His words pricked me with guilt, but I was not ready to give in. “I believe you when you say he is good, but I still cannot marry him. I do not love him.”
“Love him?” He squinted at me like he could not believe what I was saying.
I swallowed and forced myself to say what needed to be said. “Love is important to me. Since I have come to Rosemont, it has become not just a hope, but a reality. I cannot marry Mr. Hanover because I love someone else.”
He stared at me like someone had taken my head right off my shoulders. “That is not possible. You are far too sensible a woman to fall in love with the first man you see.”
“He was not the first man I saw.” Although, admittedly, I had fallen in love with that man too. I lifted my chin. “His name is Lord Camden. If I am to marry anyone, it will be him.”
Reginald’s eyes widened in recognition. “Lord Camden?”
“Yes, that is his name.” Atlas was more widely known than I realized. “Do you know him?”
“I knew him once. You are honestly telling me that you fell in love withLord Camden?” He pointed to Rosemont Court. “The man who owns this house? Your employer?”
Must he emphasize the employer part? “Yes, on all accounts.”
“That dirty scoundrel.”
“It’s not like that,” I said. “He has not compromised me in any way.”
“So the lady says,” Reginald mumbled between clenched teeth.
“Reggie, really!”
“Forget it for now. We can discuss it more at home. How long will it take you to pack your things?”
I huffed. “You’re not listening.”
“After what you have revealed, leaving is imperative.”
“You’re misconstruing the whole thing.”
“I would hate to make a scene, Estelle. Must I throw you over my shoulder and drag you home like a disobedient child, or will you act like the mature young lady who I know is in there somewhere and come willingly?”
I clenched my jaw, my mind searching for another solution. I did not want to make a scene in front of Lady Camden, but I could not leave without saying goodbye to Atlas.
“Must we leave this minute?”
His face hardened. Right. He had already waited for me long enough. My stomach sank. “Let me fetch Nora and gather my things. Will you wait inside?”
His gaze trailed up the impressive edifice that was Rosemont Court—the place that I had begun to call my home, although I had no right to it. “I suppose I can stand to be sociable with the people who have kidnapped you from me, but only for a half hour. You had better hurry.”
“Don’t say anything untoward,” I begged, as we crossed the drive to the front steps. Augusta joined us, and we clasped each other’s arms. Her eyes were painted with trepidation, and they likely mirrored my own. I hated that I had to abandon her so much earlier than planned.
Over an hour after Reginald arrived, Nora and I finished packing. A footman carried my trunk out of my bedchamber to the carriage. Augusta had stayed by my side the entire time, angry one minute and easing my concerns the next.
“It will all work out,” Augusta said for the third time in so many minutes, as we descended the stairs. “As soon as Atlas returns home, he will set everything right again.”
Would he? I wanted him to fight for me, but what would he say about Mr. Hanover—my fiancé? Or about my many lies? He was not obligated to help me.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, Lady Camden came storming out of the drawing room with Reginald not far behind him. When she spotted me, her anger turned my way.
“We let you into our home. We trusted you.”
Augusta put her arm around me. “Mother, she has not hurt us in any way.”
“No?” Lady Camden’s voice wavered. She folded her arms over her chest as if to protect herself. “Did she tell you that her people areIrish?” The word was like poison on her lips, and it made her shiver. “I suspected something was off. Had I known I had such a lowborn companion for my daughter, I would have seen her gone sooner.”
