Page 18 of The Truth about the Lady (Whispers of the Ton #6)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“ Y ou mean to say that she – ”
Samuel nodded, a broad smile on his face as Lord Elledge stared at him in clear astonishment. “Yes. That is precisely what I mean.”
His friend’s eyes squeezed closed and he gave himself a small shake as though he could not quite make sense of what he had heard, as if the music from the orchestra had confused what he had heard. Samuel said nothing more, waiting for Lord Elledge to take in what had been said, just as he had done a sennight ago. The shock of hearing that Lady Hyacinth had been the one writing the riddles – though she had let him understand that for himself – had been so great, it had practically shattered him, such was his surprise. He did not know what to do or what to say, staring at his betrothed as his heart had melted within him.
And then, laughter had come. He felt himself so utterly foolish at that moment, realizing that he had been playing a pretense with someone who already knew the truth and that it had been she , in fact, who had been playing with him! She had been the one who had written the riddles with their answers pointing directly towards him. She had been the one who had used her great skill to let him know that she was aware of his lies. She had been the one who had shown such mercy, for she had not told the ton the truth even though she could easily have done so. Samuel had seen her in a new light at that moment, aware now of just how much he had been blessed with in her… and feeling just how little he deserved it.
“I can hardly believe it!” Lord Elledge shook his head, then pulled out his handkerchief and mopped at his forehead. “She and I did have a conversation at one point, where we were both aware that neither of us trusted your word in all of this, but never did I think that she would have been the one writing the riddles for The London Chronicle!”
“I was as astonished as you,” Samuel admitted, smiling. “But I do not think that I can express just how much relief I felt in hearing the truth of it all. Indeed, I was so overwhelmed by my own sense of foolishness, that I could not help but laugh!”
“Laugh?” Lord Elledge blinked then chuckled. “Goodness, I do wish I had been there to witness it! I do not think I have ever heard you laugh at your own foolishness before.”
Smiling ruefully, Samuel spread out his hands. “That is quite true, I am sure. But now, because of her I can see just how ridiculous I have been and how much now needs to change. And I have every intention of altering myself entirely, to rid myself of all pride and deceit. Now that I have her, now that she is to be my wife, I want to be only the very best of gentlemen for her.” A stab of pain made him grimace. “I am well aware of my failings and how much I have fallen short thus far, but Lady Hyacinth is nothing but forgiveness and kindness.”
Lord Elledge smiled. “It seems to me as though your feelings for the lady have grown significantly since we last spoke.”
Considering this, Samuel nodded, finding a great peace in accepting all that he felt. “Yes, I would agree with that. My heart is full of her for now that I see her as she truly is, with all her intelligence and beauty, I feel nothing but gratitude for her and for her acceptance of me.”
Putting one hand on Samuel’s shoulder, Lord Elledge beamed at him. “It seems that all you once rejected, you are now delighting in! I am very glad for you, my friend.”
“I thank you. Though,” Samuel continued, looking around the room, “tonight, I must make everything right.”
This made Lord Elledge frown, his hand dropping away. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that I must tell the beau monde that it is not I who writes for The London Chronicle but it is Hyacinth herself.” Seeing Lord Elledge’s frown lift, Samuel shrugged. “It is not going to be a pleasant experience, I know, but I must do it. For her sake, at the very least. I want the ton and even her own family to see just how much of a treasure she is.”
“Then I wish you very well,” came the reply. “I presume the lady knows about this?”
“Knows about what?”
Lady Hyacinth’s voice cut through their conversation and Samuel twisted around to see her standing a little behind him, a light smile on her face. “Hyacinth.” He smiled and took her hand, lifting it to his lips and, as he kissed the back of her hand, feeling a rush of desire tearing through him. “I was just speaking with Lord Elledge.”
“Good evening, Lord Elledge,” she answered, her brown eyes going between him and Samuel. “I do hope there is nothing you are hiding from me, Thorne?”
Samuel chuckled and squeezed her hand. “You are suspicious of me, my dear. Well, I shall not keep it from you.” Pushing away the nervousness that began to wrap around him, Samuel took in a steadying breath and then, with a smile to Hyacinth, stepped out into the center of the ballroom. Someone tapped a glass lightly, alerting the guests to his presence and it did not take more than a few moments before every eye in the ballroom was upon him.
The smile on Samuel’s face faltered. There were a good many guests present and to open his mouth and admit to all of his foolishness was a little frightening. He did not know what reaction he would receive from the ton , quite sure that some of them would mock him, some would laugh and some begin to whisper to their acquaintances. Whispers and rumors might fly all through London… but he could not help that, he reasoned. He was the one who had made this mess in the beginning by his own foolishness and it was about time that he set it right.
“Thank you all for your attention.” With a bow, Samuel lifted his gaze to the crowd, letting it sweep across each and every face. “As you know, Lady Hyacinth and I are now betrothed and the wedding shall take place in a month from now.”
This was met by applause and Samuel could not help but smile, despite his nervousness.
“I cannot tell you how overjoyed I was when Lady Hyacinth accepted my proposal,” he said, knowing full well that while he had never truly proposed to the lady, his joy had been great once he had realized what happiness his future now held. “I think that she is the most remarkable creature in all of England, though I am also sure that every gentleman thinks such a thing of his betrothed!” A few murmurs and smiles met this remark, though Samuel finally pulled his gaze towards Lady Hyacinth, knowing that she did not know what it was he intended to say. He had to hope that she would be glad of it, for they had never spoken of what ought to be done as regarded the truth about the riddles.
