AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, they are not sapphire!” It was true, Caroline’s eyes were a sky blue that was almost green.
Lady Campbellwas unimpressed. She summoned Carlisle while Caroline massaged her forehead tiredly. She was wise enough not to get involved in any type of scandal, andwas already in trouble enoughfor repeatedly rejecting the advances of men who came calling for her hand in marriage.
“Yes, Madame?”
Her mother wasted no time asking. “Where did you get this letter?”
“The old butler from the Mannfield estate brought it personally and insisted I gave it directly to the young lady of the house. I simply assumed he meant Miss Caroline, her being the oldest.” Carlisle responded. He looked over at Caroline when she snorted with laughter. “Is there a problem?”
Lady Campbell seemed deep in thought. “No, you may leave.”
“See, mother? It was a mistake, I told you. If it is the Mannfield estate, then ‘Alex’ is certainly Alexander Mannfield. Never have I spoken to that man in my life. I haven’t even gotten a proper look at him,” Caroline said with a chuckle, thinking that things would be cleared up easily. “He has always been quiet at balls—distant even. I suppose we know why now.”
She'd said that last part lightheartedly, expecting the next topic of conversation to be gossip about who the true recipient of the letter was supposed to be. She was wrong. Her mother jumped to her feet, clearly concerned.
“Your father needs to see this,” she said instead.
A frown wrinkled Caroline’s brow as her mother rushed toward the door. “You wish to tell father? This is much too trivial an issue to bother him with—” she began to say, but her words were cut short as her mother left her in the drawing room, the door slamming shut with a finality.
…..
Two days had passed since Alexander had sent his love letter to Isabella. He hoped that ithad,at the very least,made her smile. She was not always forthcoming with her responses, if she ever responded at all, so he resorted toimagining her reaction. Regardless, whenever she did meet him, she always told him how much she enjoyed them.
They'd been meeting once a sennight for the pastfew months, and it was only recently that their interactions had become more carnal. That could be why Alexander had become obsessed, but how could he not be? Isabella was a dream in the sheets. The fact that she was more experienced than him didn't bother him at all when she showed him new ways to please her and new ways she could please him with each encounter. Despite the fact that he was her first lover as she was his, she was naturally gifted. They were so compatible, and she was so creative, that their lovemaking was never tedious.
Come to thinkabout it, they barely spenttime talking anymore. Since the first time they slept together, they had spent the previous four meetings lost in each other's bodies.I wonder if she minds… she initiates it usually, so I would think not.
He was supposed to be going over tax reports in the Mannfield's lands and comparing them to the harvest, a duty he was assigned in preparation for becoming Baron. Instead, he was daydreaming about Isabella. Perhaps that's why he jumped when he heard a knock on his door.
“Do come in.” He shuffled the reports on his desk, making it look like he had been doing what he was supposed to.
“Master Alex,” said the footman, Oliver, poking his head through the door before coming in. “A letter for you from Lord Campbell. I was told to relay that the message is urgent and they expect you immediately.”
Alexander collected the letter from Oliver, thoroughlyperplexed,and dismissed him. The Campbells were not a family he was acquainted with. He'd heard of their daughter, Caroline, who was said to be quite the beauty and had a habit of breaking the hearts of young men who desired her hand in matrimony. Her high standards were widely known.
He wondered what business they had with him as he read the letter and found that it was a summons from the Lord.If this were a business call, would he not reach out to my father and not me?
Alexander was puzzled, but he was also too polite to ignore the rather firminvitation. It was odd that the Lord would summon him in this manner so he went to the Campbell house as instructed. They seemed to have been expecting him. When he arrived, their butler, a middle-aged serious man, immediately took him to the Lord's study.
When Alexander walked into the office and saw both the Lord and Lady Campbell staring at him, he couldn't help but be concerned. Standing beside her husband, the Lady appeared even more agitated, as if he had done something wrong.
“The Honorable Alexander Mannfield,” the Lord said.
Alexander bowed in greeting. “A pleasure to meet you, Lord Campbell. I received your summons and came as fast as I could, but I admit that I am confused by the sudden call.”
Lady Campbell sniffed at that and threw her nose in the air.For some reason, this does not seem to be a friendly call.
“You are confused? So not once did it occur to you that sending my daughter such an illicit letter, or secretly meeting her, would ever lead you to such a situation?” the Lord asked, barely masking his anger.
Alexander blinked in confusion. “Meeting? With all due respect, Lord Campbell, but I have never met any one of your daughters out in the open, not to mention secretly. I have never sent them any letters either. So yes, I am indeed confused,” he said firmly but also respectfully.
The Lord reached into a drawer in his desk and smacked a familiar letter on the table. “Are you saying this letter was not written by you? Your family butler came here insisting that this be delivered directly to the young lady of the house.”
Picking up the letter that was supposed to go to Isabella, Alexander realized what had happened. There was no way he could have known anything was wrong. He might not have discovered the error if the Campbells hadn't summoned him, unless he told Isabella when he next saw her. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.Oh Baldwin, what have you done?
“My deepest apologies, Lord Campbell.” Alexander bowed again and put the letter back on the table. “I did write this letter, but it was by no means meant for your daughter. Forgive me, but I cannot state the intended recipient’s name in order to protect her reputation.”
“If the letter was not meant for Caroline, then how did it end up here?” the older man asked, bemused.
