Page 42 of The Truth about the Earl
“What is this?”
“Thisis the reason I wrote what I did,” she said, by way of explanation. “This was received only this afternoon and I confess, I do not know what I ought to do.” The tightness came back into her chest just a little. “The fear you would be severely injured scares me deeply.”
Waiting for him to finish reading the note, Norah watched the play of emotions flickering across his face. First, there came the way he blinked rapidly, lifting the paper a little closer to himself. Second, came shock. Shaking his head, one hand rubbed hard at his chin, only for his jaw to tighten and his eyes to narrow just a fraction.
He was angry.
“Youreceived this?”
“Yes. Someone else knows I am Mrs. Fullerton.”
“And they sent this to you?”
“This is not the first. It was brought to me by a small street boy, who delivered it with thought only for the coin he had received. I have kept him on as an errand boy.” She gestured to the note. “I was told I had to write the first else Lady Adlay would be injured again – or that worse would occur with either yourself or –”
“Lady Adlay’s injury came from this person?” He waved the note and Norah nodded. Briefly, she explained about the first note she had received as regarded Miss Geraldine Pottinger and how she had chosen to ignore it – and that Lady Adlay had been injured as a consequence.
“Therefore, when the second note was received, I had no choice but to do so, out of fear that something even more untoward would occur.”
Lord Yardley closed his eyes, his face pinched. “Who would dare to do such a thing?”
“I do not know.” She moved a little closer, looking up at him. “I am more sorry than I can say that I did such a thing, but I felt as though I had no choice.”
Opening his eyes, Lord Yardley reached out, his fingers brushing gently across her cheek. The shadows hid them and Norah was all the more grateful for it, glad that she could be so close to Lord Yardley whilst being in the midst of a ball.
“I understand.” The softness of his voice smoothed away the guilt in her heart, the gentleness in his eyes sending joy into her soul. “I am even more sorrowful over what I did in removing myself from you with such haste. Had I only listened, then…” His fingers brushed the curve of her neck and Norah caught her breath. “I suppose such things do not matter any longer. We are at an understanding now.”
She smiled at him. “Yes, we are.”
“One thing I must ask, however.” His hand dropped back to his side, perhaps a little afraid that he might be seen and her reputation then brought into question. “Were you forced to write that particular piece about yourself also? That seemed, to me, to be a very strange thing indeed.”
“Oh, no, I was not.” Quickly, Norah explained what had taken place. “I assume that given there now was no way for them to add additional parts to the articles I had already written, they then decided to threaten me directly.”
“But they chose first to write about you,” Lord Yardley mused, his eyes narrowing as he looked out across the crowd of guests. “Then about some young lady that neither you nor I know about.”
She nodded. “At least nothing was ever written about her. The person in question did not demand I do as I was asked as regarded her, at the very least.”
Lord Yardley’s lips bunched and he rubbed at his chin with one finger. “So Miss Pottinger is quite safe. Thereafter, the article was about me.”
“Yes, that is so.”
“And this next piece is also about me.”
Nodding slowly, Norah began to realize what he meant. “The person responsible for such stories is known to the both of us.”
“And obviously, there is a reason behind their desire first to injure you and, thereafter, to injure me.”
She bit her lip. “And this first story did not have as much of an impact as was desired,” she added, softly. “Hence, there is to be a second – one that will surely push you from society forever.”
Lord Yardley’s jaw worked and he looked away. Instead of trying to think as to who would do such a thing, her mind went only to the article she was to write and the effect it would have on Lord Yardley.
“I cannot do it.”
His eyes shot back to hers.
“I cannot write this piece. I cannot see you so injured.”
Lord Yardley’s hand grasped hers tightly. “But if you do not, then the consequences could be most severe. I think not of myself but rather of you! They threaten to injure you, Norah!”
