“I accepted Miss Bainbridge’s offer. We are betrothed. There is nothing I can do about it.”
Lavinia’s heart plunged into her stomach.
We are betrothed. We are betrothed.
What a fool I’ve been,she thought, pressing a hand over her mouth. William continued, as if he had not inadvertently destroyed Lavinia’s hopes.
“The issue,” William said, passing a hand over his face, “is the locket.”
Locket.
The word seemed to explode in Lavinia’s mind like a cannonball. Almost unconsciously, her hand crept up to her collarbone, to the hollow at the base of her throat where Hugh’s locket and his picture had sat for years and years. As always, her fingers touched only empty skin.
“Are yousurethat it’s hers?” Timothy asked. “Silver lockets are fairly common in this part of the world.”
William nodded tightly. “It’s hers. The private investigator confirmed it. The locket is Lavinia’s, and the picture is of her brother. It took him quite a while to track her down, I can tell you. She wasn’t an easy woman to find. But find her he did, and he assured me that it does belong to her. She dropped it at the first party we ever met. The clasp broke. I often wish that I’d just handed it over to the hostess, but of course it’s too late now. I shouldn’t have waited so long.”
The door stood ajar before Lavinia was aware of it, flung open to strike against the wall and then rebound. Both men nearly leapt out of their skin, spinning around to face her. The colour drained from William’s face. He dropped his handful of carrots onto the straw-covered floor, and the mare gave a huff of annoyance.
“Lavinia,” he gasped. “I mean, I mean, Miss Brookford. I had no idea you were…”
“No idea I was outside?” she said, her own voice seeming to come from far away. Blood pounded in her ears.
“What did you hear, Miss Brookford?” Timothy asked uneasily, glancing at William. “I think you may have misunderstood…”
“Misunderstood what? That all of this, your… yourpursuitof me, if I can call it that, was all in aid of returning a locket? You were engaged all along, weren’t you? Miss Bainbridge tried to warn me, but I scarcely believed her. Was it all just a grand joke, something fun for a rich, idle young man to entertain himself with?”
William shook his head, taking a step forward. “Miss Brookford…Lavinia. That is not what I meant at all. Picking up your locket was an accident, and I had no idea who it belonged to, and…”
“And so you hired aprivate investigatorto find me,” she interrupted bitterly. “What else did he tell you, I wonder? Did he mention that I was a ridiculous spinster? That my family is desperate to marry off my pretty younger sister, as if we were auctioning her off? I’m sure he made mention of our dire financial situation. Is… is that why we were invited here?”
“No,” he said firmly, but she shook her head, barely listening. “Miss Brookford, please. Perhaps I have handled matters badly, but I only ever intended to return the locket to you. Its value was clear, and…”
“Value? What does a man like you know aboutvalue? I’m sure you value Miss Bainbridge and her fortune. Oh, how foolish I’ve been. I wonder if you’ve both been planning it all out. She, at least, seemed to have some pity for me. How long have you been watching me,your Grace?”
William glanced desperately at his friend. Timothy drew in a breath and took a step towards her.
“Miss Brookford,please…”
“I’ve heard enough,” she interrupted. Tears were pricking at her eyes, silly baby tears which were about to fall at any moment and make her look like a fool, like a simple minded young lady who let her hopes outpace rational thought.
Did I really think a man like him would marry a woman like me?
“Give me my locket,” she said at last, voice wobbling.
William bit his lip. “I… I don’t have it with me, I am so sorry. I’ll fetch it at once, I…”
“Don’t bother.”
She turned on her heel and strode out of the stables. She heard the men begin to follow her, both calling out, and she broke into a run, hauling her skirts up above her ankles.
Whether they ran after her or not, Lavinia had no idea. Her vision blurred, eyes stinging with tears, and she simply concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.
Racing into the house, she nearly collided with a footman, who gave a yelp of surprise and shouted something after her. She kept going, crossing the foyer and stumbling up the stairs. Blindly, she reached the door to her room, threw herself inside, and burst into hot, noisy tears.
***
“Lavinia? Lavvy, please open the door. It’s me, Lavinia.”
