Page 50 of A Lady's Beloved Novelist
“But I want to be happy,” Andrea said. “And I do not think that is something that Cecil can give me.”
Her aunt was silent for a time before finally leaning forward to speak. “Do not stop your correspondence with James. He is a good man, and I really think there might still be a way to fix all of this.”
Andrea stared down at the letter in her hands, she was anxious to read it. Deep down, she felt sure that he was the author of the books she loved so dearly. However, there was that one seed of doubt that had been sown which meant she just could not be sure.
“I hope you are right. Thank you, Aunt Bella,” Andrea said and flashed a smile to her aunt.
“I am but a humble postman these days.” Bella smiled. “But I am happy knowing that it means you can speak with the man who really has your heart.”
Andrea thanked her aunt one more time before she moved to leave her to her letter. She was so excited that James had written back to her. The entire thing felt rather scandalous to her already. Andrea was going behind her fiancé’s back to write to a man who was not allowed to see her because of her fiancé.
She just needed the final piece of concrete evidence to show to Cecil to prove that she knew he was lying. It was a strange situation that she had found herself in, but she was just hoping that she was doing the right thing in the end.
She let out a shaky sigh before turning her attention to the letter in her hands. Now that her aunt was gone, there was nobody to see her react to it. Andrea was slow in her movements as she opened the letter and peered at the writing.
The idea of there being another book out soon was as exciting to Andrea as the thought of James being able to prove himself to her. She had been craving a new adventure novel for some time now, and he was going to deliver on his promise to her. She was smiling to herself as she read over the brief words one more time. In her mind, she could hear his deeper voice speaking to her, promising her that he was not going to give up.
It only made her dislike the man staying in her parent’s castle even more. Cecil had caused such a problem in their lives, and still thought that he was going to get away with it all. Whilst Andrea would have loved to have responded right at that instant, she had already arranged plans for that morning that she was not going to be late for. Cecil’s temper was sometimes as short as his memory when he had been drinking, and Andrea did not want to get on the wrong side of it.
*
“Good morning.” She smiled at Cecil as he sat at the table on the terrace overlooking the rear of the grounds. He did not stand up as she approached, and he had already tucked into his food without waiting for her. Andrea ignored his lack of manners, since it was beyond obvious to her that he was not going to improve. He grunted in response before returning to his eggs.
“How has your day been thus far?”
“I have only been up an hour,” Cecil said and shrugged his shoulders.
His table manners were still poor as he let egg dribble down his chin until he eventually caught it with one of the cloth napkins. Andrea tried not to grimace as she took a sip of her tea.
“I am still finding it hard to comprehend that you are the author I have admired for so many years,” she said without even believing her own words. “I must say though, it does make sense with all of your bravery and the stories you have told me thus far.”
“What can I say?” Cecil shrugged. “I have a very decorated past with the military. I thought the best outlet would be through my stories.”
Andrea wanted to scoff at the thought of him taking the credit for things that she was being told James had actually written.
“There was something I wanted to ask you, actually,” Cecil said. He looked up for one of the first times since she had sat down at the table. “You see, I have not been to see my parents whilst I have been staying here. I need to go into town later on, but I was wondering if I could borrow some money?”
Andrea blinked a few times as she tried to process what he had just asked of her.
“Borrow some money?”
“Yes, well some of it will soon be mine anyway, and so I did not think it would be too much of a problem?”
Had Andrea been brought up differently, she might have scoffed or rolled her eyes at the sudden request. But she had been raised with impeccable manners, and it would have gone against her nature to be rude.
“I…” Andrea stopped herself, unsure of what to say. “I do not know. I am not in control of the money, you would have to ask my father.”
Cecil nodded his head along with what she was saying. The last thing she wanted was for him to actually go to the baron and ask for money.
However, Andrea was not sure if it would actually matter. It seemed that no matter how rude Cecil was, they were not going to mention calling off the engagement. It was a question that she had been thinking about a lot recently, one that she decided she was going to take up with her parents.
“Do you think he would grant me some money?” Cecil asked.
Andrea was shocked by how open and blatant Cecil was being about the subject. Money had always been something that Andrea had considered to be rather taboo. At their stage in society, it was just assumed that everyone around them had money. It was not something that needed to be spoken about in the way that Cecil did.
“I…I could not tell you,” she admitted. “I do not think anyone has ever asked him for money before.”
“I am sure that is not true.” Cecil laughed before returning to his breakfast.
