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“I am sorry father. I have behaved improperly and do not know how to make amends.” He looked up to find his father still looking at him, refusing to say a word. It was something he had always admired about the man. He liked to listen; he never interrupted anyone. Now, however, that silence simply made Alexander’s nerves go haywire.
“I have been having an affair with Lady Isabella Levingston. We have been meeting in secret, away from public eyes for a while, and our relationship moved past mere friendship,” he said, staring at him meaningfully. The Baron nodded in understanding.
“The contents of the letter were meant to be seen by Lady Isabella only. I wrote to her, proclaiming my love for her and how much I had missed her. There were other contents in the letter that would make it obvious to anyone who read it that I had taken liberties with her,” Alexander added.
“The letter ended up in the wrong hands and somehow gossip spread that I have been sending letters to Lady Caroline Campbell. I assure you, father, I have never been in close contact with the woman or her house until today. I do not even know if I have met her or not.” Alexander saw the question in his father’s eyes at his last statement.
“Until today?” the Lord asked in question.
“I bumped into a woman I believe might have been her at the Campbell house. She had been eavesdropping on the conversation, so it probably was her since it involves her future. We exchanged no words, however, considering she ran away like a frightened gazelle,” Alexander explained in a hurry before going back to his plight. “They accused me of taking advantage of their daughter and sending her letters. I explained the mistake and apologized for making them worry. Lord Campbell appeared to be relieved, but Lady Campbell pointed out that our correspondence had become the gossip of high society.”
“I still do not understand how that happened, even if the servants had gossiped, I do not see how anyone that was not in the household would have found out about this so quickly. The lady said we were to marry as I had ruined her daughter’s good reputation with my mistake, and she would not let her suffer from it.”
Alexander heard his father heave deeply and chanced a glance at him; he was not surprised to see the look of disappointment plastered on his face. It was to be expected after all.
“I am sorry to have disappointed you. I wish there were a way I could fix this. I am in a bind, Lady Campbell believes I would tarnish her daughter’s reputation beyond repair if I do not marry her, but I also have a duty to Lady Isabella, with whom I have taken liberties and made plans to marry before all this. I asked her to give me some time to solve this, but I am at a loss.”
“I cannot say I am not disappointed in you, my son. As you have stated, such news should not have spread so quickly if it had only come from the mouths of servants. "However, Lady Campbell and her daughter may have spread the rumors themselves," heexplained. He simply nodded in response to Alexander's wide-eyed expression. "You have a title and come from a good family, so it is possible.While I have nothing against their family, I believe they are using the letter as an excuse to force this union."
Alexander felt the anger bubble inside him at the thought. “How can they force me to marry their daughter when they should have deduced from the letter that I love someone else? How can anyone be that selfish?” he raged.
His father only threw his hands up in a shrug. “You brought this upon yourself, son. Your actions have led you to this point and your actions now are what matters. I cannot force you to marry Lady Caroline, but I do believe that the right thing to do is to take responsibility. Reputations are easily destroyed and yet so difficult to mend. Their family is a good one, so it is not a terrible match.”
“What about Lady Isabella? I had hoped to marry her, which is why I took liberties with her in the first place. I cannot just abandon her now,” Alexander said, aghast as his father’s words came down to his worst nightmare.
“I understand that your heart lies elsewhere, but your responsibility to Isabella is not as vital since your relations are not known. You must think about what the public will say if you choose to abandon the Campbell girl now. Both women will suffer greatly.” His father stroked his beard as he spoke.
"No one knows about your prior relationship with your lover. She will be viewed as a home wrecker. You cannotexplain the nature of your relationship and expect them to understand. They will simply state that sheis a loose woman, and thatshallstain your children, who will be subjected to insults. That is how society is." Alexander blanched at the thought of his father's words. He knew it was true. No matter how perfect they forced themselves to be, their children would not be able to escape the rumors.
"If you choose to ignore Lady Caroline, society will destroy her as well.She will be remembered as a woman who failed to keep her man. As a result, her next suitors will treat her with disdain. Even though we suspect they may have orchestrated everything, can you live with the knowledge that the young woman is suffering as a result of your actions?" Lord Mannfield advised.
Alexander smiled sadly. He had wished for sound judgment, and he had received it. It was just unfortunate that the verdict was not what he had hoped to hear. He went to his room, and nursed a drink while he considered what to do. None of his solutions seemed fair, and he only got himself drunk. He was about to take another drink when he remembered he had an appointment with Isabella.
CHAPTERSIX
The next morning, Caroline sat at breakfast with her family, very pleased, as her plan had been working and her mother had not been able to discuss the situation with her father.
“I see that your mood has much improved, Caroline,” her mother stated. Caroline turned to her for a moment, and exchanged a glance with Ann. The topic was a dangerous one to breach. They had expected this. If she had continued to sulk that morning, her mother would ask when she planned to stop. If she did stop, her mother would still mention it.
They didn't want her bringing up Alexander Mannfield, so they needed to change the subject right away. Alice took the initiative once more, tipping her cup of apple juice onto the table. The entire family exclaimed, and Lady Campbell rushed to her feet.
“I am sorry mother. My hand slipped,” Alice said, batting her eyes cutely as the maid standing to the side hurried forward to clean the mess.
Lady Campbell sighed. “Are you sure you are alright? Usually, you are not so clumsy.” Their mother sounded truly worried.
The crisis was averted as their mother sat back down and directed the maid to bring Alice more juice. The girls exchanged a celebratory look, but they had been far too hasty. The next moment, Carlisle stepped into the room.
“Master, Madam, Sir Alexander Mannfield has arrived,” Carlisle said. Caroline felt herself pale at the announcement. Her sisters all turned to her, wearing similar expressions of horror.What on earth is he doing here?
Caroline was annoyed as their mother hurried them to finish the last of their breakfast so they would be presentable when he entered. All their hard work had been for naught.
Their mother fussed, saying Caroline should follow her and introduce herself as she and their father made their way to the drawing room, where Alexander was waiting. Caroline stepped back and let her parents greet him. "Sir Mannfield," her father said first. "Welcome."
Alexander bowed respectfully. "I apologize for my unannounced visit, but I needed to act as quickly as possible. May I have a private moment with Lady Caroline?" Caroline, who had been hiding behind her parents, caught a glimpse of him as he looked around her parents to where she stood.
There were two reasons for her anger. The first was obvious: his presence had ruined her plan. The other reason was that she still thought he was very attractive. His voice alone was making her swoon. She would rather run away again if she could.
“I doubt that it would be proper for you two to be in private together,” her father said, making Caroline cheer silently, but the next moment, her mother pulled her forward, chucking her in front of him.
