AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTERTWENTY
“Did anything more happen?” Irene asked.
Elizabeth nodded shamefully, staring at her hands which now lay on her lap. “I tried not to allow it to happen again, but it did, and we got more intimate.”
Silence stretched between them, prompting Elizabeth to look up. She saw only Irene’s profile, and her lips were sucked in. Elizabeth shut her eyes and sighed. “I did not mean for this to happen.”
“I know you did not,” Irene said quietly, her voice sounding pained.
Elizabeth was certain that any respect Irene had for her had now been destroyed, and Irene might never trust her again. “I want you to know that I am truly sorry, Irene. I promise you that I will not allow it to happen again.” Her eyes stung, and she felt a slight quiver in her chin.
Irene did not say anything, and she did not look at her. The tension and pain were too much for Elizabeth to bear, so she kissed her sister’s hand and stood.
“Thank you for telling me,” Irene said when she turned to leave, her face still turned away.
“I could never keep it from you.” Elizabeth waited for her sister to say something more, and when she did not, Elizabeth left.
She had broken something that might never be mended. She would strive to earn her sister’s forgiveness, but their relationship might never return to the way it once was, and she would have to live and carry that burden with her.
* * *
“Good morning, My Lady,” Stella greeted her the day after they had returned to London, and she noticed an odd expression on her face.
The journey back had been long and exhausting, but Elizabeth was glad she could use that as an excuse to remain alone in her chambers for as long as possible.
“Is something the matter?” she asked Stella, concerned that her maid might have taken ill again.
“No, everything is well,” her friend quickly reassured her, but Elizabeth was still suspicious. Her suspicion grew when Stella’s posture remained stiff as she helped Elizabeth dress, and the maid also said very little.
“Stella, are you certain that everything is well?” Elizabeth asked before she left her bedchamber to go down to the morning room for breakfast.
“I am, My Lady,” Stella replied uncertainly. She left the room with a pile of clothes that required laundering before Elizabeth could further question her. Something unpleasant turned in her stomach, but she refused to allow the feeling to grow. The morning room was very quiet when she arrived, and both her mother and father’s expressions were grim. She could not see Irene’s expression because she sat with her back to the door.
Could Irene have told them about what Rhys and I had done?Her heart began to pound.Could Rhys have told my family my secret?If he had, then her efforts to distract him had been for naught, and she should never have gone to the trouble.
“Did something happen?” she asked them.
Her mother picked up a gossip sheet and handed it to her. “Read this.” Anything could have been written about her on that sheet, and she would have brought it upon herself with her actions. Nervous, she took the sheet and began to read.
While foolish men run about the country in search of Johnathan Myers’ face, Lady Elizabeth Livingston, the daughter of the Earl of Winston, finds herself in quite the quandary after being compromised by the Marquess of Guildford.
As you all know, the Marquess is courting Lady Irene, but her plain, bookish sister managed to seduce him. We have learned that the Marquess is unwilling to marry her. In fact, he is not going to marry either one of the sisters.
We thought this season would be without event after the Lord and Lady Hanvey decided to leave England, but alas, it is filled with intrigue and betrayal. This might be the most interesting season yet.
Elizabeth could not breathe, and the sound of her racing heart was all she could hear. Her hands found the back of a chair and gripped it, crumpling the sheet she was still holding.
Her father’s voice broke through her panic. “Is this true, Elizabeth?” She could not respond because it was true. Someone, perhaps a servant, in the castle must have seen them in the library that night and reported to the gossip sheets.
“Elizabeth, your father is asking you a question,” her mother demanded. Irene got up from her seat and rushed out of the room. “I hope you are happy you ruined your sister’s happiness.”
“Do not say that, Clarice,” her father warned. He came to stand in front of Elizabeth, and only when he took her shoulders, did she realize she was shaking. “Sit down, so we can talk about this.” He lowered her onto a chair.
“I knew you did not want Guildford to marry Irene, but I never thought you would betray her like this,” her mother said, her words stabbing Elizabeth in the chest. “I saw his interest in you while we were at his Castle. I do not want to believe you seduced him to prevent him from marrying Irene. Or did you do it out of selfishness?”
“That is enough, Clarice!” her father rebuked. “Do you not see how confused and shaken she is? If you cannot help us understand what is happening, then it would be best if you left.”
“I have to comfort my daughter,” her mother said, walking out of the room. Elizabeth shut her eyes and breathed deeply. Her mother’s words wounded her far more than the scandal. She had felt neglected by her before, but now, she was certain she had lost her mother’s love for good.
