Page 31 of The Scot Who Loved Her

Her mind was reeling with all the thoughts still whooshing around in her head when the familiar stride of the very man in question came down the sidewalk. My God, had he not even gone inside his own home before searching her out? He stopped out front of their house and peered up at the windows. Olivia swayed on her feet, attempted to duck out of view, but it was too late. She knew he’d seen her because the serious look on his face changed to a smile of triumph in a flash.

And that smile, as much as she knew what it meant, made her heart skip a beat in a way it absolutely shouldn’t have. Not when the man was hunting her.

A week ago, as they’d boarded the carriages in London, she’d thought herself safe from him—or at least safe from the fate that awaited her. It wasn’t as if the Earl of Dunlyon had put her in danger. It was she who had harmed him. And like any criminal, it was not out of scope to believe she would be punished for it.

There was no doubt now the pieces of this stupid puzzle were falling into place. He would knock on their front door and tell her parents exactly what had happened. Olivia resigned herself, standing and facing him now at the window, all but surrendering herself through the glass.

She couldn’t do this anymore. Waiting wasn’t her style.

But, as she was about to beckon him, Caroline arrived at his side, her mouth moving a mile a minute. The earl stared down at her fondly, nodding in answer to whatever it was his sister said. Well, he wasn’t going to arrest her with Caroline, was he? Perhaps she would have another short reprieve. Olivia breathed a sigh of relief, realizing at that moment that though she’d been willing to give herself up, she wasn’t prepared for it.

The brother and sister walked up the front steps of the Helvellyn residence, and with each step they climbed, Olivia’s heart lodged a notch higher in her throat until they disappeared from her view altogether.

The pound of the knocker reverberated in her bones, perhaps even louder than in actuality. Olivia sank onto the chaise and picked up a book, hoping it was all her imagination, even though she was very aware that was false.

She should go downstairs, greet their guests. But she couldn’t make her feet move. A moment later, there was a knock at her bedroom door, and then it burst open to reveal her mother, face scarlet, eyes wide.

“How dare you, Olivia,” her mother accused, rage in her tone and in the fierceness of her glower.

Olivia had never seen her mother so furious. It was…unnerving.

“What?” Olivia’s mouth fell open as she sat up, the book forgotten on her lap. She was baffled at her mother’s accusation and her demeanor.

“You asked him to follow you here, you harlot.”

Olivia’s eyes bulged at that accusation. Of all the things her mother had accused her of, harlot had never been one of them. “I did no such thing, Mother, and I take offense at you maligning my character.”

The viscountess ignored her, hands on her hips as she paced and fumed. “So, it is a coincidence? Do you honestly expect me to believe that?”

“I don’t see how it could be anything but.” Though she could see it that way, she wasn’t going to admit it to her mother. Her missive to Dunlyon had not said he should follow, though if her mother knew about it, Olivia could see where she’d get the idea that was her intention. “Besides, Mother, you are the one who introduced me to his sister, Caroline. She seems nice.”

Lady Helvellyn stopped pacing in the center of the bedroom, her hands twisted in front of her.

“Do you not think siblings can be different?” Olivia asked.

This was a loaded question, and the flash of her mother’s furious eyes at her said as much. Of course, they were, else Olivia would have been sent to the asylum with her sister. But right now, for her convenience, her mother wanted it not to be true. Because she wanted to say Caroline was a bad egg simply because of her brother. Which made no sense, of course. Olivia’s parents didn’t even know him.

“We don’t have a garden maze for me to get lost in, Mama. I promise I’ll be safe.” There was a note of sarcasm in her voice she couldn’t shake, and it grated on her mother’s nerves.

Olivia stood then, deciding to face her mother and her judgement. The woman could ruin her life and lock her away, but this argument was tired and needed to be put to bed. “They can likely hear you up here, and it wouldn’t do for that to get out.”

“Very well. But I will tell our guests you are indisposed.”

“I am quite well and plan to greet them.”

Lady Helvellyn was used to Olivia being obstinate, but not to this degree. “Then you will—” Her mother was having trouble voicing the words.’

“I will greet the guests who’ve come to call, and I will do so cordially.”

“It is very uncouth of them to call and expect an audience,” her mother continued, hoping to convince Olivia she shouldn’t.

“Would you turn away an earl and his sister?” They were, after all, outranked, and that seemed to be the nail in the coffin of her mother’s indecision.

“Of course not. My God, you are lucky your father went to his club.”

“Then let us not dally.” Olivia didn’t want to greet their guests any more than her mother did. And she feared what would happen as soon as her father caught wind of the guests waiting in the drawing room.

By the time she reached the doors to the drawing room, sweat had dripped in an annoying tickle down her spine.

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