Page 58 of A Virgin to Trap the Earl of Thornhill
Viscountess Blackwell glanced over her shoulder to ensure her husband was not within earshot before she disappeared into the adjacent room. She returned moments later, a velvet box clutched in her hands.
Opening the box, she revealed a stunning necklace studded with shimmering jewels and a pair of matching earrings. “These belonged to your grandmother,” she whispered as she placed the necklace around Eris’ neck, the cool jewels resting against her skin. “I have kept them hidden all these years, fearing your father might sell them to pay his debts.”
Eris watched her mother, her eyes welling up with tears. “Thank you, Mother,” she said, her voice choked with emotion. Her mother’s gesture, the glistening jewels now adorning her, and the high stakes of the evening intertwined into a poignant moment that Eris would remember forever.
The ride to Thornhill’s London estate was cloaked in unusual silence, save for the occasional rattle of carriage wheels and the soft rustle of silk gowns. Eris and Lily, both deep in thought, exchanged brief, anxious glances from time to time, their nerves evident.
Finally, they spoke, their voices overlapping in the quiet carriage. “I am nervous,” Lily admitted, her hands nervously smoothing the fabric of her gown. “Cassian’s mother, the Dowager Countess — I know she doesn’t approve. It makes everything so much more intimidating.”
Eris nodded, her heart echoing her sister’s sentiment. “I understand, Lily,” she said, her voice quiet but determined. “Tonight will tell me my future, too.”
Lily turned toward Eris, her brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?” she asked, her tone filled with genuine concern.
Taking a deep breath, Eris held her sister’s gaze. “I am going to tell William that I love him,” she declared, the weight of her confession hovering in the air between them.
For a moment, Lily simply stared at her sister, processing her confession then her expression softened into a warm smile. She reached over and gave Eris’ hand a comforting squeeze.
“Oh, Eris,” she sighed, her voice tender with understanding and sisterly affection. “I could not be happier for you. And terrified, too. But mostly happy.”
A chuckle escaped Eris, a welcome release of some of the tension she felt. “Thank you, Lily,” she said, returning her sister’s squeeze. “I just hope he feels the same way.”
“I believe he does,” Lily affirmed, her voice firm with conviction. “I have seen the way he looks at you, Eris. It is the same way Cassian looks at me. Full of love.”
Eris’ heart fluttered at Lily’s words. She could only hope that Lily was right. “Well, I suppose we will find out tonight,” she said, gazing out of the carriage window as the Thornhill’s London estate came into view.
The large mahogany doors of the Thornhill estate swung open, welcoming the Saffron sisters into the well-lit grand foyer. The Thornhill family stood in a stately row, a testament to their status and the grandeur of their house.
Cassian was the first to break the formal tableau. His face lit up as he stepped forward, taking Lily’s hand with a gallant bow. “Miss Saffron, you look radiant tonight,” he said, his eyes twinkling with joy.
Next to him, William stood stiffly, his eyes darting toward Eris. His usually composed face looked a bit flustered, and he swallowed hard when his gaze met hers. The air seemed to crackle as their eyes locked, his dark gaze holding hers in a moment that felt far more intimate than the crowded room should have allowed.
Eris felt a flutter of emotions coursing through her, an intoxicating mix of fear, excitement, and longing. She had to force herself to look away from William, to nod politely at the sisters and their husbands.
It was Rose who stepped forward first, her warm smile dispelling some of the tension in Eris’ shoulders. “Miss Saffron, Miss Eris, it is such a pleasure to have you here,” she greeted them warmly, her voice resonating in the grand hall.
Jasmine and Daphne, with their husbands in tow, chimed in with their own welcoming words, the friendly tones creating a sense of camaraderie that made the grandeur of their surroundings a little less intimidating.
Even as Eris responded to their greetings, her mind was elsewhere, her heart pounding in rhythm with the words she was yet to utter, ‘I love you, William.’
Finally, her gaze fell upon the Dowager Countess Thornhill, a formidable woman even in her advanced age. Her sharp eyes appraised the sisters carefully, her lips pursed in thought. Eris offered a polite curtsy, forcing herself to hold the older woman’s gaze.
“Well, let us begin, shall we?”
ChapterThirty-Two
“Did I ever tell you about the time Lieutenant Hargrove mistook the Admiral’s cat for a spy?” Cassian boomed, bursting into the sitting room with all the confidence of a seasoned naval officer.
The room fell into silence as everyone turned to look at him. The corners of William’s lips tugged into a small smile at his brother’s outrageous story. Across the room, his sisters’ husbands — Axel, Thomas, and Richard — chuckled, their stately facades cracking in anticipation of another of Cassian’s amusing tales.
“Good Lord, Cassian,” Thomas, the Duke of Everness, chuckled. “Not the cat story again.”
“Indulge me, Thomas,” Cassian replied with a grin. “It is a surefire way to lighten any room.”
“Cassian, you have grown, and you have become a man, but you have not changed at all. Did you know that he told me Axel was a man-eating beast when I asked Cassian about him?”
“That is not fair, I was a young lad then. But this story is beyond truthful, I tell you…”
His story was indeed preposterous, full of exaggerated antics, and made all the more comical by Cassian’s flamboyant storytelling. As laughter filled the room, even the Dowager Countess’s lips twitched upwards. William could feel the tension in the room gradually ebbing away, replaced by a sense of camaraderie and shared amusement.
