Perhaps. A small bit of uncertainty wormed its way inside his head as he suddenly found it hard to believe that could be so, but at the same time, it seemed too plotted. Too well planned. Too…well,something. How could the famous Black Widow have matched any of those completely unsuitable men with Angel? There was no way she was that bad at her job. Not that Gideon would allow himself to admit to any of that aloud. Or give his sister-in-law any indication that he felt that way. “It is possible that any of those men who entered the garden area would have been a good match for her—with the exception of Cosmo Dawkes. He’s dangerous.” But the truth was, none of those men were acceptable. Why did the thought of anyone other than himself as a potential spouse leave a sour taste in his mouth? It would be obvious to anyone listening that he still cared for the lady, no matter how he’d felt yesterday that he had been manipulated. With Patience raising the issue again, he clearly saw exactly how much he had wronged the lady.
She tilted her head to one side. “And yetyou’rethe one who suggested the two of you see one another to see if you might suit. What happened to those initial feelings that made you both wish to pursue a possible relationship to see if you might suit?”
He raised one brow, ignoring the fact that he had spoken to Mrs. Dove-Lyon about Violet. “You have to ask? This whole mess began because I thought I was deceived by those I cared about,” he replied, hiding the fact that he had felt something for the lady from the first moment she’d appeared on that balcony.
That night seemed like a lifetime ago.
“So, you do care for her,” she said with a smug look of satisfaction.
“Of course I care for her, but I’m certain I’ve ruined any chances with her unless she can somehow forgive me. All I wanted was toprotect her and I thought I would come over later to see if she would speak with me.” He hung his head as doubt began to consume him. “Maybe I’m too late. Thinking about what a fool I’ve been, I should probably just leave her be so she can find a better husband with the assistance of Mrs. Dove-Lyon.”
A grunt of what sounded like annoyance came from Patience. “You are a fool, Gideon, if you think you can so easily dismiss her. If you thought she might be in danger and wanted to protect her, then how will she now be safe if you’re not by her side? Did you think of that while you went about breaking my cousin’s heart?”
He glared at his sister-in-law before his temper got the better of him. “Why do you think I spent the better part of yesterday drinking, Patience?” he muttered, grinding his teeth in frustration. “I was torn between wanting to protect her and tampering down the displeasure that I’ve been deceived. By the evening, I realized how wrong I was and needed to offer an apology to her and you.”
“I appreciate your apology, Gideon, truly I do, but my main concern is for Violet.” Patience sat back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap. “You broke her heart,” she said simply.
“I know and now that I am again thinking rationally, I realize what a cad I was to think Violet would resort to such methods to catch a husband.”
“You accused an innocent woman of plotting against you when she had no idea who you were,” Patience explained calmly as though he hadn’t already come to the same conclusion hours ago.
“I know that now,” he replied feeling the full weight of the hurt Violet must be feeling.
“But that is beside the point, isn’t it, Gideon? You hurt my cousin all because you let your temper get the better of you,” she declared and folded her arms over her chest. “But honestly, what you said probably doesn’t matter anymore.”
He ran his fingers through his hair again before gulping down therest of his drink. “As I’ve mentioned several times, I had hoped to come over later this afternoon to offer an apology, if Violet would agree to see me.”
“You’re too late, Gideon.” Patience stood and smoothed out the fabric of her gown before glaring at him.
“Why am I too late?”
“Because Violet and her friend left late last night to return to Bracknell. She’s gone home.”
“Didn’t you try to persuade her to stay at least until this morning when it wouldn’t be so dangerous to travel at night?” he asked swiping at the back of his neck before rising to his feet as his sister-in-law stood and headed toward the doorway.
“Asher and I both tried our best to have her postpone her trip but to no avail. When my cousin makes up her mind about something… or someone… it will be a cold day in a very hot place before anyone can change her mind.”
“Where can I find her in Bracknell?” he asked knowing what he must now do.
“Why?” Patience inquired raising a brow at him. “So, you can break her heart all over again?”
“I never meant to hurt her,” he grumbled lowering his head before lifting his chin to look directly at his sister-in-law. “Please, Patience… tell me where I can find Violet so I can make this up to her.”
Patience gave a heavy sigh and began waving her finger at him. “I swear, if you break her heart again…”
“I won’t,” he promised as a small flare of hope lit in his chest.
“You’ll answer to me if you do,” she warned and began to tell him of where he would find her cousin.
Grateful for the opportunity Patience had given him, he kissed her cheek and escorted her to the entryway of his townhouse. Once she left, he called for his horse to be brought around from the mews. He would pack quickly before heading to find Violet. He knew he wouldhave to swallow his pride and find the lady to make amends. Would she forgive him?
Chapter Twenty
Violet was wellaware that this trip had been a bad idea from the beginning. Given how she was mentally and physically exhausted, she should have waited until the light of day to begin her excursion home. Obviously her need to be near her loved ones when she was this upset outweighed any commonsense that may have lingered in the back of her head. If only she had been thinking clearly enough to heed Asher and Patience’s advice. But no… she had to be her normal stubborn self and refuse to listen to what had certainly been in her best interest.
Waking up in a coaching inn not far from the outskirts of London hadn’t been a part of Violet’s plan. But here she and Arianna were after a wheel had broken not long after they left the city behind. They had been lucky. If the wheel had shattered from its axle when they had rounded a bend in the road, their carriage would have most likely landed down in the steep ravine. It wasn’t hard to overhear the driver’s prayers and his thanks for divine intervention after he had gotten the horses back under control. She had to agree. God surely must have been looking out for them.
She had somehow managed to eat a few bites of the breakfastArianna had ordered for them. Yet her appetite was barely active since the food seemed stuck in her throat. But because of her friend’s encouragement, she at least had something in her stomach. Now, all they needed to do was to sit patiently while waiting for word that they could continue toward home. She lifted her teacup to her lips, the liquid only somewhat soothing her troubled soul. How did it all go so wrong so quickly?
