Page 80 of The Study of Seduction

“Admit it. You’re relieved that I said it.”

Oh, Lord, perhaps she was. But only a little.

“Edwin, where are you?” came a lilting voice from not too far off.

Drat it all. Yvette had found them.

A murmuring sounded as if the servant were speaking to her, and she said, “Don’t be silly—of course they want to see me.”

Edwin barely had time to snatch up his waistcoat and coat before Yvette came out of the woods saying, “Cook claimed you two were on a picnic, but I couldn’t believe it. I had to see for . . .”

She trailed off as she caught sight of them in their disordered state. Her cheeks reddened. “Oh. It’sthatsort of picnic.”

Edwin’s jaw looked hard enough to slice stone. “Don’t be vulgar, Yvette. We were napping, that’s all. And you woke us.”

“Napping! You? In the outdoors? That’s almost as unlikely as your having a picnic.” Yvette swung her gaze from him to Clarissa. “Is he telling the truth?”

“Of course.” Clarissa hoped she’d fixed her clothing enough not to give them away. “You know Edwin. He never lies.” And being forced to do so now must be mortifying him.

“In that case,” Yvette said, “I’msoglad to see you both!”

Edwin walked up to kiss his sister on the cheek. “As we are to see you. We didn’t expect you in the country until next week at the very earliest.”

“I got some news and made Jeremy come back sooner.” Placing her hand on her visibly protruding belly, she said, “I suppose you can tell what my news is.”

Only Clarissa noticed the quick flash of pain on Edwin’s face before he forced a smile for his sister’s benefit. “Congratulations. We’re very happy for you.” He turned to pull Clarissa forward to stand next to him. “Aren’t we, my dear?”

His words were so obviously insincere that it cut her to the heart. She’d wounded him deeply. She hadn’t even realized until now how muchhe’dbeen looking forward to having children.

Lord, she was making a complete mess of this marriage.

“Of course we’re happy for you,” Clarissa said, fighting back tears.

Yvette planted her hands on her hips. “I would have been happy for you two, if I’d had any inkling you were getting married. How could you not tell me?” She arched an eyebrow at Clarissa. “Especially you. I never expect Edwin to tell me things, butyoushould have said something.”

“It happened very quickly,” Clarissa said. “I don’t know if you remember what occurred when I took that trip to Bath last year, but—”

“We’ll explain it all when we’ve got your husband with us, too,” Edwin cut in. “No point in relating the whole tale twice. Shall we go?”

With a nod, Yvette started off, chattering about her and Jeremy’s trip to America.

It was all Clarissa could do to make the usual responses. She was painfully aware of Edwin walking stiffly at her side, not touching her, not looking at her.

She hadn’t intended to make him feel so awful. She had to fix this, to let him know it really had nothing to do with him. But that meant telling him the truth as soon as she could get him alone.

Did she dare? Or would it drive them farther apart? Given what he’d said about his mother, he might actually understand.

His mother—heavens. Clarissa had never guessed at any such tragedy in Lady Blakeborough’s past. She had to know more. Assuming he would tell her.

It was rather a shock that he’d even mentioned it to Clarissa. It drove a stake of guilt through her heart to think that he’d been so devastated by her reaction to him that he had let slip something so highly personal about his family. It wasn’t like him at all.

They emerged from the trees to see Jeremy striding toward them. “So there you are! I suppose Yvette has told you our news?”

“Of course,” Clarissa said brightly. “You know your wife—she’s deplorable at keeping secrets.”

“Unlike her brother, who never says a thing. I should have known he was cooking up a plan to win you.” Jeremy walked up to clap Edwin on the shoulder. “Not that I’m surprised, Blakeborough. The way you spoke of her a few months ago—”

“What?” Clarissa broke in. “How did he speak of me?”