Page 58 of Lady of Charade

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“My best wishes to you, Lady Georgina,” he said with a wave.

“And to you, Mr. Redmond.”

He hoped he wouldn’t need them.

CHAPTER25

It had taken some time, but finally, Sarah found the London townhouse where Lord and Lady Buckworth, as well as their daughter, the beautiful Lady Georgina, were staying. She was surprised when she saw it — if they were marrying their daughter to a son of the Earl of Brentford, she would have thought they would be far wealthier a family. The house lacked any decoration, and had great uniformity with the houses surrounding it.

Not that it mattered — not to her anyway, she thought bitterly.

Sarah took a deep breath. She had been well aware of the hatred Lady Torrington felt for her — one did not need to be particularly emotionally understanding to realize that. She hadn’t been prepared for it in a way; however, it was difficult to understand how a woman could hate someone who had nothing to do with the sequence of events that had ended thusly.

With that being said, as much as Lady Torrington’s final words had cut deeply into Sarah’s very soul, she was also aware that the woman would have said anything to cause her pain and to convince her to leave the house. Sarah’s only regret was that she had allowed the woman to see how much her words had affected her.

Before she permitted the pain to filter through to her heart by believing all the Countess had said, Sarah decided she would ascertain the facts. She could have asked David, of course, but Sarah had now allowed enough doubt to creep in that she wasn’t sure she would be able to believe what he told her.

So she decided to call upon Lady Georgina. She began to approach the house down the street but stopped when she saw a familiar carriage parked in front of it.

David’s carriage. But what was he doing here? She began to take another step forward, but then stopped when she saw a woman running from the house. She was beautiful, her dark hair in an intricate chignon, her dress worn yet still fitting beautifully around her willowy frame. She was chasing after David like a woman in pursuit of her love, and it seemed as though Sarah’s heart stopped beating.

Then she saw David stop at the top of the carriage steps, speak a few words with the woman, hold out his hand — and pull her inside.

Sarah could only stare at the scene in front of her. After thinking it through, she had been convinced that she would arrive here and be presented with one of two circumstances — either there would be no one living here by the name of Lord and Lady Buckworth, or she would speak with Lady Georgina, who would tell her that there was nothing between her and David — assuring her that it had all been Lady Torrington attempting to torture her further into believing the worst of David.

But now that she had seen the woman — with David — her gut wrenched as she realized that Lady Torrington had been right. And why wouldn’t it be true? David was the son of an earl. She had always known that a man like him would never truly be with a woman such as her. Yet with all of his charm, his words of care and concern for her, she had allowed him to convince her otherwise — that shewasa woman he could be with for more than physical intimacy, that perhaps he could even fall in love with.

She had been wrong. She still had no doubts that he had been truthful — she was sure hedidcare for her, as he had said. Just as one could care for an acquaintance, a friend, or a mistress. The worst of it was that she had been well aware that this was how their time together could result, and she had given him all of her anyway — her body, her soul, her heart.

For she loved him. She knew it now by the way her heart seemed to be torn in two. She loved damn David Redmond, but she would no longer stay and be a dalliance for him while he was everything to her. She couldn’t — it hurt far too much.

As Sarah saw the skirts of the beautiful woman begin to emerge from the carriage once more, she finally realized what a fool she must look, standing here immobile as the world carried on around her. She picked up her own skirts — those of one of her best dresses, which she had donned to see her father, a man who clearly had no thought for her at all — and fled.

* * *

David whistleda merry tune as he walked up the Cheapside street to Sarah’s rooms. He was conflicted about Lady Georgina’s situation — he wished he could help her, yet he could not see how he was in any position to do so, besides marry her yet allow her a relationship with her footman, a man he would have to hire on. That, however, was now inconceivable, for he had plans of his own.

He removed his gloves, noticing his palms were slightly damp in anticipation of seeing Sarah and asking her what would be the most important question of his life. He perhaps should have returned home first and spoken with his father, informing him of all that had transpired with Lady Georgina and Lady Buckworth, but at the moment he cared far more for ensuring Sarah knew just how important she was, how much he wanted — no,needed— her in his life.

If his father didn’t allow him to utilize one of his country estates — and at this point, David thought it more likely that they would cut him off entirely than actually provide him with anything after the conversation he had just had — then David was sure he could find himself and Sarah a small home in the country. It wouldn’t be much, for he would have to determine just how he was going to create income for himself, but he was certain that together, they could make anything work.

After she hopefully agreed to marry him, he would take her to see the Earl of Torrington. He wasn’t sure what the man’s reception to her would be, but at the very least, David would be there to comfort her if necessary.

David knocked on the door but was disappointed when no ensuing answer came, so he pulled out the key Sarah had left him with and let himself in.

His jaw dropped open in surprise at the scene before him. Sarah was standing in front of her wardrobe, rifling through the fantastic, colorful array of dresses, pulling out only the most utilitarian, drab dresses he had ever seen and throwing them into a heap on the floor behind her, under which, he finally realized, lay her valise.

Her hair was unpinned, flowing down her back, while the rest of the room was in shambles. Her herbs and bottles of concoctions were on the floor beside the valise along with her shotgun and three daggers, while everything else was piled in the corner.

On the small desk lay pieces of paper, each covered in her soft, feminine writing.

She was leaving. The revelation took far longer than it should have to filter through his mind, but once it did, waves of disappointment crashed through him unlike anything he had ever felt before. She couldn’t leave — not yet, not until he had said to her all he needed to say.

“Sarah?” he finally called out, and she turned, shocking him when she did, for her face was covered in tears that she angrily and hurriedly brushed away.

David strode across the room in moments, but when he reached his arms out toward her, she stepped away and around him.

“Whatever is the matter?” he asked, shocked at all that lay before him. “Where are you going?”