Page 26 of The Reclusive Earl’s Scandal (Vows and Vanity #1)
Rebecca was pacing the music room, and everytime she completed another length of the floor, she plunked her fingers nervously on the piano.
Her fingers sought the lower scales, and the sounds that came from the keys were terrible and dooming, matching the dread she felt in her chest. Two days ago, another letter had come for her father, notification of yet another debt going unpaid. This one threatened more action against him.
Yesterday, one of Rebecca’s mother’s wardrobes had gone, all of her old dresses she held onto for the memories of her debutante years, and the dresses that served as a reminder of her married life to the duke—all of it had been cleared out, leaving her with her most current wardrobe.
Rebecca had not wanted to pretend like she didn’t hear her mother sobbing softly in her room, but when she had approached her, her mother had thrown a necklace at the doorway, not necessarily at her, and asked for privacy .
Rebecca had not gone back to her mother since, nor did she want to. The duchess had not come down for breakfast, but her father had, even though he did not eat anything. His eyes were redder and more bloodshot. They hadn’t been clear since the day Rebecca had fallen into the river.
But aside from that she hadn’t heard from Edward ever since the Balkans’ ball.
Everything she wasn’t saying to him built and built, until she began to doubt that he would speak with her, let alone approach her father for her hand in marriage.
Sleep was hard to catch at night, and her days became lonelier.
With Catherine and Mary ignoring her, Edward not continuing with their plans, and her mother shutting herself away in her room, Rebecca did little else than sit in on her siblings’ lessons.
Harry had not joined either of his parents in a while, though Mrs. Maudley did not hold back any judging glares.
When almost a week had passed since the last ball, and Rebecca’s last interaction with Edward, she gave in.
Unable to wait any longer, she called for Lottie to prepare her for a visit with a suitor who might propose to her.
There should be no ‘might’ about it, though , she thought to herself as her hair was styled.
He said he wanted this. We had an agreement.
Her mind tormented her with every thought possible: he had prematurely found out about her father’s lack of wealth, but she quickly had to dismiss that.
The duke had been withdrawn from society except to chaperone Rebecca to balls, and he spoke to few people, so she knew the likelihood of their secret getting out was slim.
She had been waiting for her chance to tell Edward herself.
So what had happened? Why had Edward gone from calling upon her during her week of illness, to promising marriage to her, to utterly ignoring her?
Once Rebecca was ready, a carriage awaited to take her to Thornshire House, Lottie chaperoning her.
As she climbed into the carriage, she tried not to notice the emptier carriage house, or how one or two of her father’s horses were missing from the stables.
The wheels clattered over London’s streets, and her stomach jumped in both excitement at seeing him again, and in annoyance, for she would confront him well and truly.
Her gloved hands balled in her lap, and when the carriage finally stopped outside the townhouse, she didn’t waste a moment in hopping out and marching right to the front door.
She was shown into the drawing room. Trembling from her worries over wondering if Edward wanted to end their arrangement, she wasn’t prepared for a female voice to come from behind her. Rebecca whirled, her eyes landing on Lady Elena, who watched her with restrained poise from the door.
Her chin was lifted, and despite Rebecca being certain she was at least four years older than the earl’s sister, she suddenly felt very judged.
It was no secret that Lady Elena wanted Catherine to wed Edward, and it was no secret that, for some reason, she was very against Rebecca and Edward being together.
“Lady Elena,” Rebecca greeted. “It is good to...”
“Let us skip faux niceties, Lady Rebecca.” The young girl’s words were brusque.
She moved further into the room, her eyes narrowing on Rebecca.
“Neither of us like one another, so there is little point in pretending to be friends. I have endured you for the sake of the ton and appearances, and I respect you in terms of rank, but that is where that ends.”
Rebecca stepped back, finding herself against the windowsill. “Lady Elena, if I have offended you in any way I am terribly sorry. I do not dislike you, though I can see you truly do dislike me. Why? What have I done?”
Her question went unanswered as Lady Elena sniffed, looking away.
