Page 35 of His Scarred Duchess
Without missing a beat, Lady Alderton changed tactics, a serene smile spreading across her face that belied the calculating gleam in her eyes. “Miss Carstairs,” she said, her voice warm but firm. “I do hope you’ll forgive the impropriety. I’m afraid my grandson and Lady Adeline were simply overcome with emotion. You see, they’ve recently become engaged and were planning to announce it at the party this evening.”
Adeline’s jaw dropped, her eyes darting to Edmund. His face was a mask of barely contained fury as he glared at his grandmother.
“Engaged?” Miss Carstairs repeated, her tone disbelief and disappointment at the same time. “But… I had heard nothing about?—”
“Oh yes,” Lady Gillingham chimed in, moving to stand beside her friend. “We’ve been keeping it quiet, you see. Waiting for the right moment to make the announcement.”
Adeline felt as though she were watching the scene unfold from outside her body. This couldn’t be happening. Surely she would wake up at any moment, safe in her bed, this whole afternoon nothing but a vivid, perplexing dream.
But the sharp pinch Lady Gillingham gave her arm was all too real, jolting her back to the present.
“Isn’t that right, my dear?” her grandmother prompted, giving her a pointed look.
Adeline opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She felt lightheaded, her corset suddenly far too tight as she struggled to draw breath.
Miss Carstairs, her eyes narrowing suspiciously, turned to Edmund. “Your Grace, is this true? Are you and Lady Adeline truly engaged?”
Edmund, his face a mask of carefully controlled surprise, hesitated for a moment.
“I…” he began, then glanced at Adeline, his eyes unreadable.
Sensing his reluctance, Miss Carstairs whirled back to Adeline, her tone sharp. “Well, Lady Adeline? Is this engagement announcement to be believed?”
Adeline opened her mouth, but then she closed it. “I… I…” she stammered, her mind blank.
“Oh, the poor dear is simply overwhelmed,” Lady Alderton said, patting her hand sympathetically. “It’s all happened so quickly, you see. And to have the news come out like this… well, it’s no wonder she’s a bit flustered.”
Lady Gillingham nodded sagely. “Indeed. You’re just nervous about the announcement, aren’t you, Adeline? It’s perfectly understandable.”
Both grandmothers looked at Adeline expectantly, their eyes conveying a clear message:Play along, or all is lost.
Slowly, feeling as though her head were filled with lead, Adeline nodded. “Y-yes,” she managed, her voice barely above a whisper. “That’s… that’s right. We were going to announce our engagement this evening.”
Miss Carstairs’ expression cycled through several emotions in rapid succession—shock, disappointment, and finally, a sort of grudging acceptance.
“Well,” she said after a moment, smoothing down her skirts. “I suppose congratulations are in order, then. How… unexpected.”
“Indeed,” Edmund said, speaking for the first time since the interruption. His voice was cold, his back rigid as he moved to stand beside Adeline. “If you’ll excuse us, I believe we have an announcement to make.”
Without waiting for a response, he offered Adeline his arm. She took it automatically, her fingers curling around the solid warmth of the crook of his elbow as though it were a lifeline.
As they made their way back towards the main party, Adeline’s mind whirled. What had just happened? How had a moment of weakness, a single kiss, spiraled so quickly out of control?
She was vaguely aware of the two dowagers following behind them, their voices low as they discussed the best way to break the “news” to the assembled guests. Miss Carstairs trailed after them, no doubt already planning how to spin this latest piece of gossip to her advantage.
Just before they reached the edge of the garden, Edmund leaned down, his lips brushing against Adeline’s ear as he spoke in a low, tight voice as he looked over his shoulder at his grandmother.
“We’ll discuss this later, Grandmother,” he hissed, his words clearly intended for Lady Alderton’s ears. “All of it.”
Adeline shivered, whether from the warmth of his breath on her skin or the barely contained anger in his voice, she couldn’t say.
As they emerged onto the manicured lawn, the chatter of the party washing over them like a wave, Adeline felt as though she were walking to her execution.
In the span of an afternoon, her entire world had been turned upside down.
Chapter Fifteen
“Oh, Adeline,” Isabella breathed, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she adjusted her sister’s veil. “You look absolutely breathtaking.”
