Page 54 of The Earl's Christmas Deal
“Of course, but I am trying to help you,” Lionel insisted. “You seem confused about how you feel; I am simply asking if it is real.” Lionel shrugged a shoulder as though the idea was commonplace. “Perhaps it is merely proximity. This infatuation will fade in time, and then you can live your life as you had before.”
The horror of that casual statement must have shown on his face.
“Of course it is real,” Adam said forcefully. “Do you believe me so cold that I would simply lead a woman on like this without good reason? She has helped me tofeelagain. And this is something unique to her and her excellent character. Your mother dragged me to countless balls only a year after Ana died. I met dozens of women.Noneof them compare. Not even in the smallest way to what I feel for Emilia.”
There was a ringing silence after that statement, and Adam felt anger and relief burst through him as he watched Lionel’s face transform into a wide smile.
He had been tricked into confessing his feelingsand without any subtlety whatsoever. Adam almost groaned at his own susceptibility.
“I believe we both know the truth now,” Lionel said, smugness rolling from him in waves.
“You are a scoundrel.”
Lionel chuckled, coming forward and wringing his hand before clapping him on the shoulder.
“Adam, you are like a brother to me. I havelongedto see you begin your life again. And that is what you are doing. This is noterasingAnastasia it is celebrating her by allowing yourself to love for a second time. I believe, I truly believe, she would be happy for you. She would not wish for you to wither away into obscurity becauseof a lost memory. Be free, my friend. And tell Lady Emilia how you feel.”
Behind Lionel amidst the shadows of the bookshelves, a dark figure stood in the faint glow of the firelight. Two eyes watching the men with mounting fury.
Frederick had been able to hear every word that the two men had exchanged, and he finally knew his time had run out. He was no longer in any doubt about the path he must follow. He could not allow Adam to confess his feelings to Emilia Sterling. And if her ultimate abandonment drove him back to his state of grief and despair then all the better.
All he had to do now was to convince the one man who could destroy their happiness to go along with his plan.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“You are in earnest?”
Emilia nodded, taking her friend's hands as Charlotte smiled happily back at her.
“We are engaged. He is going to speak to Papa. It might even be on the morrow that he does so, but I expect he will wait for Christmas to be over. I am sorry to have deceived you but I hardly could believe it myself. I kept thinking he would renege on it and tell me it was a mistake, but …” The familiar fear threatened to overwhelm her, and Charlotte squeezed her hands.
“The way he looks at you cannot be mistaken.”
Emilia pulled her down onto the bed as they sat beside one another. “And it would be my dearest wish to have you close, too.”
Charlotte gave her an encouraging smile. “I would wish for that too, but nothing is certain.”
“Lord Spencer has hardly spent any time with another member of the party,” Emilia insisted.
“We are both dancing at the edge of true happiness, perhaps, but at least you have some certainty in your future,” Charlotte said wistfully. “Lord Spencer has been most attentive, but he has not spoken of anyfeeling. He simply looks at me in a way that makes my heart sing.”
“He will tell you. I have no doubt that he will,” Emilia said. “He would not have spent so much time with youand under his mother’s nose, no less, if he did not have intentions toward you. You make such a handsome and beautiful couple.”
Charlotte’s fingers tightened on her friend’s, and she felt the weight of the last few years lift from her shoulders as she met her gaze.
“For so long, I wondered if you would be able to find happiness,” she confessed. “I hate Henrietta Darcy for all of the pain she brought into your life, but perhaps sometimes these things happen for a reason. Without her, you would never have met Lord Bellebrook, and I would never have met Lord Spencer.”
“Fate has a way of playing a hand when it is required,” Emilia said, her eyes shining in a way that was new and infectious. Charlotte grinned.
“Two more days.”
“Two more days, and then it will be Boxing Day, and Lord Bellebrook will speak to my father. I can only pray that Lord Spencer takes the initiative and does the same with yours. I will be the happiest woman alive to have us as part of the same family at last.”
Charlotte had never seen her friend so forward in her desires or her excitement, and she felt a tendril of hope unfurl within her.
***
Frederick wandered through the house, nodding politely to the other guests and trying to keep his feet steady. He truly wished torun through every room and recover the duke immediately, but he could not afford to attract unwanted attention.