“Does my brother know about your sordid affair? I do hope that is why you are here, to end this foolish arrangement you think will happen for you and him. He does not truly want you, you do know that, do you not? You are a friend from his past, while Lady Catherine is the pillar of his future. She is not tainted by scandal or past lovers, and she is most beloved in society.”
“As am I,” Rebecca answered a little defensively.
Heavens, she knew she did not have to prove anything, but her ego was bruised.
Her father and mother had taught her how to charm others, whether it was a suitor or a friend.
She was used to being liked. Perhaps it made her spoiled, but the knowledge that Lady Elena had no reason to dislike her only irked her further.
Lady Elena huffed. “If that is what you truly believe then you are delusional. I know your plan to trick my brother into marriage. What if he learns of your affair?”
“There is no affair,” Rebecca snapped.
“Do you know how humiliating you will make life for my brother? He struggles to go out as it is. Now you are forcing him to endure the whispers surrounding your scandal! I heard it from Lady Catherine herself. You and the tutor’s son, sneaking into your father’s study to...”
“Elena, that is enough .”
Rebecca was so focused on the anger striking Lady Elena’s small and pretty face that she hadn’t noticed a figure coming up behind the smaller woman. Lady Elena whirled around, finding the earl standing in the hallway behind her, looking into the drawing room.
It was a single moment where she swore grief and anguish flashed across his face while he flicked a cool stare back onto his sister.
“Sister, who are you to comment on such things?” he asked, fury barely concealed in his voice.
“I am appalled at your behaviour as of late. You and Lady Catherine are proving to be a terrible duo together, and I do not like it. I do not like her, but I also do not particularly like your own actions. Especially not towards Lady Rebecca. I will remind you of what I announced several days ago. Lady Rebecca will be my wife. I shall ask you only one more time to make peace with that, and to stop meddling in my affairs.”
“But...”
“I will halve your dress allowance for your next Season,” he growled, the threat sounding mild enough, but Rebecca knew firsthand how detrimental old dresses reused to cover up a sparse wardrobe could be for one’s matches.
“So either you stop meddling, or you hope that you find a husband this Season. Perhaps if you spent less time scheming my life the way you want it you would have had more dances and offers.”
The harsh breath that punched out of Lady Elena made Rebecca almost pity her.
But her words had been cruel, and accusatory, and if she was in a league with Catherine, who Rebecca was suspicious of starting the rumors in the first place after what she had heard at the Balkans’ ball, then Rebecca was not certain she could trust her.
In a moment, Elena stormed past her brother, not caring when her shoulder butted into him. He let the blow land before he recovered and stepped into the drawing room once Elena had disappeared.
“She dislikes me,” Rebecca said, looking at the doorway, not at him. There was a pain in her chest from the days of silence, and she was not sure which issue to address first. Her mind and heart felt full with everything she needed to say.
“She does not,” Edward tried to console her, but it was empty.
“I trusted you not to lie to me,” she said, trying to jest, but she was grateful when he had the decency to look ashamed.
After a moment, Edward sighed and leaned against one of the far walls, putting too much space between them.
Rebecca was not sure why she thought it was too much when he was only her friend, or why she craved closing that space, but she did.
“She told me moments before you entered the room that she dislikes me.”
Edward frowned at the floor. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and a tightness to his mouth that she was curious about, but didn’t address yet. Instead, she waited for him to speak, and when he didn’t, Rebecca spoke again.
“You two are very different,” she said gently. “Why? Why is she so full of schemes, even against you, and so full of hate towards me?”
Shoving a hand through his hair, Edward reeked of weariness and exhaustion. Rebecca tried to file away her questions of why she hadn’t been privy to see this when he had seen her at her vulnerable moment after falling into the river.
“Elena had a twin named Eloise. When they were born, they were inseparable. They grew up practically attached at the arm, never far from one another for very long. I always called them twin ravens. Ravens fly in pairs, and that was what they were. Bonded twins for life.”
Rebecca swallowed, grief already welling in her, for there was no other sibling in the Thornshire household, and she knew that.