Page 106 of Why Do Earls Fall in Love?
She hesitated. “If I may ask, did you mention to your father what I told you about Hurley?”
“Yes. He denied any possibility of being his father, of course. Even if it was true, he would never claim a son who committed such misdeeds—and more importantly—was caught in the midst of them.”
They both grew silent.
“I brought something for you,” he said, after a moment. “Will you take a look at it?”
“Of course.”
He opened the box, took out a stack of papers between two pasteboards and passed it over.
She settled the stack in her lap and lifted the top board. “Ooohh.”
Underneath was an engraved and printed copy of the sketch she’d done of Madame Calas’ amethysts. She lifted another page, and another. All of the heirlooms she’d sketched were here. Towards the bottom of the stack, one page made her breath catch. It was the quick sketch she’d done of Madame Calas. The older woman looked proud, but distant, as if she stared into the past. “Oh, how well it’s all turned out.”
“Chester and I knew an artist who needed some work.” He nodded toward the sketch. “Madame Calas loves it. She’s written the piece she wants to accompany it, but she refuses to give it to us until you’ve read it first.”
“Oh.” She frowned.
“She wants you back in London. We all do.”
She met his gaze while her heart thumped painfully. “All?”
“Yes. All. Margie has learned three new hairstyles and how to clean mud from dancing slippers. Flemming has perfected a new dish in your honor. One and The Same wander the house, looking for you, crying for you to toss ribbons for them. Julia and Penelope will scarcely speak to me. Chester wants to buy you a dog, Sterne has vowed to dance with you at every society event and Tensford and his wife want us all to come to Gloucestershire for a house party.”
“And you?”
“I realized you were right. I was terrified. I thought I was going to make a colossal mistake and you would lose your regard for me. I would turn to you, and you wouldn’t be there. You’d realize what a sham I was and have nothing to do with me. And then it happened, and it was so much worse than I ever imagined it would be. I’ve been a wreck. A horrid, cranky, lonely wreck. And I brought it on with my own fear.”
He took the stack of prints from her and knelt before her, taking her hands. “But I’m not afraid of that anymore.”
“Why not?” She held her breath, waiting for the answer.
“Because Tensford and Sterne and Chester sat me down and told me all of the incredibly stupid mistakes they have made, and their wives still love them.”
She chuckled and he kissed the back of one hand and then another. “Because I trust you. I do. Fully and completely. You had already witnessed the shaking out of all the terrible skeletons from my closet and my family’s—and you were still there, helping to clean the mess. I was a fool. I already trusted you, I was just afraid to admit it.”
She sucked in a breath. “Do you trust me enough to tell me about Abigail?”
He frowned. “I have done. We spoke of it when I told you all about William’s death. And again, when Elizabeth—”
“You didn’t tell me that you loved her.”
His face went blank with surprise. He stared at her for a long moment. “Is that what this is about?”
“Part of it,” she admitted. “Hurley said she broke your heart.”
“She didn’t.”
“She wasn’t your first love?”
“Only in that giddy, schoolboy infatuation sort of way. Oh, it smarted when she preferred William, but they were so right for each other, I couldn’t stand in their way. But honestly, my pride was more wounded than my heart.”
He chuckled a little and shook his head. “If only I’d known that was what worried you.” He frowned. “But I have to tell you the hard truth, Charlotte. It wasn’t Abigail that was the problem, it was me. It was my own fear and ignorance. I chased Hurley and those jewels looking for validation and purpose and meaning for my life. I was too caught up to see it when fate stepped in and gave me all that—in you.”
Her breath caught.
“It’s so easy to look back and see now. Because you showed me what I was really missing.” He moved his hands up and let them settle about her waist. “I never knew what real love was, Charlotte, until you showed me.”
