Page 59 of An Earl to Save the Diamond
“Amelia, My Lord?”
“Oliver. You should call me Oliver.”
Andrew felt a twinge of guilt at lying about his identity, but for once, he craved to be somebody else, someone with no responsibility to anybody but himself, someone who could enjoy a drink with a lady he would probably never see again.
“Lord Oliver, will you not offer me a drink?”
“My apologies, and please, just Oliver. London nights are for forgetting and creating new memories.” He watched Amelia smile as he gave her a cup of ale. He watched her porcelain skin as the light hit it and thought to himself how beautiful she was. He wanted to touch her full brown hair that curled at the tips. The hair was curly like Marjorie’s. Andrew sighed. He had come there to forget, and now, everything reminded him of her.
“You seem distracted, Oliver; do you want to talk about it? I once read that talking to strangers about your problems helps you.”
“How? That is just another person knowing your problems.”
“But you might never see them again. I do not think, Oliver, that I will ever see you again. Now, if you would, please talk to me.”
He watched Amelia gingerly sip more of the ale, and he felt reassured. At least, she was not going to remember when she was sober.
“Where do I start?”
“Anywhere Oliver,” Amelia said.
“I am in love with someone whom I cannot marry because I have a duty to my family. But I love her. I have loved her since I remember myself. She was the bane of my existence, always making me fall into some kind of trouble or the other. I hated her growing up, but only because I was jealous of the woman she was. I knew I could not be free like that, and I knew I wanted her.”
“So, why are you letting duty stop you, Oliver? The way I see it, you are one of the few in London who ever experienced romance and true love. Why will you not follow your heart?”
Andrew scoffed. “I would not call it romance. She annoys me most of anyone in the world, but she has also opened my eyes to the world. I cannot be with her because I am afraid. I am afraid to cause my family pain again.”
“So, what exactly did you do?” Amelia asked.
Andrew looked at her wondering what Amelia thought of him, wondering if she considered meeting him another one of her adventures she would tell her horses. He thought about how alike she and Marjorie both were and wondered what Marjorie was doing right now.
“I did what was best for everyone involved. I let her go,” he said, only just realizing how much of a toll this had taken on him. He took a large gulp of his drink and turned to Amelia, grinning.
“Would you like to see more of London nights?”
ChapterFifteen
Andrew walked beside Amelia, who was staring at everything with a childlike delight on her face. He smiled because she smiled so much, but deep down, he was still a little preoccupied.
“Everything looks so wonderful! I have heard a lot about Oxford Street and its shops! To think that I get to see them in person. They look so—”
“Exquisite? I agree. I get the best things from here and Bond Street.”
“You must be so lucky to live here, to see these sights every day.”
Andrew chuckled again. “I would not call myself lucky, and I never really noticed it until now. It is nice to see things from a different eye.” Amelia smiled, and Andrew smiled politely back as they walked on the pavement.
“Did you do this with her?” Amelia asked.
Andrew did not pretend to not know who she was talking about. “Oh, she was already doing all this and more on her own. The first time I knew I was in love with her was on London Bridge.”
Amelia suddenly stopped, causing Andrew to stop walking as well. “I do not understand it. You have the kind of love story I would kill for; why is it not enough?”
Andrew sighed. “It is never quite that simple. You are seven-and-ten, I assume. You will find all the love in the world, and hopefully, it will not be as disastrous.”
“Yes, hopefully.” They resumed walking. “You know, for what it is worth, since I am trying new things and all, I am open to fully experience new things.”
“I do not understand,” Andrew said.
