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“You have my word, sir,” Carlton said.
* * *
28
Lady Charlotte had finally stopped crying, although she was uncertain how long the respite would last. Jane sat with her on her bed as she told the story of the wager. Jacqueline, who had entered to brush their hair and ready them both for bed, exclaimed surprise and sympathy at Charlotte’s revelation, but offered no comment.
“I think you must speak with him,” Jane said.
“What is there to say? He wagered he would win me, like a ribbon at a country fair.” Lady Charlotte objected crossing her arms defiantly beneath her breasts. She was deeply hurt by the deception and as a consequence was likely to cultivate angry indignation.
Jane regarded Charlotte for a long moment.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Charlotte protested. “He acted the villain. I am in the right.”
“That does not mean that you do not love him,” Jane said.
Charlotte sniffed, tears threatening to fall. She couldn’t deny that she loved Sir John. That was why her heart felt as if it lay in broken shards within her chest.
“The French.. Their hearts are passionate,oui?” Jacqueline offered. “Parfois les Français agissent avec leurs cœurs avant que leurs esprits soient engages,”she said and Jane laughed.
“Yes, well, much as we try to be calm and collected, Englishmen do that too, at least Englishmen in love,” Jane agreed.
“What? What about his heart?” Charlotte questioned. Although she understood French passably well, as all good English ladies did, sometimes Jacqueline spoke too quickly for her to understand all the nuances of the language.
“Sometimes the French act with their hearts before their minds are engaged,” Jane explained. “And that men, especially young men, are foolish.”
The two ladies smiled knowingly.
Charlotte sighed, dejected.
“Sometimes you can be in the right, Charlotte, and you can still be miserable,” Jane explained. “You have to choose. Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy? Do not let pride get in the way.”
Charlotte twisted the coverlet in her hands. “I know, Jane, but he hurt me so. If I open my heart again, he can wound me again.”
Jane nodded. “Yes. That is true. Love is a risk. But if you love him, you will find a way to forgive him, even though he has hurt you.” Jane put her hand under Charlotte’s chin and tipped her tearful face up to meet her eyes. “And perhaps more importantly, if he truly loves you, he will find a way to make amends.”
“You are wise, my lady,” Jacqueline added as she finished her mistress’ plait for the night.
Charlotte nodded thoughtfully. She hugged Jane and thanked her for the advice. Jane smiled at her before she left the room to return to the suite she shared with her own husband.
“Do you really think she is right?” Charlotte asked as Jacqueline turned down the covers on the bed.
“I have learned never to dismiss what Lady Keegain says,” Jacqueline advised. “She is wise beyond her years. And, is it not best to be sure? What can it hurt to speak to the gentleman? To hear his side of this wager?”
Lady Charlotte nodded her agreement. She had been so sure that Sir John cared for her. She could not understand how she could have been so mistaken. She must speak to him. She was afraid of what Sir John would say, but she couldn’t bear not knowing. For the first time in days Charlotte no longer felt like throwing herself on her bed and crying.
“Thank you, Jacqueline,” Charlotte said with feeling. Charlotte was more sure of her course of action than she had been in days. Sleep came and took her easily and her rest was devoid of the horrid dreams that had once plagued her.
* * *
Lady Charlotte awoke unaccountably early thinkingon what Jane had said. The sky was still pink with the new dawn. Charlotte decided to ride with Jane and her brother. She rushed to dress, but was informed that the earl and his wife had already left the townhouse for their own morning ride. Charlotte assumed that they would go to Hyde Park which was not far. At this early hour, not many were yet out and about. Charlotte was sure she could find Jane and Ruddy without the bother of fighting through the crowd that came later in the day.
She asked after their plans and the new young groom, who had saddled Jamari, confirmed their direction. He offered to find someone to accompany her, but Charlotte did not want to wait. “I am sure to catch up with Jane and my brother in a thrice,” she told him.
In retrospect, perhaps that was a mistake. Only minutes into the ride, Charlotte was aware of two men following her. Anxiety pricked up her spine, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. She had barely left the environs of Mayfair.Had they been watching the house?
She was sure that Ruddy was well out of earshot, but someone would hear her if she screamed. On the other hand, if she screamed, she would be sure to be the product of tomorrow’s gossip in theTon. She should not make a scene. She was close enough to the townhouse and Jamari was fleet. If necessary, he could easily outrun them, she thought. She would get back to the safety of the mews and no one would be the wiser.
