Page 52 of Adoringly, Edward
And then he tried not to glance back at her over his shoulder as Cedric helped him to a waiting carriage to take him back home in the darkness. He wasn’t sure he could leave the palace if he did.
THE CONVERSATION WITH Clara had been filled with tears, honesty, and brutal heartache as they conversed in the late hours of the night in the drawing room round a lantern and late-night refreshments neither of them touched.
“I had no idea, Edward,” she sniffed, wiping another tear with a wet handkerchief. “I never would have given you those elixirs if…”
“You didn’t know the doctor was hired by Maxwell. How could you have?”
“But I feel responsible.” Her shoulders slumped. Shadows jumped across her face in time with the flickering flames from the lantern. “I’ve been a mess since Emerson left me and James. I was scared. Our parents were gone. You were still young. You were sick, and there was a household to run. I was terrified and overwhelmed. I did what I thought was best for you under the circumstances. But…” Another sniff. “I feel awful for the times Ihave yelled at you, the times I have struck you. I’m sure I could have found a better way to handle things, to trust you more, rather than locking you in your room each night. Please forgive me.”
Never in his life had he seen Clara in this light. So vulnerable. So heartbroken. So defeated.
“I do forgive you.”
She continued speaking, her hand covering her face when she seemed to give up on the amount of tears flowing from her eyes. “It was difficult to watch you with Vivienne. I could immediately see the strong connection you shared. But it wasn’t fair. I’m the one who has been working so hard, so tirelessly, and you get rewarded.” She released a shuddering sigh. “I know my jealousy was wrong, and I feel awful about it. Please forgive me.”
“You already asked for forgiveness, and I have already given it.” He slowly reached across the space between them and hesitantly touched her shoulder. She stiffened when he gave it a brief squeeze. “Do you not like Vivi?”
“Oh, I do like her.” She laughed miserably. “I am so envious of her, too. I have been trying to catch the duke’s eye for years, to hopefully give myself a new beginning. And she swoops in and grabs his attention effortlessly.” She dabbed at her eyes again. “I know I am not as beautiful as her, not as striking.”
“But youare,” he insisted. “You just aren’t bold enough.”
“I am undeserving of such happiness. I have treated you so poorly. How can I ever make things up to you?”
Edward had never been one to hold a grudge, and forgiveness came all too easily, even for people who probably didn’t deserve it. But Clara was his sister. He wanted to see her happy. “If we can maintain a better relationship with one another, perhaps that’s all the redemption you need.”
Tears clung to his sister’s eyelashes, and it was as if his words flew right over her head. “Please don’t abandon me. Please don’t throw me out after you marry.”
He had never planned on taking away her home. But now that she planted the idea in his head… “You have been so sad since your husband left you.”
“What does that have to do with—”
“Do you want to marry again?”
“Well…I…” The rosy blush on her cheeks became visible in the dim light. “I am not what the duke prefers.”
Edward shook his head, grunting as he struggled to stand with his cane helping to support his weight. He dug through drawers on the opposite side of the room until he found the box Vivienne had left behind—likely on purpose, too—the one containing the ruby necklace gifted from Duke Hastings.
“It’s time for you to be bold, Clara.” He grinned from ear to ear as he held the strand of red gems out to her. He’d found a way to make his sister happy while removing her from the premises entirely. “We are going to return the duke’s necklace. Just follow my lead.”
Vivienne paced back and forth, back and forth in her stunning green and cream wedding gown with a fitted bodice, long, lacy sleeves, and skirts that glimmered when they caught the light just right. It reminded her of the spring thaw after a relentless winter. Coupled with a crown of pine needles and winter florals, she felt beautiful in this dress.
But only one thing was missing—the groom.
“Are you sure he’s not dead?” Vivienne choked, shaking out her hands to relieve some of the tension from her fingers. “Anassassin hasn’t finished him off on his way over? He’s thirty minutes late.”
“He’s coming,” her father reassured from where he casually lounged on a chair outside the chapel, his sword resting on his lap. “A servant sent word he was on his way. Besides…” He patted the weapon, the dangerous glint of a war captain in his eye. “I don’t think he would dare jilt my darling little girl on her wedding day.”
“Jilting is one thing. Dying is another.”
Earlier that morning, her father had personally led the search for Edward’s previous doctor. It had taken a couple hours to track him down, but finally they’d found him trying to flee the kingdom, the ship about to set sail. He would be tried for his crimes against Edward and his other patients. But her father reassured the man would be locked away for a very long time.
“Give him ten more minutes,” her father said, his foot bouncing against his knee. “He probably needs them to climb the stairs alone.”
“This isn’t funny, Papa!” She swatted his shoulder, but he only laughed. “Collapsed lungs are a very serious thing.”
His smile disappeared, but she still spotted the corner of his mouth twitching as if he tried to hold it back. “He’ll come.”
Vivienne turned to the window and gazed out toward the road, searching for any signs of his carriage rolling toward the palace. She forced herself not to touch her belly when she held in the bile wanting to escape. It was not easy to hide the pregnancy. But they were almost there. Almost to the altar. Where they should have been from the beginning.
