Page 22 of The Truth about the Rogue
Lillian’s singular word was directed at Lord Kentmore. Charlotte took a breath.
“Lillian, please.”
Instantly, Lillian waved one hand in Charlotte’s direction, barely turning to glance at her.
“Charlotte, you must be silent.” Her voice echoed back towards her, holding a greater strength than Charlotte had ever imagined her sister would possess. “Lord Kentmore?”
There came another moment of silence, only for the gentleman’s voice to break through.
“Very well.”
No, I cannot!
The threatening tears fell to Charlotte’s cheeks, her strength gone from her as her shoulders rounded, her head falling low. Deep down, she knew that Lillian was quite right to do as she was doing, but all the same, Charlotte wished that she had not said a word. No one had seen them, no other person from society had witnessed them in that embrace, had they?
Not that you know of, at least,said a quiet voice in her mind.What if someone has seen you and is now waiting to see who will emerge from the hallway, ready to whisper it through the ton? Then what will you do?
“If I must, then I will betrothe myself to… well, to whoever you are.”
“You mean, you do not know?” The laughter that came from Lillian clashed hard against Charlotte’s despair and confusion. “My dear Lord Kentmore, you are now courting – for I do not think it would be possible to betrothe yourself immediately without questions being asked.” She cleared her throat. “As I was saying, you are now courting my sister, Miss Charlotte Hawick.”He did not even know it was I.Charlotte closed her eyes and released a slow, calming breath, though it did nothing to quieten the frantic beating of her heart. Through all of this, Lord Kentmore had not known for a moment that it was she whom he had been kissing and was now betrothed to. For a moment, she wondered what his reaction was. She was still unable to make out his features but was quite certain that it would be just as she felt – dismay, dread, and darkness. “And you will betrothe yourself to her very soon, else all of thetonshall know of what you have done,” Lillian stated, her voice and stance speaking of nothing other than sheer determination, forcing Lord Kentmore and Charlotte into this situation though, Charlotte had to admit, there was wisdom in what her sister was insisting upon. “Now, do excuse me, Lord Kentmore, as I take my sister to go andspeak with our father. He will have to know all, and I am sure that he will wish to speak with you, very soon.”
Charlotte did not move, watching as Lillian turned on her heel and came back directly towards her. Lillian smiled gently, her eyes shining with a strange light that Charlotte could not quite understand.
“Come, Charlotte.” Putting one arm around Charlotte’s shoulders, she made to turn her around, made to walk her away from Lord Kentmore, but Charlotte remained fixed to where she stood, her whole body suddenly hot and filled with a dreadful fear. Yes, she knew that this was what should be expected of a gentleman who had done such a thing – albeit without recognizing that it was she he had been kissing, and not the lady he had expected – but the realization that she would soon be his wife, the wife of the dreadful rogue who was the Marquess of Kentmore, made her heart shudder.
“I – I do not want this.”
Lillian shook her head, letting out a snort as her hand fell from Charlotte’s shoulder, only instead to grasp her wrist.
“My dear sister, whether you want it or not, this is what must happen. You are going to be the Marchioness of Kentmore, Charlotte! What could be better than that?”
“The thought is a dreadful one to me,” Charlotte whispered, staggering slightly as Lillian forcibly pulled at her wrist and tugged her away. “Lord Kentmore is a rogue, Lillian! He was, no doubt, expecting someone else to join him - and this is the gentleman that you wish me to accept?”
“It is notIwho wishes you to accept him,” Lillian answered, as they made their way back down the hallway. “It is because you must, that is all. Thetonwill expect it.”
Charlotte shook her head, a slight weakness coming into her frame as her sister led her back towards the ballroom.
“No one from thetonis aware of it, Lillian!”
“You cannot be sure of that.” Her sister stopped suddenly, turning to face Charlotte and releasing her wrist. “Charlotte, this is an excellent match, if only you would see it. You are to be a Marchioness! That means that your standing will be increased dramatically, that your wealth and–”
“None of that matters to me.” Charlotte closed her eyes briefly, putting one hand to her forehead, her whole body feeling fatigued and heavy. “Tell me, Lillian, that you did not insist upon this simply because of the hope that your own standing would be improved?” She opened her eyes, but her sister said nothing, looking back at Charlotte with a slight wariness in her expression. “Lillian.” Charlotte’s voice grew hoarse. “I cannot do this simply because you want to improve your standing and your chances of finding a higher titled gentleman to wed you.”
“That is one of the benefits of what must take place, I will admit that,” Lillian answered, with a sniff, “but I have insisted upon it because, as you well know, it is what must be done. You cannot pretend that all is well, Charlotte! The gentleman kissed you! I saw you, yes, but there is no certainty that there was no one else present. What if the lady he wasmeantto be with appeared and saw the same thing, perhaps listening in the shadows for your name? What then?”
A shiver ran down Charlotte’s spine.
“I – I do not think that would be very likely.”
“But you cannot say for certain.” Charlotte shook her head, wordlessly. “Then it still stands,” Lillain answered, firmly. “Now, we will go to have your gown repaired and then–”
“I am going to go home.”
Lillian blinked at her.
“What?”
“I must retire. There is too much for me to think about, too much for me to consider, for me to simply return to the ballroom and pretend all is well.” Charlotte’s voice was thick with tears,her heart aching terribly. “You might very well be delighted at all of this, Lillian, but I am not. Instead, I am broken-hearted.”
