Page 46 of A Lady's Beloved Novelist
“I wish I could convince you otherwise, but I fear what you have heard is only the tip of the truth.”
James could tell that he had Bella’s attention.
“And so you have come to me for advice?”
“Yes, Cecil and I…we have a long and complicated history. I was with him in the military, but he was never there when I needed him. He was actually quite the coward out there…but that is not the point.
He has been staying with me and found out a secret of mine that he is now using as blackmail. He told me to stop courting Andrea, or he would reveal this secret to all in high society,” James said. He was being incredibly cautious about revealing what the secret was, though he knew Bella would want to know.
“And this secret, is it something…bad?”
“I think my father would not be too pleased to hear that I have been doing this, but I do not think it is something bad.” James winced as he thought about it.
“Well, then you are going to have to tell me what it is, or I cannot help you,” Bella said. A small smile was developing on her face, and James knew it was because she was pleased to be learning some exclusive information.
So, he told her. He spoke about how long he had been writing for and how the books were actually doing quite well. He explained that there were a few people, including Andrea, who were avid fans of the author with the false name. James even mentioned the letters that he had been receiving from Andrea.
Bella listened and nodded from time to time. Her wrinkled skin puckered even more around her mouth as she pursed her lips together into a tight line.
“And she does not know any of this?”
James shook his head, no.
“I wanted to tell her, and I did try to tell her, but Cecil stopped me,” he explained. “I want her to know now. I only wish that I had come to that conclusion a little sooner.”
“I should think so too,” Bella said, scoffing at his words. “If anything, do you not think that it is a slight insult to her intelligence?”
“I had not thought of it that way,” James murmured. “But I see how that could be the case.”
“You know how curious that girl is, she would have found you out eventually.” Bella chuckled. “She would have conducted her own investigation if things had progressed between the two of you. I think she would have also been a lot more understanding than you give her credit for.
“I know, and I have had all of these thoughts with the benefit of hindsight. I have made mistakes, and I am now paying the price for it.”
“And so Sir Blakewell’s intentions with this marriage…it is all just to get back at you?” Bella asked with narrowing eyes. “At the expense of my niece.”
“I tried to stop him, but—”
“But you do not want the world to know that you are the author of a rather successful book series,” she said matter-of-factly.
“It is not that simple,” James groaned. “I am not going to sit here and defend myself, but I promise you that I have my reasons for not wanting all of this to be public information.”
“Do you still want Andrea to know all of this?”
“Of course.” He nodded quickly. “I want her to know, but Cecil has paid people off here. I do not know who I can trust when it comes to the servants on the grounds. They have already intercepted one letter that told all, and I do not want to risk trying again.”
Bella nodded and was silent for a time, her eyes darting around on the rug in front of them.
“When you have written your letter, give it to me, and I will make sure that my niece gets it. I will not trust any servant with it, I will give it to her directly.”
James blinked for a moment as he realised this was a loophole in Cecil’s plan. Whilst he could not be seen delivering the letter himself and he could not trust any of the servants, Cecil had not banked on the kindness of Andrea’s family to help James out.
“You would do that for me?”
“I am doing it for my niece,” Bella corrected. “I have seen how she was trying to convince herself that she could be happy with this man claiming to be a nobleman. I do not want to condemn her to a lifetime of unhappiness, and so yes, I will give her the letter.”
“Thank you so much,” James said and let his eyes close in relief for a moment. “Even if she no longer wants to be with me, I just want her to know the truth about all of this. She deserves at least that.”
“I agree,” Bella said, nodding. “Though I think she would still like you to court her…but you did not hear that from me.”
