Page 106 of The Earl's Bluestocking Bride
She closed her eyes and did her best to regulate her breathing. “Would your arrangement with Miss Giles have ended if money had never become a problem?”
There was a quick intake of breath, as if he’d immediately begun to reply, followed by a hesitation. She grabbed fistfuls of her skirt and fought the urge to scream.
“I see.”
She really did.
If Andrew hadn’t lost his fortune, he would have continued his affair with Miss Giles.
Florence.
Money was all that had come between them.
Well, money and Amelia.
Florence was the woman he actually wanted. The one he’d chosen, when he’d been able to choose anyone. Amelia was just the woman he’d been forced to let into his life by circumstance. For now, she was a novelty, but how long would that last?
When the novelty faded, she’d have to accept the fact that even if it wasn’t Florence Giles who came back into Andrew’s life, there would be someone else like her.
Andrew reached for her hand, but she dodged him.
“I care for you,” he said. “I promise, you are all I want.”
“You don’t—”
“That’s why I didn’t give in to Miss Giles’s blackmail,” he carried on, interrupting her.
Her lips parted. “What?”
Blackmail? What on earth was he talking about?
He moved closer. She stayed in place, relieved when he didn’t try to touch her again.
“Listen to me properly before you decide what to think,” he said quietly.
“All right.” She supposed she owed him that much. He’d been good to her.
His fingers twitched, and he curled them into his palm. “As I said, I broke off my affair with Miss Giles when I found out about Mr. Smith. I explained the reasoning to her because we were close at the time, and I didn’t want to hurt her without any explanation.”
Amelia gritted her teeth. Of course he did. Even when he was failing, Andrew did his best to protect everyone’s feelings.
“After we married, she made… advances toward me.”
“She wanted you back,” she said bluntly.
He nodded. “Yes. When I turned her down, she became quite persistent. At the Winston ball, she threatened me. She told me that if I didn’t resume our affair, she would let everyone know how foolishly I’d lost my fortune. I’m sorry. I had hoped she wouldn’t go through with it.”
“So….” She dragged out the word, her thoughts whirring. “You didn’t capitulate.”
“Of course not,” he said incredulously. “I would never.”
She couldn’t decide what to think of that. On one hand, she was pleased that he valued being faithful to her more than he valued his reputation. But on the other, he’d made a decision on something that potentially impacted them both—as well as Kate and Lady Drake—without consulting her.
She nibbled her lower lip, wondering where to go from here. “Thank you for being honest with me.”
“Always.” It was a vow.
“It means a lot to me that you care for me enough to do that.” She rubbed at a tiny ink stain on her skirt. “But if you respected me properly, you’d have told me what was going on and discussed it with me before you acted.”
