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"But that is exactly it," Edward was adamant to explain the little that could be explained here. "I have done nothing to deserve a facer and neither has your daughter. I have no idea how she ended up in my chamber and I–"
"You should be ashamed of yourself," the earl hissed, interrupting him. He neared him, his vast heavy body overshadowing Edward's, who refused to back down, even before such a threat. "I always thought you to be an honorable man, despite everything that has happened." He hesitated for a moment, then continued, "If your parents were here, may God rest their souls, they would be ashamed of you as well, to see you trying to excuse your scandalous behavior, instead of accepting responsibility for the mistakes you have made and trying to rectify the situation in the only way that is acceptable."
"The only way?" Leah echoed her father's last words, looking at him, then at Edward, who instantly knew what the earl was referring to.
He sighed heavily. The nightmare just kept on going, without any end in sight. He looked up at his mansion, the only place he had ever called his home. Some parts of it were in a state of dilapidation. It needed his tender care and attention. It needed to be mended in so many ways, especially now after the fire almost destroyed all of it. He was fortunate. He never thought he would consider himself fortunate, after everything that had happened to him. Yet, here he was, the fortunate one.
"I know this looks very bad," Edward concurred, nodding.
"It most certainly does!" the earl huffed, his chest rising like a peacock's, proud to hear that he was right.
"Your daughter and I have told you the truth, but I know that you do not believe us," he continued. "To be honest, I am not certain that I would believe myself. This whole evening seems like something from a novel, which I do not see the ending of."
"Well, I do," the earl snarled. "A good man knows what to do, even if it might be something he doesn't like."
Edward wanted to remind him that no one here considered him a good man. In fact, everyone thought exactly the opposite. Everyone here thought Edward was a monster, and that was exactly why they were here, to see what the monster would do next. A monster would lure a young lady into its chamber. A monster would take advantage of a young lady in its chamber. And a monster would most certainly refuse to do the right thing. They all expected to see a monster, because that was all Edward was to them.
"I knew your father," the earl suddenly added. "Hewasa good man. He would know what to do. You have just shown everyone here what sort of a manyouare. You are not your father's son after all."
The earl's words hit him hard. Edward held his father in great esteem, and he knew that the earl was right. His father was respected by all those who knew him. Edward could not boast the same feat. In fact, he could boast the opposite, although it was nothing to be proud of. People thought he was many things, none of which were good. Perhaps, this could be his first step in proving them all wrong?
Seeing fire had almost rendered him motionless. Memories came flooding back, but he managed to fight through all of them. It was the first time that he didn't succumb to all the pain, to all the misery that lay dormant inside of him. Perhaps that was a sign that changes were afoot... good changes.
What would his father do? Edward wondered. Instantly, the answer materialized inside his mind. If he ever found himself in such a situation, he would most certainly marry the girl. He would never let a young lady's reputation suffer, if he were involved in any manner. Edward knew what he needed to do, what he was expected to do.
He inhaled deeply and stared the earl straight into the eyes. He hesitated for a moment. There was one single second of reluctance in his mind, one single moment that would change everything. This was the time for him to choose his destiny, to prove to others whether he was the monster they all thought him to be or was he truly the son of his parents.
"You are absolutely right, My Lord," Edward said with as much reverence in his voice as he could muster. "Your daughter was in my chamber at night, unchaperoned. We all know what that means. I swear to you on the memory of my father, whom you knew well, that I have not soiled your daughter's reputation. However, simply by being here with me, her reputation has suffered, and there is only one way in which I can rectify this." He paused, still staring at the earl, whose face expression seemed to become milder and milder with each subsequent word that was being said. "Please, take your daughter home," Edward instructed. "She has suffered enough. I shall come in the morning, to make an official proposal."
He waited for a moment longer, to hear if the earl would say anything else, but the earl remained silent, save for that flicker of a smile on his lips. Assured that the matter was handled well, Edward turned around and headed back inside, leaving all the servants and the neighbors, with all their prying eyes behind him.
How did Leah Gillet end up in his chamber? That question rang inside his mind with the strength of a million church bells, all pealing at the same time. But tonight, he would not get closer to the resolution of this mystery.
He still had no idea what just happened. This evening was still a horrible nightmare he could not make heads or tails of. However, he was adamant to find out, and visiting the Earl and his daughter the following morning would be his first step in doing that.
CHAPTER3
"You must be out of your mind if you think I will marry that man!" Leah could not control her shock, her disappointment, her anger with her own powerlessness in this situation.
"You placed yourself in this mess," her father reminded her as he paced about their drawing room like a caged tiger, unable to find release.
"I already told you that I have no idea how I ended up there," Leah reminded him angrily, placing her hands on her hips. This situation was getting worse by the minute, and she was becoming more and more helpless. She was stuck in a vicious cycle of rage and helplessness.
"And I already told you that I do not believe a single word of that," he snorted with disbelief. "How on Earth does one end up in man's chamber, in one's nightclothes among others!?"
"I was probably kidnaped!" Leah exploded, gesturing with her hands wildly about. "Did that ever occur to you? That perhaps, that man was behind this the entire time?"
Leah missed her mother more now than ever before. It seemed that the chasm between her and her father, which had opened up even before her mother's death, was becoming bigger and wider, threatening to swallow them both, unless they were careful. Now, her father was taking the word of some stranger over the word of his own daughter. She simply could not believe that. Her mother would trust her. Her mother had always trusted her, and Leah in turn, felt like she could tell her anything, even her most secret wishes and dreams. That was the sort of relationship they had.
Then again, her mother had always been different. So different that it made her husband almost weary of her, cautious, always careful not to allow her too much freedom, when freedom was all Leah's mother ever needed to be truly happy. Leah considered herself much like her mother in many respects, which only seemed to enrage her father even more, and make that chasm between them even bigger.
"You did not seem to be all that frightened of him, if he had indeed kidnapped you," her father said, more calmly, but with an undertone that Leah did not like at all.
"I did not claim that he had, only that this was a possibility," Leah reminded him stubbornly as she watched him continue to pace about the room. He almost seemed as if he wasn't even listening to her, but every once in a while, he would look in her direction, his eyes filled with hopelessness and despair. "You know that whispers about him murdering his parents have been spreading like wildfire."
"We do not know if any of that is true," he said gravely. "You know that thetonlikes to gossip, more than anything. They gossiped about your mother as well. Need I remind you of that?"
Leah pouted, her full lips circling into a silent 'O'. Of course, she did not need to be reminded of any of that. Those words, those accusatory looks were forever imprinted onto the canvas of her mind.
