Page 26 of The Viscount's Forgery
Relief sent a smile right across her face, and Nicholas’ heart slammed hard against his ribs at the sight of it. His free hand settled upon hers for a few seconds, aware of how her eyes flared when his fingers touched hers. Much to his relief, she did not pull her hand away. Quite how long they stayed for, looking at each other in such a way, Nicholas could not have said. All he knew was that when she finally tugged her fingers away from under his, when he finally was forced to drop his hand back to his side, it certainly had not felt like long enough.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Shock sent his happiness crashing to the floor as he turned his head, expecting to see Miss Sherwood’s father, given the demanding voice, only to see Lord Bothwell standing stock still, staring at Nicholas with wide, astonished eyes.
“Bothwell!” Nicholas exclaimed, putting on as warm a voice as he could and praying his friend would not think anything untoward was going on. “I did not expect you.”
“So it would seem.” Lord Bothwell’s gaze went around the room, only for it to linger on Miss Trentworth and Lord Albury, the latter of whom noticed his arrival and came towards him at once. “Whatever has happened here, Suffolk?”
“Lord Bothwell, good afternoon!” Lord Albury bowed low just as Miss Trentworth offered a greeting. “You have come to call upon Lord Suffolk without warning, it seems, just as we did.”
That was not the truth, of course, but given that Miss Trentworth, Miss Sherwood, and Lord Albury all knew that the paintings were not to be spoken of by anyone ortoanyone, Lord Albury had clearly decided to tell onlysomeof the truth rather than all of it.
“Indeed I have.” Lord Bothwell frowned, but glancing at Miss Sherwood and then at Miss Trentworth, his frown lessened a little. “I did not know that you were so well acquainted, Lord Albury.”
“With Lord Suffolk, you mean?” Lord Albury chuckled, lifting his shoulders and then letting them fall. “I am not, but that does not mean that I cannot call upon a gentleman, does it? Besides, Miss Sherwood here, who is a dear friend of my betrothed, Miss Trentworth, knows Lord Suffolk a good deal better than I.”
Lord Bothwell nodded. “I see.” His gaze went around the room again. “Are you doing something with these paintings, Suffolk?”
“Yes.” Nicholas cleared his throat, trying to come up with a quick explanation. “I thought I might sell some and bring in new pieces.”
“Needless to say, we were most intrigued,” Miss Sherwood put in, as Lord Bothwell managed a smile, bringing Nicholas some relief. “Just as you are, it seems!”
“Indeed.” Lord Bothwell’s smile grew as he looked at Miss Sherwood. “I have just come from Hyde Park. Your sister and I enjoyed a short walk together, Miss Sherwood.”
To Nicholas’s mind, the smile on Miss Sherwood’s face became a little fixed. “That is very good,” she said, making Nicholas wonder if it was out of concern for what the outcome might be from such a walk. “I hope you had a very pleasant time together.”
“We did, we did.” Lord Bothwell let out a small sigh, then looked to Nicholas. “I am sorry to have intruded as I did. Might I speak with you for a moment, Suffolk? It will not take long.”
“But of course.” With a nod to Miss Sherwood, Nicholas stepped after his friend, following him to a quieter part of the room. Miss Trentworth, Miss Sherwood, and Lord Albury continued with their conversation, making it quite plain that they were doing no sort of eavesdropping, which was a very great relief to Nicholas.
“Idoapologize,” Lord Bothwell said, as Nicholas gave his friend his full attention, no longer distracted by Miss Sherwood. “I should have written first but… well, Suffolk, I think I may have come to a decision.”
Nicholas’ eyebrows lifted. “About Miss Sherwood?”
“About Polly, yes.” Lord Bothwell took a deep breath. “I think that I have been foolish.”
Blinking in surprise, for that was not at all what Nicholas had expected his friend to say, he waited for Lord Bothwell to say more.
“When I heard Polly rail at her sister in that disgraceful manner so many months ago, my vision of her was shattered and shattered completely. All that I knew of her, all that I believed her to be – it all broke in an instant. But,” Lord Bothwell continued, holding up one finger, “that was my own foolishness.”
“In what way?” Nicholas did not understand. “How can what you have described be foolish?”
“Because,” Lord Bothwell said, his gaze going to the ground at his feet, “I did not let myself believe that there was anything about her that could be wrong. I knew in my heart that everyone’s character has flaws, and yes, I fully believed that she had faults and failings, but I never permitted myself to everseethem, never allowed myself to fully understand her. I wanted the perfect picture I had of her to linger.”
Beginning to understand, Nicholas nodded slowly. “I see.”
“The harshness that came from Polly’s lips was hard for me to hear,” Lord Bothwell continued, perhaps not quite catching Nicholas’s response. “She stated that she would never marry, that no gentleman would want such a creature as her – and that, I know, is not only wrong but also cruel beyond measure.”
Nicholas, feeling a sense of anger beginning to grasp hold of him, looked away. Why would Miss Polly Sherwood say that sort of thing about her sister?”
“I believe that it was said in upset and frustration,” Lord Bothwell said, answering Nicholas’ unspoken question. “She has confessed to me only this afternoon that she was, very often, unfair to her sister. She stated that she always pushed herself forward, sending Eugenia back.” Keeping his voice low, Lord Bothwell’s eyes slid towards the lady in question. “Polly told me that her sister very rarely said anything in return, but that kept herself entirely to herself, spending most of her time reading and the like.”
“And she did not like that about her?”
Lord Bothwell looked back at him. “Polly told me that she often found the difference between them very difficult indeed, sometimes to the point of frustration. She also said that this was no excuse for how unfairly she had treated Eugenia, telling me that she was glad I had heard her speak so, for it gave herthe impetus to realize that she had done wrong – not just on that occasion but also previously. I believe now that she has apologized profusely to Eugenia, and she also told me that she wants very much to change that part of her that has caused so much pain to others.”
Considering this, Nicholas allowed his thoughts to settle before he responded. “She has been very honest with you, I think.”
