AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Amelia refused to take a seat. Taking a seat meant that she felt comfortable and at ease here, and she felt exactly the opposite. Instead, she slowly paced about the room, inspecting her surroundings. The curtains were heavy, drawn apart, revealing a large, elongated window with an overview of the back garden which was in full bloom. The room itself was decorated lavishly with paintings on the walls, vases, potted plants, and several smaller carpets which seemed to have been brought from the Orient. The chaise lounge was a striking yellow, a color which seemed to stand out against all the other more earthly tones.
Just as Amelia was about to turn her attention to the small, but obviously well-stocked bookshelf in the corner of the room, the door opened, and Lady Susan entered. The look on her face was not one of shock but rather of inquisitiveness. Her cold, blue eyes stared right at Amelia, who refused to look away. She turned to Lady Susan, walking over to her boldly and confidently.
At first, Amelia wondered if Lady Susan even recognized her, but a moment later, there was no doubt about that.
“The Duchess of Mosebridge.” Lady Susan’s voice was as cold as her eyes. There was nothing welcoming about it. Amelia paid no heed. After all, this was not a social call.
“Lady Susan,” Amelia replied, endeavoring to keep the tone of her voice equally chilly although to her, it was unnatural. “I suppose you know why I am here.”
Lady Susan tilted her head a little as if to take a more introspective look at her unexpected guest. Her entire visage was as cold as her voice. Her porcelain skin was as white as alabaster with that wintery, light blue undertone. Her cheeks were not blushing red. They were almost ghastly white. Even her lips were slightly purplish, instead of a healthy red. Yet, none of this seemed to detract from the lady’s unusual beauty. In fact, this only seemed to emphasize it, giving her a striking visage and an unforgettable face.
For a moment, Amelia could see why Arthur had fallen in love with this woman. While she did lack warmth in every sense of the word, it was impossible not to be mesmerized by her. Jealousy gripped at Amelia. The green-eyed monster lurked in the depths of her soul, but Amelia quickly reminded herself that there was nothing between Lady Susan and Arthur any longer. Whatever they had was left in the past even though it was obvious that Lady Susan, for whatever reason, could simply not let it go.
“I’m afraid I do not,” Lady Susan replied in an obvious effort to gain the upper hand in a situation which commenced with her as the perplexed one. “Please, elaborate. In the meantime, why don’t you sit down? I can ring for some tea.”
“No, thank you,” Amelia shook her head. “I do not plan on remaining that long. I am merely here to clarify something.”
“For instance?” Lady Susan didn’t seem or sound the least bit concerned. In fact, she seemed as if this amused her greatly, yet Amelia had only a few moments before Lady Susan decided she was bored with it all.
“The article inThe Morning Herald,” Amelia reminded her. She had no intention of going into great length or detail regarding this. She would keep it as short as possible. The message would be much clearer that way.
“What of it?” Lady Susan shrugged indifferently.
“Do you mind explaining why you would go to such great lengths to ruin my husband’s reputation, and not only that but his life as well?” Amelia demanded. However, she was not nearly as confident as she hoped she would be. Her voice was trembling now, her entire body taken over by fury aimed at this unsympathetic woman who could not care less whom she would hurt for her own amusement.
Lady Susan’s eyes narrowed into two thin slits. “You don’t know him,” she said then paused for a moment. Then, she continued. “Youthinkyou do, but you do not.”
“And you do?” Amelia frowned.
“He managed to fool me just as much as he managed to fool you,” Lady Susan continued, moving about the room as her long gown fluttered about her feet. The movement was making Amelia nervous. Perhaps that was Lady Susan’s intention?
“He did not fool me about anything,” Amelia corrected her sharply. “I know everything there is to know about that man.”
I read his diary.The thought burned in her, making her both ashamed as well as certain that she was telling this woman the truth. She had read that man’s most private thoughts. She knew him better than anyone else in the entire world. She was absolutely certain of it.
“Oh, you poor thing,” Lady Susan sighed, and Amelia could hear the pitiful tone in her voice. It almost made her lunge at this woman, grabbing her by the hair and pulling all the pins out of it, but she managed to resist this unladylike temptation, opting instead to merely listen for the time being until she could control herself no longer.
Lady Susan walked over to the window, only to turn around and face Amelia again. “I believed him as well. I believed everything he told me because he is charming that way. He makes you fall in love with him then he uses this love against you.”
Amelia frowned. “You are mistaken,” she shook her head. “Arthur is the sweetest man I know. The rumors are just that… rumors, spread by malicious people.” To be quite honest, Amelia wished to sayspread by you,but she managed to bite her tongue in time. She wanted to convince Lady Susan to stop harassing Arthur, but she would not be able to achieve that if she directly accused Lady Susan of that crime.
“You know that old saying,” Lady Susan spoke mysteriously. “Where there is smoke, there is fire.”
“Anyone can light up that fire,” Amelia was adamant.
Lady Susan chuckled. “You have really fallen in love with him, haven’t you?”
“He is my husband,” Amelia snarled back defensively. “And he is more a gentleman than you could ever hope to have. It is exactly because he is such a gentleman that he does not wish to confront you about any of this. But I am not him, and I am more than willing to show you the error of your ways.”
This time, Lady Susan wasn’t smiling. She could hear the tenacity in Amelia’s voice and in the way she was speaking.
“The man you married is a monster,” Lady Susan warned loudly.
“How dare you say that!?” Amelia growled like a mad animal. Never in her life had she felt such a great urge to protect someone, someone who was so wrongfully accused of a crime he had not committed.
“I speak the truth,” Lady Susan replied as resolutely although she made sure to remain at a safe distance from Amelia. “If you were not blinded by your foolish devotion to your husband, you would realize that I am merely trying to protect you.”
“Protect me?” Amelia snorted. “You do not even know me, nor do you know him although you claim that you do.”
