Page 74 of Her Heartless Duke

“I see.”

“I am truly sorry for the confusion, Your Grace.”

He smiled tightly at her. “There is no need to apologize, my Lady. The mistake is all mine.” He bowed stiffly. “Good evening.”

With that, he walked away from the group, clenching his fists. No doubt, they would be talking about him once he was out of earshot—and it was all Olivia’s fault.

She haddeceivedhim into thinking she could act as some sort of liaison between him and Lady Vivian and when she could not fulfill that part, she compounded her deception further by fabricating those letters, signing them all in Lady Vivian’s name.

Well played, Olivia, he thought to himself angrily.You must have thought me the veriest fool, to be made to dance according to whatever tune suits your fancy.

Well, he had had enough of her games and those of theton. He would not be made to dance to the dictates of someone who could not be the least bit truthful to him.

Angrily, he turned and walked away from it all.

* * *

When she heard the announcement of the arrival of the Duke of Langley, her heart soared crazily in her chest.

He was here! He did not abandon her after all!

Olivia smiled widely as she quickly excused herself from her cousin and rushed over in the direction of the ballroom’s entrance. He should be just coming in through the door right now. If she hurried fast enough, she might be able to get to him before he was waylaid by somebody else. The huddles of bodies before her made it quite the struggle, but soon she found an opening and picked up her pace.

However, she stopped in her tracks when she saw him amidst a small group of young ladies. He was talking to one of them, and for a moment, her brow furrowed, until she realized who he was talking to.

Pretty, with locks the color of rich chocolate and an elegant demeanor, Isaac was talking to none other than the love of his life, Lady Vivian.

She felt a pain so keen that it was almost physical. She stumbled back just a little, her hand grasping at the edge of a decorative table that had been set most fortunately near the entrance of the grand ballroom.

She could not make out what they were saying and she was too far from either of them to hear anything at all. However, judging from the look of utter confusion in Lady Vivian’s face and the stormy expression in Isaac’s, she could hazard a guess that her lies had now been unraveled.

This… this was not how I planned it out!Olivia wanted to scream.I wanted to tell him the truth about everything myself. About how I bluffed to get him to agree to teach me how to dance. About how wonderful I thought he always has been.

About how much I loved him.

But then, she saw him walk stiffly away from the group and she knew then that there was no way she could talk to him now, no way she could make him listen to her.

And it was all her fault for deceiving him in the first place.

She felt tears slide hotly down her cheeks and she quickly dashed them as she made her way to one of the footmen, asking him to tell the coachman to bring up the carriage for she was feeling the dawn of a headache.

“Milady, perhaps you would want to sit down first?” the footman suggested. “I can inform Her Ladyship as well—”

“There is no need,” Olivia smiled thinly at him. “I should have stayed home and nursed my headache there in the first place.”

“Are you sure, milady?”

“Yes, I am certain. Please get me my carriage, good sir.”

“Right away, milady.”

She watched morosely as the footman sped out of sight to seek out the driver of their carriage. The cool air already had a slight nip to it thanks to the changing of the seasons.

Soon, it would be time to leave for the countryside, before the roads were closed due to the winter falls.

She closed her eyes and raised her head, letting the cold breeze wash over her tear-stained face. Perhaps, it would be best for her to leave earlier.

After all, there was nothing left in London to keep her. The city only served to remind her of her unspeakable heartbreak.