AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
REGINA COULDN’T SLEEPa minute longer, even though she hadn’t gotten much rest during the night. The events from last night stayed on her mind, keeping her tossing in bed. She already missed Wayne, and she wanted to never feel that way again.
Once she was dressed, she went downstairs. It was too early for the cook to have prepared breakfast, yet Regina smelled the scent of cooked scones and sausage filling the air. She stepped into the dining room and stopped. Her parents were here. Strange that she hadn’t seen them all day yesterday, but now she would know if they thought she had disgraced their family. However, so far, nothing seemed out of place. Mother sat chatting with the housekeeper while Father read the newspaper. Normally, this was what she saw every morning.
Exhaling slowly, Regina walked to the buffet table. Her hands trembled as she dished the food on her plate. She tried listening to her mother’s conversation, but as of yet, nothing was brought up about Regina’s mistakes. Not once, but twice had she tempted fate. She would not do that again.
As she sat at the table, the housekeeper left, closing the door behind her. Regina picked up her fork with a shaky hand and glanced quickly at her mother. “Good morning.”
“Indeed, it is, my dear.” Her mother smiled before sipping her tea.
“May I ask why you two are awake this early? I thought I was the only one who couldn’t stay asleep any longer.”
“Well,” her mother said, “as you probably heard, your father and I were quite ill yesterday, and so we slept most of the day. Once the sun peaked on the horizon, I knew I must rise with it. Is that how you felt, Lord Fraser?”
“Indeed, it is.” Father turned another page in the newspaper.
Regina swallowed hard. “I hope you both are feeling better.”
“We are, dear.” Mother smiled.
Father folded the newspaper and placed it on the table, sighing heavily and quite noticeably. “Is it not shocking how quickly gossip travels, especially when people have nothing better to do with their time?”
Regina’s heart paused. His gaze was aimed directly at her, and his face didn’t express that he was pleased at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. Bile rose in her throat. Father knew something – or had heard something.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Regina said in a strained voice as she took a bite of her oatmeal but didn’t taste anything.
“Why, Lord Fraser?” Mother asked as she looked at her husband from across the table. “Has something happened that we need to know?”
He motioned toward the newspaper. “There are so many speculations going around to what happened to Lady Jane Meyer’s fiancé the other night at the Montague’s ball. Rumor has it Lord Penrose was supposed to make the grand announcement about the engagement.” He arched his bushy eyebrow at Regina. “Amongst other rumors I have heard, of course.”
He knows!Yet, if her father knew what happened, why had he waited until now to bring it up? She prayed she was wrong. Her parents could not know.
“Regina, dear.” Mother took a sip of her tea and placed the cup back on the saucer. “What has Lady Jane said about her engagement? Were you not with her yesterday?”
Regina licked her suddenly dried lips. “According to Jane, she is engaged to Mr. Wayne Nichols. However, because there has been no announcement, I wonder if the earl is hesitant for some reason.”
Her mother nodded. “It does appear that way, does it not?”
“Indeed.” Regina quickly took another bite of her food, wishing her parents would drop the subject.
“Lady Fraser,” her father said, looking at his wife, “am I wrong in thinking you have an appointment this morning with the ladies from your sewing circle?”
Her mother gasped and jumped to her feet, nearly knocking her chair over. “Yes, I do. Thank you for remembering for me.”
Mother rushed out of the room as if the house was on fire. If not for the guilt eating Regina and fear that her father knew, she would have laughed.
Her father leaned forward, resting his wrists on the edge of the table, looking directing at Regina. She dropped her gaze to her food, although she didn’t see anything. Tears stung her eyes, but she didn’t want her father to see.
“My dearest daughter,” he began. “Is there something you would like to tell me?”
She quickly shoved another spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth to keep her from speaking. Shrugging, she shook her head.
“Nothing at all?” he continued.
It took all of her willpower not to cry her eyes out right now. Yet, her father’s tone of voice didn’t sound as if he was ashamed of her, so perhaps he didn’t know what she’d been doing with Wayne Nichols these past two days.
Blinking back the tears, she lifted her head and looked at her father. Dare she think he was smirking? No, it couldn’t be.
