Page 16 of The Truth about the Lady (Whispers of the Ton #6)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I must tell her the truth.

Samuel turned expectantly as the door to his study opened and the butler came in. He was waiting for Lady Hyacinth to come to call, along with either her mother or father and quite how he was to tell her the truth about the riddles when they were present also, he did not know – but it had to be done.

Instead, Lord Elledge came into the room.

“Good gracious, I hear that you are engaged!” he said, striding across the room to shake Samuel’s hand. “However did that come about?”

Samuel offered his friend a wry smile. “It was a little unexpected.”

“I should say so!”

With a sigh, Samuel gestured for his friend to sit down. “Lord Sunderland did not behave well and again, I had to come to the rescue of another young lady.”

“And you ended up proposing to her?” Lord Elledge asked, sounding incredulous though, at a look from Samuel, he caught his breath, his eyes widening. “You took the place of Lord Sunderland so she would not have to marry him?”

Samuel winced. “You make it sound as though I was forced to do so.”

Lord Elledge looked back at him in question but Samuel only shook his head.

“I had a choice,” he explained. “I could have permitted Lord Sunderland to take the lady and do right by her, or I could have permitted him to step back from it all and leave her to the ton ’s whispers.”

A few lines formed on Lord Elledge’s brow. “But then her reputation would have been quite ruined.”

“Indeed it would have been.”

His friend clicked his tongue and scowled. “Lord Sunderland ought to have done what he ought.”

Again, Samuel winced. “But could you imagine what Lady Hyacinth’s life would have been like, had she married him?”

This made Lord Elledge’s expression darken all the more. “That is not something I had given an immediate thought to.”

“I did.” Recalling just how upset Lady Hyacinth had been when he had first found her, Samuel’s heart twisted in his chest. “She was quite broken, Elledge. Lord Sunderland had yanked her into that room without rhyme nor reason and, much to her horror, it had been quite empty so there was no one else to turn to. Her mother did not see that she was absent and thus, Lord Sunderland was able to cause her a great deal of distress.”

“How awful.”

“I can no longer be associated with him,” Samuel continued, darkly. “I do not want to be his company any longer and, to be quite honest, I think it would be wise for us to perhaps whisper here and there about his true character.”

Lord Elledge nodded firmly. “To protect other young ladies.”

“Indeed.”

His friend smiled darkly. “He will not thank us for it but I do not care for that. Not after he has behaved so dreadfully. Though,” he continued, tipping his head to one side as his eyes fixed on Samuel, “you must tell me whether or not you truly do care for Lady Hyacinth. I know that you have been battling your feelings when it comes to the lady but I am also keenly aware of just how little you wanted marriage.”

“That has all changed now.” Samuel offered his friend a slightly rueful smile. “The truth is, I was hoping to speak with Lady Hyacinth at the soiree last evening. I had given in to all that I felt and wanted very much to tell her the truth, even if it was to be expressed in a somewhat clumsy manner.” A sudden weight dropped into his stomach. “I wanted also to tell her about the riddles, before I told the others in the ton .”

This made Lord Elledge’s eyebrows shoot up.

“I recognize what a fool I have been and how much I have considered my pride more than anything else,” Samuel said, heavily. “I ought never to have said such a foolish thing and I wanted to tell Lady Hyacinth the truth. I could not express my heart to her when there was such a thing between us.”

It took a few moments for Lord Elledge to answer but when he did, it was with a broad smile. “I must say, I am glad to hear it! And a little impressed too, I confess. I did not think that there would ever be a time when you set your pride away, aside from yourself. But now it seems that you have done so.”

“Only because of what I feel for her,” Samuel admitted. “But now I must find a way to tell her everything”

Lord Elledge shrugged “Then do so.”

“I cannot.” Samuel’s lips pulled a downwards. “Her mother is to come to call this afternoon and I will not be able to speak with Lady Hyacinth alone. In fact, I do not know when I will be able to do so!”

Lord Elledge chuckled. “There is a simple answer!”

“Oh?”

“Tell her.”

