Page 56 of A Lady's Beloved Novelist
“Well, he is a coward in every sense of the word,” James barely hesitated to speak of his former friend, and he had not even sat down properly. “I have many different stories that I could tell you about times when he has been a coward. Some involve the war; others are a little more mundane.”
“Go ahead,” Bella said whilst gesturing with her hand for him to continue.
So, James told them. He spilled out every detail that he could remember from a time long past. It had been a time when he had hoped to find a friend in Cecil, a time when he had needed a friend. He had wanted Cecil to be someone that he could trust, but he had let him down time and time again.
Chapter 24
“And you are sure it was not you?” Bella continued.
Andrea had barely touched the plate of food in front of her as she sat back and watched the scene unfold before her.
“It must have been someone who looked like me. People are always trying to slander my name.”
Cecil was clearly growing more and more irritated by the questions that her aunt and Abigail were throwing his way. Andrea could not believe that he was getting so angry by it all. Some of it sounded so outrageous that she was worried to find out if it was true.
“Why would I be caught sneaking out of a maid’s chambers in another estate?”
“Well, why would they have cause to lie about such a thing?” her aunt countered.
“And it is not the first estate to have such claims,” Abigail chimed in.
Andrea noticed that her parents had gone from listening politely to being completely concerned. It was evident that they were not pleased to hear what Cecil had been up to recently, even if there was no proof of any of it. Andrea realised that it was the fact it all sounded as though it could be true that was the issue.
“This all sounds like slander,” Cecil persisted.
Andrea had not even noticed until that moment that she had been slowly leaning away from him. Her right arm was resting on the arm of the chair. She did not want to be seen to give him any kind of support in the situation. She wanted her parents to know that she did not want to marry this man.
“Slander?” Bella chuckled. “I am just trying to clear up the rumours that I have heard about the man who is going to be my future nephew-in-law.”
“They have been created by people who wish me ill, that is why people are so quick to tell you such things,” he explained.
“So, you admit that there are a lot of these stories about you? Why do you think that is?” Abigail asked.
Andrea wished that someone would come and paint the scene of the two widows leaning over the table and asking all manner of interrogative questions to Cecil. Together, they looked powerful and were clearly enjoying this a little too much. When Andrea had known that her aunt must have had something up her sleeve, this was not what she had been anticipating.
“I have made enemies over the years, this is true,” Cecil admitted. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing back certain strands that had stuck to his slick brow. “They do not speak kindly of me, and this is something I regret. But a lot of what they say is fabricated.”
Cecil spoke as though he were a man in power who was trying to quell an uprising. He was using his hands to try and calm the fire of questions all by himself.
“May I have another glass of wine?” he asked, quickly gesturing to the closest servant. During the frenzy of questioning, Cecil had been constantly reaching for his glass of wine on the table.
“Ah, so you also like a drink,” Bella said, raising her own glass.
“I will admit that I am impartial to the occasional glass,” Cecil said. The façade was back in an instant, he appeared to douse the flames of his own anguish and put on his best smile as he raised a re-filled glass of wine.
But it was quickly apparent that her aunt had lured him into a false sense of security.
“Yes, I have heard from people in town. They say there are wagers for how quickly you will be kicked out of the public houses.”
Andrea had to stare down at her lap to stop herself from bursting out with laughter. Such things were the kind of information that would dance at the edges of the room. One might hear a whispering here and there, but they were not supposed to be discussed in such a confronting way.
“I…this is the slander that I was telling you about. People like to use my name. It garners attention and it can even generate revenue.”
Andrea was not sure how he was trying to wriggle his way out of this one, but one quick glance over at her parents reassured her that they were not convinced of anything he was saying anymore.
“What would they have to gain from that?”
“People like to have someone to ridicule. It can unite them and give them a sense of purpose and entertainment.”
