighed, gazing out the window. A sense of hopelessness overwhelmed her. She wasn’t welcome here. She was driving a wedge between the duke and his sister.
And the fierce attraction between her and the duke could never blossom into anything. Both of those factors were reasons enough to flee Newquay Hall as soon as possible.
Her heart filled with pain and frustration. If only she could get her memory back and return to her old life.
She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that if it did not happen soon, she would just have to leave this place anyway … and start her life anew as a woman named Georgina. Before she was driven out.
Chapter 19
“A letter, Your Grace,” said the butler in a smooth voice, placing a silver tray in front of Sebastian and bowing low. “It arrived just ten minutes ago.”
“Thank you, Owens,” said Sebastian, taking the letter off the tray. “You may leave.”
The butler nodded, withdrawing from the study. Sebastian stood up from his desk, letter in hand, walking towards the fire. He sat down in the upholstered armchair closest to the fire, breaking the red wax seal on the letter and opening it.
His eyes slid to the bottom of the parchment to find out who the sender was. It was an old friend of his father’s, Major Tomkins, who had served with the late duke in the army during one of the Napoleonic wars. Major Tomkins lived nearby and was his godfather, so he tried to keep in regular contact with him. The gentleman was in a wheelchair now and quite hard of hearing, but he still had a sharp mind, nonetheless.
He stared into space for a moment, gripping the letter tightly in his hand. It had been three days since the explosion in the mine, and he had barely slept a wink.
Another miner had died of his injuries, taking the total number of casualties to sixteen. Yesterday, he visited the dead men’s families, offering his condolences and telling them that he would always look after them. But the guilt still hung over him like a dark cloud, and he didn’t know if it would ever leave him.
In addition to his guilt, he still struggled with his feelings towards Georgina. He had managed to resist sending for her or going to her room, but it had been very difficult. Every fibre of his being yearned to be with her.
Seeing how she had sprung into action during the disaster at the mine had strengthened his feelings towards her to such an extent that it was difficult to contain them now. He was growing warm just thinking about her.
She is under the same roof as me. What is she doing at this very moment?
With great difficulty, he forced himself to turn his mind back to the letter in his hand. Major Tomkins had very wavering, spidery handwriting, and reading it took a fair amount of effort.
Dear Sebastian,
I hope you are well and not feeling too bad after the accident in the mine. It is a terrible business, of course, but it does happen from time to time, and you should not take it to heart. You have always done your best for your workers and will continue to do so.
I am writing to you about another matter that has come to my attention. I attended a small garden party yesterday afternoon and was more than a little perturbed to hear your name mentioned … and the name of the mysterious young woman you are housing. The young woman who fell down a mine a month or more ago and who you took into your home out of the kindness of your heart.
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there was much speculation about this young woman, and none of it was good.
Apparently, there is a strong rumour circulating that this young woman is a fraud, deceiving you that she has lost her memory and is actually a confidence woman, intent upon seduction and making herself the next duchess.
Obviously, I was shocked and distressed to hear such a claim and thought I should let you know immediately that there might be a viper in your nest, so to speak.
If you need any clarification about this rumour, or further information about what people were saying, then do not hesitate to let me know, old chap. I am more than happy to help.
I remain, your loyal godfather,
Major Peter Tomkins
Sebastian stared at the letter in shock, not certain that he had read it correctly. Was his godfather actually saying that Georgina was defrauding him … and had deliberately been doing so right from the very start?
He shook his head incredulously, reading the letter again and then a third time before slowly closing it, staring into space again.
He felt cold sweat trickling down his neck. Lydia had made such claims against Georgina, but he had instantly dismissed them, knowing that his sister had taken an instant strong dislike to the young woman he had rescued and had sensed the attraction between them, which hadn’t suited her at all, given that she was hell-bent on matching him with her best friend.
He shook his head again. But now … now there was a rumour circulating about Georgina’s authenticity.
Lydia couldn’t possibly be the source of it – she despised gossip and would never start a scandal that would besmirch his reputation or the reputation of the duchy. His sister was far too loyal and had always been fiercely protective of the duchy.
His blood ran cold. If his sister hadn’t started this rumour … then who had? And did that person have information about Georgina that he wasn’t privy to? Or was it simply idle conjecture?
