Page 46 of The Truth about the Rogue
“Miss Hawick, is it?”
Charlotte lifted her head, pushing her handkerchief back into her pocket.
“Yes, it is I, though with my mask off, I am certain anyone would be able to recognize me.” She searched the face of the lady in front of her, but the mask was much too ornate, the feathers too many to make it clear. “Forgive me, I do not know who you are and–”
“That is not important. Whatisimportant is that you end your courtship with Lord Kentmore.”
A sudden whoosh of breath rushed out of Charlotte, leaving her feeling a little weak and off-balance.
“I – I beg your pardon?”
“I know that this courtship is nothing but a falsehood. Lord Kentmore has spoken to me only recently and informed me of his disappointment and frustration in being so caught up in a match that he has no real interest in. I am sure that you must feel the same, though mayhap part of you is pleased that you are connected to a Marquess?”
Charlotte swallowed tightly, lifting her chin.
“I do not have any need to explain myself to you.” The words the lady had spoken ran right through her, however, wrapping around her like barbed thorns. “Now, if you will excuse me, I–”
“No one else in London is aware of what happened,” the lady interrupted, coming to stand a little closer to Charlotte. “There have been no whispers, no rumors of any sort, have there? So why, then, would you insist upon your courtship? He is agentleman with a particular… way of living, is he not?” Her eyes glittered behind her mask, making Charlotte’s stomach twist. “He spoke to me only a few days ago, when we stoodalonetogether in the gardens. We spoke intimately, you understand, and I heard him say very clearly that he had no interest in marrying, how he wished he was free of it, how he wished he was free ofyou.”
Pain seared Charlotte’s heart, and her eyes began to flood with tears, all hope fading away.
“You have the power to end this ridiculous courtship before it turns into something that youcannotstep back from,” the lady continued, sniffing lightly as though Charlotte ought to recognize that she spoke nothing but sense. “It is your own foolishness which makes you linger, is it not? Why would you tie yourself to such a gentleman when you know the very sort of character that he is?”
Closing her eyes, Charlotte tried to steady herself.
“There is no saying what the future might bring,” she said hoarsely, echoing Lord Kentmore’s words, only for the lady to laugh aloud and so harshly that it made her wince.
“As though a rogue would change,” she laughed, as tears began to fall to Charlotte’s cheeks. “You are not speaking sense! You know as well as I that any scoundrel will remain just as he is, no matterwhohe is connected with. They will speak kind words, gentle words, even sweet words to you, but none of them hold truth. Given that I shared a kiss with him very recently, it makes it quite plain to me that he will never commit himself to you - which is, I presume, what you were hoping for?”
It was as though her heart had been ripped from her chest. Charlotte could barely breathe, her hands gripping together as dizziness overwhelmed her.
“Ah, Miss Hawick, there you are. Your mother said… oh, excuse me.”
Charlotte’s vision blurred as she looked straight at the gentleman who had come to greet her, recognizing Lord Kentmore’s voice.
“I – I was…”
“Miss Hawick was just coming to the realization that she wanted to end your courtship,” the lady said, her words firm and decisive.
“End our courtship?” Lord Kentmore did not sound pleased, as Charlotte had expected, shock filling his voice and his expression as he reached up to take off his mask. “Whatever can you mean, Charlotte? Why would you do such a thing?”
“Because she knows that you are a rogue and that you are not inclined towards marriage,” the lady said again, as Charlotte fought to find enough strength to answer. “Given whatwehave shared of late, it makes sense for her to bring it to an end. After all no one from society thinks that there has been anything untoward happen, so why should you continue towards matrimony? There is no reason for it.”
There came a short silence and, as Charlotte blinked to clear her vision, she saw Lord Kentmore take a step towards the lady, his shoulders lifted, his head lowered but his face flushing.
“What weshared?” he repeated, his anger evident in every syllable, his voice rasping. “I hardly think–”
“It is probably for the best.” Charlotte closed her eyes tightly, swaying slightly as she spoke. “I understand now. I should never have believed that there was any hope of a future where you thought only of me.” Her voice broke, tears beginning to dust her lashes again. “Excuse me.”
She turned to leave, only for Lord Kentmore to catch her hand.
“Charlotte, wait, please! This is not as it sounds. I–”
Shaking her head, Charlotte pulled her hand away and, without another word, without so much as another glancetowards him, hurried away. She did not even look where she was going, her vision clouded with her tears. Finding herself outside, she put one hand on the doorframe and breathed in great gasps of cold air.
“Miss Hawick?”
She dared not look up for fear it was Lord Kentmore.