Samuel frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Tell Lady Hyacinth that you wish to speak with her alone and tell her mother also.” Lord Elledge shrugged. “Walk in the park if you wish but it is almost expected for an engaged couple to be alone in each other’s company for a few minutes here and there.” He chuckled again as Samuel’s frown lifted. “You are not a single gentleman any longer, my friend. You can be alone with your betrothed for a short while at least, without anyone lifting an eyebrow.”

Musing, Samuel slowly began to nod, recognizing now that his change in status did mean a little more freedom… and with it, came a small frisson of excitement. Or was it worry?

“She cannot step back from our engagement now,” he murmured aloud, as Lord Elledge nodded. “All the same, I confess that I am a little afraid as to what she will say when I tell her the truth. I do not want to have a wife who is ashamed of me.” His shoulders dropped. “Though I am still very much ashamed of myself.”

Lord Elledge smiled encouragingly. “You have already shown her that you have great kindness and consideration in your heart,” he said, as Samuel swallowed hard, trying not to let his worry grasp hold of him. “Trust her with the truth and pray that all will be well.”

“ I t is very good to see you again.” Samuel smiled as warmly as he could to Lady Hyacinth, though she was not able to hold his gaze for long, it seemed, given how quickly she turned her face away, looking to her mother instead. “I do hope that all is well?”

Lady Coatbridge settled her hands in her lap and sighed contentedly, a bright smile on her face. “How could it not be, Lord Thorne? You have agreed to marry my daughter and now a wedding must be planned!”

“Indeed it must.” Samuel glanced from Lady Coatbridge to Lady Rose to Lady Hyacinth. “There is much to be done and I am very much looking forward to our wedding day, Lady Hyacinth.”

For the first time since she had stepped into the room, Lady Hyacinth smiled, a flush of color rising into her cheeks. “As am I, Lord Thorne.”

“Might I ask, Lord Thorne, precisely what happened last evening?” Lady Coatbridge spoke again, a lightness in her voice that Samuel thought to be a little false. “It all came as a great surprise to me, for though I had seen you often in Hyacinth’s company, you had not come to call or to take tea or the like.”

Samuel glanced at Lady Hyacinth and saw her shoulders drop just a little. The next glance told him that Lady Rose had a small, supercilious smile on her face which made his own heart sink.

What was it that Lady Rose had said to her mother? He had seen her speak ill of Lady Hyacinth before – and publicly too. Had she suggested something improper to her mother as regards this engagement? Would she dare whisper rumors through the beau monde solely because of her jealousy or resentment?

Hearing a scratch at the door, Samuel waited until the tea tray was brought in and set down before he continued, relieved to have the next few minutes to gather his thoughts. Once the maid had gone, he looked directly back into Lady Coatbridge’s face. “That is quite true, Lady Coatbridge. I did not come to call, I did not ask to take tea and the like and I certainly did not ask to court Lady Hyacinth!”

“Then why did you propose so suddenly?” Lady Coatbridge asked, with a boldness that surprised Samuel a little. “I do not understand.”

Lady Rose broke into the conversation, her face glowing with a light that Samuel could not understand. “Might I pour the tea, Lord Thorne?”

He nodded but barely gave her a look, his whole being desiring now to be close to Lady Hyacinth, to pull her out of this trouble that, to his mind, her sister had placed upon her. “It was a surprise, I know. Even Lady Hyacinth was a little astonished at it all, were you not?” Pinning a smile to his face, he looked to Lady Hyacinth and saw her nod, though her face was a little paler now. “I even astonished myself, Lady Coatbridge, but that is because I have spent many a year determining that marriage is not something I desired.”

“And yet, out of every young lady in London, you chose to engage yourself to my sister?” It was Lady Rose’s turn to speak boldly now, it seemed, and she did not so much as flush hot when Samuel sent a sharp eye in her direction. “It has been said before – and I am sure you are aware of it – that Hyacinth is a wallflower! I told you that her dance card had never been filled before and yet, you proposed to her ?” She tossed her head. “It is all a little unusual.”

