Page 31 of A Lady’s Fairytale Come True
“My lord…please. Come to the parlour,” she urged, lifting a hand to gesture to the room.
The earl stood, but still kept his eyes from looking at her directly. She had never been treated with such a respect and it was a compelling opposition to the previous day’s behaviour.
She led him into the parlour and gestured that he must sit. Olivia then ensured that the door to the kitchen was closed so that her sisters might not stare at the earl. Having left the front door open, as well as the door to the parlour, she thought their aloneness might not be considered too great an impropriety.
Olivia sat across from the earl in a chair that was far less comfortable. She didn’t mind, knowing that this would likely be a brief meeting.
“What is it that you wish to say, my lord?” she asked.
“I wish to tell you, truthfully, what it was that led to my treatment of you,” he confessed with great remorse.
“You may tell me. But only if it is the truth of how you really feel. I do not wish for an apology that your grandmother scripted for you. I wish to know what you truly believe,” Olivia warned him.
He was too easy to trust and she knew that this had already caused problems for her. She wished that she could express to him how much his words had hurt her, but in the same breath, she hoped he would never know how he had cut her.
“Miss Digby, in truth, I was angry at my grandmother. She had told me that she wished for me to marry, to find a woman of my choosing. But then, in a strange turn of events, she chose for me. She gave me no option of my own but rather insisted that I marry you.
“I fear,” he continued, “that out of this anger, I showed you a side of myself that was contrived of the worst of a man. I thought that if I was not allowed to refuse you, I must get you to refuse me. So I behaved like a beast.”
Olivia was surprised by this, not having considered that it was truly his goal to be denied by her. She was not quite sure how it made her feel to hear it. Was she supposed to be more or less offended than before? Was she truly so awful that he could not bear the thought of being wed to her? Or was he confessing a mistake?
“I promise you, assure you with my utmost honesty, that this man you met yesterday is not the man that I am. What’s more, I was surprised to find that you are the woman that I have found you to be. Truly, I thought you some simpleton, another pretty flower among the many of English society,” he said with another dose of embarrassment.
Olivia bristled at this but tried to control her emotions. He was making it evident that he no longer thought so low of her.
“If only I had known before how wrong I was. If only I had recognised that the beautiful young woman I stumbled across in town was bright, witty, and had a tongue sharp enough to cut even a nobleman,” he added with a laugh.
Olivia could scarcely believe her ears. This was a true, genuine apology. That was entirely unexpected.
The earl seemed surprised even by his own words, as if his mouth was running away with a truth that he had not anticipated he would speak.
“Miss Digby, I was surprised by you yesterday. And I thought of you all night. And I was pained that my grandmother wished for me to come here and apologise. But as it stands, I cannot help but confess that you deserve so much better of a man. Nevertheless, I should hope for another opportunity to show you who I truly am,” he requested.
Stunned, Olivia felt her lips part, wanting to reply. But how could she? She knew what she thought of this man. He was a beautiful, horrible man. And yet, his words were so gentle and kind, seemingly honest and truthful. Could she deny him? Could she refrain from allowing her heart to long for his?
“I ask that you forgive me for my treatment of you,” he continued.
“You do?” she asked, hesitantly.
“Indeed. I cannot bear what you must think of me. And not only do I desire your forgiveness, I desire a formal courtship. For I cannot help but confess that until seeing your face, I feared this moment. But upon recalling your wit and boldness, I find that I am rather unable to ask you for anything other,” the earl told her.
Once more, Olivia was left in surprise. Her heart began to race, and she was overcome by his honesty and the change in the earl’s demeanour.
“You wish for a formal courtship?” she asked, aghast.
“I should like it very much,” he answered.
For a moment, her eyes rested upon his. This was a far greater reality than she was prepared for. And yet, she could not allow herself to begin dreaming of a fairytale. After all, she had sworn to reject that idea henceforth and it would be most inconvenient to change her mind on sudden impulse.
And yet, those freckles beneath his beautiful eyes, the sandy hair of his that fell to his face. His sweet features. But something deeper than any of those.
The genuine, apologetic tone of his voice. The kindness he had shown her that day in the market. The way regret seemed to be a shadow over his face in this moment.
Despite herself, Olivia began to trust him.
“I cannot imagine what has caused you to believe that I would accept your offer of a formal courtship,” she began, watching his face fall. “And yet…”
“And yet…?” he enquired, pressing ever so slightly for a reply.
