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Instead, he grabbed the newspaper and opened the fifth page as she instructed him. He read the title aloud.
“The Monster of Mosebridge,” he read, every word feeling like a stab in his lower abdomen. He lifted his gaze at poor Mrs. Collins, who seemed to be on the verge of tears, but she did her best to prevent any of them from rolling down her cheek. He looked back down at the newspapers, continuing to read. “The story of the Mosebridge Estate fire had been dazzling the readers of London for far too long without anyone being able to provide the real account of what happened that fateful night. In this edition ofThe Morning Herald,our readers will finally be able to find out the truth…”
He swallowed heavily. His eyes locked with Mrs. Collins’. He knew that the only person who ever considered herself knowledgeable on the subject was Lady Susan. She believed she knew the truth, and she had always been vocal about it. In fact, he had her to thank for being an outcast in the city he had been born in, the city he grew up in, and the city which he planned to grow old in. He was certain that Lady Susan had gotten bored of her life, of her fiancé, and now she was in need of another rush. Nothing had provided her with such intensity as the attention she was receiving as the wronged fiancé of the man who was deemed responsible for the Mosebridge Estate fire and the death of his parents. She lived off of it for months afterwards, and it was only then that he had seen her true face. She never loved him. She loved the attention that she would get from someone, from anyone really, as long as she was the center of it.
He realized many things during that dreadful time, among other things that he had never really loved Lady Susan. He thought she loved him, and he simply mirrored her own emotions back to her. Then, things went to hell, and well… This was where he now ended up.
“It is that ghastly woman again,” Mrs. Collins commented, referring to Lady Susan. It actually made him chuckle out loud, astonishing even himself with this reaction.
“I do believe it is, Mrs. Collins,” he nodded, once the strange onslaught of laughter ended, and he was back to his broody self.
She looked at him expectantly although he had no idea what she wished him to say. There was nothing he could do about someone who was happy spreading malicious gossip. He was hoping that her fiancé and upcoming marriage would keep her entertained, shifting focus away from him, but that did not seem to be the case.
“Some people live their lives in that fashion,” he shrugged. “Living vicariously through the misery of others.” He paused for a moment, waiting to see if Mrs. Collins would say something, but… what was there to say? “Please tell Philip to ready the carriage. I plan on going into town.”
She immediately nodded, excusing herself and leaving him alone again. Arthur glanced at the newspapers again then threw them back on the writing table as if the paper might give him a disease. He could only hope that Amelia did not read such gossip columns. Then again, she wouldn’t need to.The tonwould provide her with all the juicy tidbits from the article the next time they attended a ball together.
He sighed heavily, seeing no way out other than closing himself up again like he had always done.
CHAPTER21
“Tell me absolutely everything,” Jane exclaimed the moment their arms locked as the two sisters strolled through Hyde Park.
Amelia was first considering inviting Jane over to Mosebridge Estate, but seeing what had happened that very morning, she knew she would not be able to remain in that house and risk stumbling onto Arthur. The last thing she wished to do was mope around the house and for him to see her like that. She made a mistake. She had owned up to it, and the moment he wished to talk about it, she would be ready. Until that time, she would be out of sight. So, she readied her carriage and went to fetch her sister, knowing that Jane was always in the mood for even an unexpected stroll through Hyde Park.
Amelia realized that she had been a married woman for over an entire month now. She had already been out with her husband, but that was only once. The hustle around her felt good. It was a pleasant distraction from the turbulent storm of emotion that raged on inside of her. She did not wish today to be spent pining after her husband on one hand, and on the other, overseeing the redecoration which she was in no mood for today.
“How does it feel to be a married woman after some time has passed?” Jane wondered with a smile.
“Well… that depends on what exactly you wish to know.” Amelia could not resist revealing more to her sister than she had asked for. The memory of their lovemaking was still fresh in her mind, making her blush each time she remembered.
Jane’s eyes widened in shock as she stopped walking right in the middle of the little path, only to turn and face her sister.
“My goodness, Amelia, you didn’t!” Jane gasped, pressing her hand to her lips. Their eyes locked. A meaningful glance was exchanged, and as always, the two sisters understood each other perfectly without a single word being exchanged. Immediately, they burst into a roaring chuckle. They didn’t care that the nearby couple who were passing by turned to give them a puzzled look.
“All I shall say is that the Duke is treating me very well,” Amelia said with a smile as soon as the onslaught of laughter subsided, and the two ladies proceeded with their walk languidly.
“I can see that,” Jane nodded importantly. “You look happy. That makes me glad.”
“That makes both of us glad, dear Jane,” Amelia continued. “Only…” she started but didn’t know whether she should express her concerns just yet. Her sister was too focused on attending balls and her life going down the path that she was supposed to go on. Amelia did not wish to take away any of that happiness by offering concern in exchange.
“Only what?” Jane echoed. Amelia didn’t reply immediately. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”
“I know,” Amelia assured her.
“Do you trust him now?” Jane asked cautiously, almost afraid of what the answer might be.
“I do,” Amelia replied instantly without any hesitation. “That is the problem. The more time I’ve spent with him, the more I’ve realized that we were wrong about him. Everyone was wrong about him. He would never be able to hurt anyone… intentionally. What happened that fateful night was a tragedy, but he is not to be blamed. I do not know how anyone could think him capable of harming anyone. It is simply not in his nature.”
Jane’s facial expression suddenly changed. Amelia noticed it immediately.
“What is the matter, Jane?” she wondered. The two of them kept walking, but neither of them was enjoying the walk itself. It was the conversation which had abruptly turned dark, and Amelia didn’t know why.
“Well…” Jane said, inhaling deeply as if mustering the courage to say what was on her mind. “I have read the newest edition ofthe Morning Herald.”
Amelia frowned. “That dreadful gossip column? Jane, I thought you knew better.”
“I know,” Jane lowered her gaze shamefacedly. “But I only read it because a friend of mine told me that there was an article in there about… the Duke.”
