Page 139 of Ironvine

Charles twisted her around in his arms as her heart thudded in her chest. “Charles, please, don’t be angry with me that I was speaking with him alone.”

“I’m not angry, Georgie.” His lips curved. “I’m proud of you.”

“Proud of me?”

“I saw him approach you, and I waited, but you didn’t need saving. You handled yourself and him with dignity, and I warrant you spoke your mind and did so clearly yet courteously.”

“I did my best. I must tell you, he said the most interesting thing about Hugh,” she whispered.

“What did he say?”

“That if Hugh and I had married, Hugh would have given me to him to...play with.”

“I had no doubt.”

“As you’d remarked, theirs is no ordinary playground, but I told His Grace that I have been conquered by another.” She laid her hands on his chest. “You are my husband. You are my bright star, Charles.” She quoted him from their discussion of his mother becoming engaged to his father, turning how he’d ironically described his father on its head. “You are my only star, and I love you.”

His eyes flared, and he stilled. Was it alarm? Shock? Dread? Suddenly his body slammed into her, his hands around her neck, his mouth devouring hers.

Conquered indeed.

ChapterSixty

Georgina

“Your Grace?”Georgina stilled. The sight of the Duchess of Oakley standing on her front lawn, her face drawn had Georgina’s heart stopping in her chest. Something was wrong. Was she angry with her? Had she heard of her conversation with the Duke?

“I’d like a word if you are free?”

“Of course. It’s lovely to see you. Please do come inside.”

She handed her a leather case that bore the insignia of a renowned jeweller in London. “This is for you, Georgina.”

“For me?”

“Open it.”

Her stomach dropping, Georgina unhinged the small lock and opened it. She gasped at the sight of its contents. Lady Caroline’s wolf pearls and diamonds and rubies lay in a bed of blue silk. Her grip on the box tightened. “Oh, they are even more beautiful in real life than they are in the painting. Thank you, Your Grace. I imagine this must have been so very difficult for you.”

“No. It was simple.” She lifted her chin. “At Wolfsgate, the moment I laid eyes on the portrait of Lady Caroline, everything altered. And then Lady Justine came upon me and told me the story of the painting. I asked her about the necklace, and with great discretion, she shared with me that it had been lost in tragic, painful circumstances.

“I felt her sadness acutely, and I also felt that she blames herself. Which is all wrong. It is within my power to put this years-long irregularity to right, to repair wounds, to break the sinister hold of so much arrogance and greed and anger. And so I am.” She swallowed hard. “And I would prefer that you returned the jewels to your dear friend, not I. This is your achievement, Georgina. And that will be your greatest reward.”

“I thank you,” Georgina breathed, closing the box.

“Hugh showered me with a great many gifts over the course of our time together, but this one, this particular one was very special as he gave it to me the day we broke. He said he’d searched for a special piece to mark his promise that he was coming back to me no matter his engagement, his marriage. He would always be mine. That during our separation, this necklace would be a comfort and an inspiration to me.”

“Yes, I imagine it was.”

“I wore the necklace to the ball in London on purpose. Of course, I knew he’d be there, looking for a wife, and I wanted him to know that all was well on my side. That I believed in him to do the thing he must, that I stood by him. But perhaps I annoyed him with that reminder.

“When you told me the truth about the necklace, I was upset and very angry. I tried to put it out of my mind, but last night at Wolfsgate, when I saw it on its original and rightful owner, it made the storm of my emotions cease. This was stolen from Lady Caroline. It does not belong to me or any other but Lord Brandon and Lady Justine.

“No matter how much Hugh and I loved each other, what was between us could never be permanent, out in the open and I knew that. I had accepted it from the very first. We would never be able to marry, to live a true life together. No…” She let out a heavy sigh. “Ours was but a temporary flicker in the darkness, like a taper that melts and melts until at last the flame dissolves in the spent wax, and its light is no more.

“Hugh would marry and have children, his own family would need him. All things he denied, but I am a married woman, I know.”

Her fingers touched Georgina’s chin. “Would his wife not accept his attachment to me and our way of life together? Or perhaps would he grow fond of his wife, and love her, even.” She removed her hand from Georgina.

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