Samuel’s stomach turned over on itself as Lady Hyacinth dropped her head. He had no true knowledge as to what Lady Rose might have said, both to her mother and to Lady Hyacinth, but he could imagine what her words had done. No doubt she had complained to her mother that she was not the one engaged first, that Hyacinth must have done something to force Samuel’s hand… and Samuel was not about to permit her to cling to that notion nor to her injured pride.

“Falling in love is a little unusual.”

The words came out of his mouth with such a certainty that Samuel had to pause to give himself a moment to consider what he both said and felt. Was that what he truly had for Lady Hyacinth, held tightly in his heart? To be falling in love with her was not only significant, it was overwhelming but, at the very same time, Samuel recognized just how much joy now exploded through him as he confessed it aloud.

“Love?” Lady Coatbridge’s eyes widened, shooting a look to Lady Rose that confirmed to Samuel that they had been speaking poorly of Lady Hyacinth and her sudden engagement. “You surely do not mean to say that you have such a deep affection for my daughter?”

Samuel drew himself up. “That is precisely what I mean to say, Lady Coatbridge.”

“But – but you did not take tea!” Lady Rose exclaimed, sounding quite horrified as if he had just said something truly despicable. “You did not come to call nor to ask to court her, so how can you have had such feelings?”

Turning his full attention towards Lady Hyacinth, Samuel waited for her to raise her eyes to his. When she finally did so, there was a flush of color in her cheeks but a brightness in her eyes which spoke of surprise but also of happiness.

“Yes, I did not do any of those things. I will admit to you all that, at the start of the Season, I rejected all thought of matrimony, telling not only myself but my friends that I did not want to marry until I had no other choice but to do so. When the pressing responsibility of producing an heir became too great, I would select a young lady, marry her, and have that responsibility taken care of. However,” he continued, seeing Lady Rose attempting to speak again, “that all changed the moment I set eyes upon Lady Hyacinth.”

“Goodness.” Lady Coatbridge sounded completely astonished, her eyes still round with surprise. “Can that truly be so?”

“Why would it not be?” Samuel asked, his own heart erupting at the smile that began to spread across Lady Hyacinth’s face. “To my mind, there is no one more beautiful, more delightful, and more elegant than Hyacinth and in recognizing that, I gave up fighting against my past desires and begged her to be my wife.” All of this, Samuel recognized, was the truth, save for the latter few words. She might be considered a wallflower, might be considered to lack beauty in comparison to her sister but Samuel saw none of that. Lady Hyacinth was more to him than any other young lady. It was because of her and her alone that he had put his determination to forget about matrimony for as long as he could to one side.

“Well, I certainly did not expect you to say such a thing as that!” Lady Coatbridge exclaimed, speaking, again, with that frankness that Samuel found rather surprising. “I always expected that Hyacinth would marry her second cousin, for we did not think that she would do very well.”

Samuel shook his head, making Lady Coatbridge’s face flush with what he hoped was embarrassment. “It is not about whether she has done well, Lady Coatbridge, but rather how well I have done in securing her hand. There are many in the ton who might overlook a wallflower but I shall always be grateful for the moment I was introduced to her. It has altered everything about me and about my life. I cannot wait for the day I shall stand up in church and make my vows. The day that Lady Hyacinth becomes my wife shall be the happiest of all my days, I am quite sure.”

The room was silent for some moments as all three ladies looked back at him. Lady Rose had gone a shade of puce, Lady Coatbridge was still red with embarrassment but it was Lady Hyacinth that caught Samuel’s full attention. Her smile was tender, a gentle sweetness in her expression that he wanted to cling to. It took him all of his strength not to make his way across the room to sit beside her, wanting to feel her hand in his, to have her closer to him than ever before.

“Might we take a walk tomorrow afternoon, Lady Hyacinth?” he asked, abruptly changing the subject. “I thought, mayhap, St James’ Park? We could walk together and speak without interruption, if you should like it?”

The light in her eyes only grew as she nodded, her smile growing all the more.

“Excellent,” Samuel replied, hope blossoming in his heart. Perhaps, even with all his mistakes and foolishness, he might find a happiness still – a happiness that, he knew, he did not truly deserve.