Page 45 of A Lady's Beloved Novelist
It was all a trap. It was one that Andrea would only realise once she was in too deep. She was the daughter of a baron, she was not going to leave a marriage like that to be free of Cecil. Andrea was stubborn, and James knew she would find a way to put up with it all, but she would never be happy.
“You have already stopped me,” James tried to reason. “I will not be able to marry her whilst you have this secret of mine, so there is no need for you to marry her too. You will only be causing the suffering of two people that way, and I know you are not so evil to do so.”
James hoped that his words would strike a nerve with Cecil, but he simply shook his head at him instead.
“You are not going to be able to deter me now that it is all set in motion,” Cecil said, his voice steady and clear. He rose from his chair and carefully skirted around James towards the door. “I am going to marry her, and there is nothing you can do about it.”
James never let his glare drop as he stared Cecil out. The slimy man was smirking as he opened the front door and stepped beyond the threshold. James silently vowed that he would never let the man into his residence again.
He waited until the clicking sound indicated that the front door had shut before he dared to move. James was quick to lock it and felt much more at ease once he had done so. He was still seething as he took a few steps back before kicking the wall to his left out of frustration.
He did not put much force into it, but it was enough to cause the paintings on that wall to rattle slightly. Unable to believe what he was experiencing, James shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair.
His mind was racing as he tried to come to terms with what was happening. Whilst James had felt hopeless before, he had always thought that a time would come when he would find Andrea again and everything would be all right. What he had not been expecting was for everything to fall apart in the way that it had.
Tears of frustration stung in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Even though Cecil was long gone, he was not going to give him the satisfaction of upsetting him in such a way. He had to warn Andrea. Even if he could never be with her, he could not imagine her living a life of misery with Cecil at her side. It was not right.
But Cecil had made it clear he was going to leak his secret if he were to get in contact with her, and so James would have to be careful with what he did next. He wondered if there was anyone that could help him, and then he remembered who else lived on the estate that could give great advice.
*
James arrived at the older-style house with some freshly-picked flowers in one hand and a charming smile on his face. He had not been to see Lady Bella in quite some time, and so it would only be gracious of him to come with something to offer. It was later in the day, and whilst it would have been more appropriate to wait until the morning, James was not sure he would be able to wait so long.
“Ah, what a pleasant surprise, my lord.” Lady Bella Pitt smiled from her seat as James entered the room behind one of her servants.
The interior of Bella’s home was much more cluttered than that of his. The shelves were overflowing with books that were stacked in precarious rows. There was a smell to the house that reminded James of the older generation, though he was not sure why.
“It is always a pleasure to see you, Lady Pitt,” he said, returning her smile.
“Please, that is my sister. How many times must I ask you to call me Bella like everyone else?” the old widow chuckled as she spoke. “Anyway, to what do I owe this visit?”
James was slightly reluctant to just jump straight into what he wanted to say, but there was no point in tiptoeing around the subject.
“I have been put in a very…uncomfortable situation, and I am not sure what to do about it,” he said, slowly picking his words.
“And so you have come to the oracle for some help?” Bella tilted her head to the side slightly as she continued to smile.
“I suppose I am not the only one who comes to see you for advice?”
“It is true that my niece does also seek out my council from time to time.” Bella nodded.
James imagined running into Andrea as she came to see her aunt. He realised how he would long for such an occurrence to happen, but life was rarely so beneficial like that.
“It is about your niece, actually,” James said and shifted on the edge of his seat.
Bella held up a hand to stop him from saying anything more. “Would you like some tea before you begin?”
“No, thank you,” James said, quickly shaking his head. “I have made some mistakes that have led to me losing the affection of your niece.”
“Yes, she did mention something recently about you no longer calling on her or courting her at all after filling her head with promises,” Bella remarked, quirking an eyebrow.
James instantly felt guilty as he knew how it looked, and it was not good.
“I know, and I cannot tell you how sorry I am for how it has all happened. But it has been no choice of mine. If I could, it would be me proposing to your niece and not Cecil.”
Bella made a face.
“Yes, I heard about the news that they are to be wed later in the year.” Her voice was filled with distaste as she spoke. “I have not heard too many good things about Sir Blakewell. Whisperings have been pouring in from the town. Opinions about what he’s really like.”