“I have thrown this ball in her honor,” he continued, swallowing hard as he fought for the right words to say. “Because she has given me more than I ever expected, even more than I knew. Not only is she kind, beautiful, generous, and considerate, she is also forgiving and that is what has brought us closer together.”
Lady Hyacinth’s smile began to fade though she did not shake her head at him nor whisper to him not to say a word. She was waiting, he realized, to know what it was he wanted to express and, with another small nod in her direction, Samuel continued, his heart pounding furiously in his chest.
“I wanted to tell you all that I have lied to you.” That brought an end to the smiles on everyone’s faces but Samuel continued on, refusing to be held back. “I am ashamed of myself but I must also be honest, for I have injured the person I love the most and it is to her that this apology is made.” Throwing out one hand towards Hyacinth, he waited for a moment, seeing the eyes of every guest turning towards her. “Ladies and gentlemen, I told you that I was the one who wrote the riddles in The London Chronicle. I told you that I was the one who put my time and energy into creating such incredible twisting secrets for you all to decipher…but I was not.” Hearing a few gasps, he lifted his shoulders and spoke with decisiveness. “The reason I told you all such a thing is because I was not able to find the answers to the first few riddles. Rather than admitting that, I chose to lie to protect my pride. That was wrong. It took something that was not mine and took the glory away from the true author… Lady Hyacinth.”
The room fell into complete silence for a few moments. Lady Hyacinth blushed furiously, her eyes melding to his as though she could not bring herself to look anywhere else.
And then, someone began to clap.
Samuel beamed in delight as the entire room filled with applause, his heart swelling with pride as he beckoned Lady Hyacinth to him. She glanced here and there, perhaps looking for her mother and sister – both of whom, Samuel noted, were standing with looks of complete shock on their faces – before coming out towards him. Catching her hand, Samuel bent over it and kissed it lightly before smiling into her eyes, the room reverberating with the sound of appreciation.
“I am overwhelmed,” she whispered, as Samuel smiled down into her eyes. “I did not think that you would do this.”
“I had no choice but to do so,” he said, as she took his arm so they might walk away from the center of the room together. “I wanted to make things right and this was the only way to do it.” A sudden, fierce desire gripped him, and nodding and smiling at a few of the guests who wished to speak with either himself or Lady Hyacinth, Samuel made his way directly towards the French doors, praying that she would not protest at coming with him into the gardens. The fresh air felt cool on his skin and he drew in a deep breath, a sense of freedom filing him, as if bonds he had tied about himself had finally been broken.
“You certainly did make things right,” Lady Hyacinth murmured, leaning into him a little more as they walked together. “I was so very afraid of telling you the truth, fearing that you would be upset with me – angry, mayhap.”
Samuel turned to face her. “I would never be angry with you,” he answered, gently. “The reason I laughed was because I saw how foolish I had been and my pride, in that moment, shattered completely.” Smiling, his heart quickening, he raised his hand to her cheek. “There was more that I wanted to tell you, Hyacinth, though we did not have opportunity.”
Her eyes lifted to his. “Oh?”
This felt more difficult to say than the truth about the riddles! Feeling the words sticking in his throat, Samuel cleared it gently, then set his shoulders. “Hyacinth, ever since we first met, I have felt a growing connection between us. The truth is, I have felt my heart soften towards you and, as Lord Elledge knows all too well, I did not like it.”
Her eyes rounded. “No?”
He shook his head. “I did not want to be drawn to you, Hyacinth. I did not want to have any feelings for you and I was determined to free myself of them.”
Her shoulders dropped. “Oh.”
“But I could not.”
This brought her head back up in a moment, a smile beginning to press at her lips, a light sparkle in her eyes.
“The more I fought it, the more my emotions clung to you,” he told her, letting his hand go to her shoulder, then to her waist. “I truly am glad to be engaged, Hyacinth, because it means now that I shall never have to let you go. My heart can continue to hold on to you, and my love for you continues to grow steadily. It confused me utterly, I will confess, but the moment I realized what it was that I felt, it was as though the entire world tipped me upside down and then set me on my feet again.”
Lady Hyacinth snatched in a breath, one hand going to her mouth, her eyes flaring. Samuel, a little uncertain, made to speak, only for her to drop her hand and, much to his astonishment, fling both of her hands about his neck and lift herself up on her tiptoes to kiss him.
The second his lips touched hers, fire shot through him and burned right into his very bones. Samuel wrapped his arms about her, holding her as close as he dared as a great sway of emotion held him tightly. It was as if all that he had felt redoubled itself, pouring through him until he was filled to the very top with love.
“Oh, Thorne.” Her eyes still closed, Lady Hyacinth whispered against his lips, her fingers now brushing through his hair. “We have been fighting the same battle, you and I.”
This made Samuel start and Lady Hyacinth’s eyes opened. “You mean - ?”
She laughed softly as she nodded. “Indeed. I drew close to you to try and force you to reveal the truth about the riddles but, in the process, I completely lost my heart.” Leaning into him again, her eyes fluttered closed as the desire to kiss her again tore through Samuel. “You see, I am quite in love with you too, Lord Thorne.”