Page 59 of A Lady’s Fairytale Come True
“I meant no such thing –” he began before being cut off again.
“Will you stop interrupting me? I am trying to speak, although it is clear you don’t want to hear it, don’t want to hear the truth of what you have done. You fool, how could you do this to me?” she raged.
Olivia had finally had enough of standing there, listening to all of this, knowing nothing of what was occurring before her. Her anxiety was reaching greater heights at each moment. She could not imagine why this young lady was speaking so harshly towards the earl. What gave her a place to do that? How could she dare? It was entirely unwarranted and not the sort of thing she would have expected society to allow.
All she wanted was to get out of that moment and run away with the earl so he could finally ask for her hand in marriage. If that was, indeed, his intention, it was certainly her preference to this.
“Excuse me, but who are you?” Olivia asked, finally.
The beautiful woman turned on her, looking at her with hatred for daring to interrupt.
“Who am I?”
“Yes, I believe my question was quite clear,” Olivia replied, straightening her spine so that she did not appear weak in the midst of this.
“I was the woman in your place just a month ago,” she said, words dripping with venom.
Olivia felt her mouth fall open. This woman had been in her position?
“What do you mean by that?” she asked, hesitantly.
“You know exactly what I mean. I was the woman who was betrothed to the Earl of Glauston. I was the woman who was going to be his wife until he ended things with a silly letter. All had been arranged. His father had ensured it would be so. And the moment his father was gone, he cast me aside,” the woman answered.
Olivia could not believe it. The earl had mentioned nothing of having been recently engaged to another. How could he have not told her about this? What was his reasoning? Should it not have been disclosed to her before now?
“If you believe yourself to be securely in his affections, you must think again. After all, I was certain we would be married within a few months. But just as he gained my confidences, after more than a year of courtship through letters, he abandoned me. And I’ve no doubt that he will do the same to you,” she warned.
Olivia turned her head so she could look to the earl for answers. She waited for him to deny it all, to speak out and assure her that none of this was true. Instead, she saw it clearly in the vacant agony that lined his face.
Every word that the woman had spoken of their own courtship had been the truth. And that could only mean that her promise of their own courtship ending would also be true.
“Miss Digby –” he said, unable to get any further words out.
Olivia put a hand to her mouth, unable to speak. She couldn’t believe it. Was it true? Was it even remotely possible that he had hidden all of this from her? Had he and this woman been engaged as she had hoped they would be that very night?
It was clear that it was. It was evident that she had been made a fool of. Looking around the room, Olivia eyed Louise who was still watching with great concern. But there was nothing else for her to do.
Olivia turned and ran from the hall, rushing outside and searching for the coach. The moment she found it, she rushed to the door.
“Miss Digby!” the earl called after her. “Miss Digby, please!”
“I beg you, please find someone to ask after my sisters and have them come join me,” she told one of the other footmen as the coachman helped her inside.
The earl caught up with her and opened the door to beg her to listen. He had run after her and was trying to catch his breath.
“Please, Miss Digby. Listen to me. I can explain everything. May we go back inside? May we speak?” he asked.
“Excuse me,” Louise said, rather rudely. It seemed she must have been on her way to the coach before the footman had retrieved her. Olivia knew that she had seen the whole thing from afar and was glad that her sister cared enough for her to come out without needing to be summoned, despite the wonder the evening had held for her inside.
The earl moved out of the way so that Louise could enter the coach, but he immediately placed himself back in the doorway so that Olivia could not ignore him.
“Please, come back inside. You must hear me out. You have heard only a few brief words from an angry woman. I ask that you would listen to me, to hear what really happened. Please, Miss Digby. Please give me a bit of grace and hear the truth,” he begged her.
Miss Collins came to the door of the coach, hesitantly, leading Gemma. “Excuse me, my lord, I believe I’m to bring Miss Gemma to her sister,” Miss Collins said, quietly and respectfully.
He moved once more, making room for Gemma to enter into the coach. Olivia observed all of it from the corner of her eyes. She didn’t want to see it directly. It was difficult enough to keep the tears from shedding.
Inside, she was boiling with anger and sadness. She had just been humiliated by a woman she knew nothing about. How was it that in a mere month the earl had gone from ending one betrothal to beginning another? Of course this other woman was angry. She had every right to be.
