AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Was it too telling not to leave her bed that morning? She sat up and reached for her pillow but stopped—glinting at her wrist was the bracelet Felton had given her. She wanted to rip it off her hand, but slowly unhooked it and dropped it into her bedside drawer; it landed onThe Lost Love; Esther slammed the drawer back in place.
He said he wanted revenge for his sister’s broken heart…well, he certainly succeeded.
She blinked and winced at the dryness in her eyes, and she knew they had to be red. She refrained from rubbing them and irritating them further, but stayed in bed, as the thought of getting out and facing the world was daunting.
A polite knock had her looking up, but instead of Margaret, John came in. He stopped in his stride, but kept going, “Esther, I can see that you’re still not feeling, but I wanted to talk to you about Captain Morgan. I—”
“Don’t bother,” she said emptily. “You were right about investigating him, John. Captain Morgan does not exist—his name is Felton Gale, he is the brother of the Lady with whom you broke off the courtship.”
John blinked a little, then when the words sunk in, his face went red with rage, “What?”
Blandly, Esther told him about last night's ruse, how she had pretended to have a headache to go off to Vauxhall with the Captain, how she had enjoyed the dancing and acrobats before the Captain had told her why he had sought her out.
“He said he loved me,” Esther added at last, then swallowed, “But it rings hollow when you know that one was after revenge first.”
John was pacing, and his face was darkening the more he moved. Finally, he stopped, “I’ll call him out; I hope his hand is straight because I will kill him.”
Lurching up, Esther called, “No, John, no! What will that help matters? No one will come out of this unscathed. You had hurt his sister; he hurt me. The man is an army man, John, both of you will be injured at best and dead at worst. Do not duel with him, for me, please.”
“Pardon me?” Lady Eleanor said while gliding in, holding a cup of warm milk before handing it to Esther, “Who is duelling with whom?”
Regrettably, Esther admitted the story back to her mother and kept her eyes away from her while doing it. “I’m sorry, Mother, I know it wasn’t right, but I —”
“No, no,” Lady Eleanor shook her head, then wryly added, “I was young once; I know the foolhardiness that young love brings. But I am glad you have learned a lesson from it. Now, you’ll be wiser with the other Lords you pick.”
If I get the courage to do so.
“And you, John, you cannot go around willy-nilly making courtship and breaking them. Catherine Gale was a lovely girl, a bit concerned with her image more than anything, but lovely nonetheless. Why did you break off the courtship?”
Esther’s brows knitted, “Yes, John, why did you break the courtship?”
Frustrated, John rubbed his face, “I was told that she loved another one and that I was risking the chance of marrying a woman who might use me for my status and have an affair with another.”
“And was that true?” Esther asked.
He shoved his hands into his buff trousers, and looked ashamed, “Not from what I’m seeing, no. I suppose it was all a lie.”
When the shock that all the pain she was feeling came from a lie, had Esther feeling the need to scream, but their mother addressed John before she could, “You did not check the truth and broke the young woman’s heart over a lie?
John looked ashamed, “I must admit that I too was more interested in preserving my image than examining if it was true or not. Miss Gale was a lovely girl, but sadly, even if she were not in love with another man; she is not the material I need for a Duchess. But that is neither here nor there. I am still going to speak with Gale and tell him that if he loves all that is dear, to steer clear of you.”
Esther was ready to ask him not to do it, but perhaps it was for the best. She kept quiet as John left the room and looked down at the dregs of the milk she had drunk during her confession.
“Esther, darling,” her mother said kindly. “This may be the best for you, dear. Lessons in love come in many ways. You learn by loss much as you learn by victory.”
Looking up, she gave her mother a faint smile, “I suppose.”
“You will be all right,” Lady Eleanor embraced her, then stood. “I know you will; you are a strong woman.”
Following her mother as she left, Esther sighed, “If only I can believe that.”
***
“My Lord,” the footman called, “His Grace, Duke Ayles is here.”
Closing the newspaper that he had not truly been reading, Felton stood and tugged his waistcoat down, “Send him in.”
He waited for the Duke to come in and kept his expression stoic, as the man came in, his expression level and serious. His coat was on, which showed Felton that the man was not there for conversation.
