Page 77 of Real Earls Break the Rules

“I’m not certain Vale feels that way.”

“He loves you,” Eliza insisted. “Speak with him.”

“I don’t know if I should see him again.”

“You must. It isn’t just your reputation at stake, but Chloe’s as well.”

Amelia had the same frightful thought in the music room beneath the duchess’s hateful glare.

“The scandal wouldn’t just harm your reputation,” Eliza said, “but Chloe’s. You know how badly she wants to marry. Not just any man, but an aristocrat. You wouldn’t do anything to harm her, would you?”

Eliza knew just how to strike a nerve. Amelia loved her sisters. She’d do anything for either of them. Could she be so selfish? Especially when she loved Brandon?

“All right,” Amelia said softly. “I’ll speak with Lord Vale.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Amelia slept fitfully and woke tired. Last night had been a disaster. Brandon had been locked behind doors with Huntingdon, and Amelia hadn’t been able to speak with him alone.

It didn’t help that the household had been in an upheaval.

She’d learned that the duke and his family had left Rosehill early that morning. Their servants must have been in a frenzy packing their belongings late into the night in order to be ready to travel so quickly.

Amelia summoned a maid and hurried to dress. She was hungry, but decided to skip breakfast. She needed to speak with Brandon privately and discern his intentions. Did he truly love her or was his hasty proposal due entirely to the scandal they’d caused? Her future course of action depended on his answer.

She knocked softly on his study door, but found it empty. She searched the billiard room, the library, and even the conservatory, but found them vacant as well. She decided to head to the stables and ask a groom if Lord Vale had gone riding when she turned a corner and spotted him in the vestibule. Smithson was handing Brandon his hat and gloves.

She halted beside the Chinoiserie vase on the vestibule table. “Where are you going?”

Brandon tugged on a leather glove. “Is something amiss?”

She was surprised at the question. Her world had unraveled after last night, but Brandon appeared as if nothing untoward had occurred. Her fingers twisted behind her. “I’d like to talk.”

His eyes met and held hers. “I apologize, but I was on my way to settle last minute business at the factory. I realize last night was unsettling, but can we speak when I return?”

Her fingers twisted in her skirts. The prior evening was much more than unsettling, but there could only be one reason he’d go to the factory the morning after the ball. He planned to tell Mr. Begley and the employees that he would soon lose ownership of the textile mill.

She started forward. “Wait. I want to go with you.”

His mouth was tight. “It’s not necessary.”

“It is to me,” she countered. “I’ve often thought of the children after my visit to the mill.”

If Brandon was going to lose the factory because he was marrying her rather than Minerva, then Amelia wanted the chance to speak with Mr. Begley herself. Perhaps she could persuade the man to look after the children. She might be able to make a difference.

The lines around his mouth tightened a fraction more. “It will be a grim meeting.”

She nodded briefly. “I’m aware.”

“Amelia—”

She raised her chin in determination. “I also want to speak with you. Alone.”

“It’s not appropriate.”

She managed a choked laugh. “After last night, I hardly think a chaperone is necessary.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Come along then.”