Page 24 of While the Duke Was Sleeping (England’s Sweethearts #1)
From Peter’s bedroom window, Rhett watched Della exit the house. It was remarkable how quickly she had packed her things, changed into outside clothes, and left. She walked the edge of the house toward the stables, her expression stricken. What did that mean? Why was she running? He was about to go after her when Uncle Frank joined him. “It seems her schemes are not going to plan.”
“I don’t know why she’s upset.”
Frank shrugged. “Perhaps she wasn’t counting on the duke waking. If Peter had died, she’d have the brother she wanted and the title. Now she has to choose.”
Nausea swirled in Rhett’s belly. For years, he’d been dodging this precise situation. He’d gone to extreme lengths to escape being compared and found lesser.
Della tightened her coat, hugging herself as she rounded the corner, out of his sight. What was she thinking? Was his uncle right? Was she honestly not sure of her choice?
As if sensing Rhett’s thoughts, Frank continued. “You’d think that if she had no designs on the dukedom, she would have said so right then.”
Rhett swallowed. “Perhaps she wanted a private moment to do so. She’s not the kind to break off an engagement in front of a man’s entire family.”
Frank clapped him on the shoulder. “Son, she left a man at the altar in front of all of London. If she’d wanted to break things off, she would have.”
That was true. Rhett hadn’t considered that because the woman who’d humiliated her fiancé in such a public manner seemed like a completely different person from the one he knew and loved. But she had left Hornsmouth with no consideration for the man’s feelings. She might leave Rhett just as easily.
“Don’t be so morose. It’s not the end of the world.” Frank gave Rhett a rousing shake of the shoulders. “Now you can go back to hopping from ballrooms to bars across the continent. It will be as if the past few days never happened.”
But Rhett wasn’t sure that could be the case. This past week had changed him. She had changed him. His heart was still set on traveling the world, but he couldn’t go back to the aimless vagabond he was. He wanted his travels to have a purpose, and he wanted that purpose to be with her.
As he watched her stride down the drive, he prayed she was leaving the situation and not leaving him, but history was not on his side.
“Her hair is a lovely shade of strawberry blonde.”
“He knows what color her hair is. He saw her not ten minutes ago.”
“When he failed to recognize his own betrothed.”
“Yes, when he failed to recognize her. He has amnesia; he’s not blind.”
“I simply think that if he pictured the color of her hair, it would bring back a memory of the first time he saw her.” Winnie and Jac stood on either side of Peter’s bed, glaring at each other. Meg was still in the armchair, one hand covering her eyes as though that could block out the girls’ bickering.
Frank had exited not long after Peter woke. He would be at the tavern in town if Rhett wanted to join him. As his sisters’ tit-for-tat continued, escape was tempting, but Rhett would stay until the doctor arrived. Until they knew why Peter woke, they wouldn’t know if he would stay awake. Rhett wasn’t leaving his bedside until he was confident his brother was well.
Or at least as well as one could be when one was the sole focus of all three sisters’ attention.
Peter rolled his shoulders and tried to work out the kinks in his neck. It seemed lying in one place for four days was not the relief Rhett imagined.
“Lady Cordelia’s hair seemed perfectly lovely,” Peter said. “But I’m sorry. It sparks no memory.”
Impossible , Rhett thought. Della’s hair glowed. The first time he’d seen it, it had caught in the afternoon sun, making her seem like a fiery goddess.
“What about when she mutters ‘ verdamnt ’ under her breath?”
Peter scowled. “Edwina Abigail Montgomery, you are not supposed to even know that phrase, let alone use it.”
Winnie crossed her arms. “Della has been instructing me in the rich languages of the continent. That’s why you should marry her. She’s incredibly intelligent.”
Peter pinched his nose. “I never said that I wouldn’t marry her. I don’t remember proposing, but assuming I did, I will be true to my word.”
Rhett’s mouth went dry, and his stomach caved in. He’d been hoping that Peter’s amnesia would be the natural end to that engagement. That it would have been broken off without Rhett having to be the one who broke it.
“You can’t marry her out of obligation,” Jac said. “You must marry her because you love her.”
“I don’t even know her,” Peter said, frustrated. He pulled back the bedcovers, as though to extricate himself from his sisters’ care, but Jac pulled the covers back in place. He huffed. “I don’t recall ever having set eyes on her. There’s been no conversation between us that I am aware of. But Jac, plenty of marriages are out of obligation.”
Jac and Winnie both had their arms crossed. “No.”
“That’s awful.”
“We will not stand for it.”
“Della is perfect for you, and in the time she’s been here, she’s come to feel like family. Hasn’t she, Rhett?”
“Yes.” The word was near impossible for him to utter. He turned away to see Meg looking at him, confused.
Jac continued. “So, the next time she comes to visit, you will not be so churlish. You will appreciate the blessing that you have in her, and you’ll propose again so that she knows you want this.”
“I will, will I?” Peter raised an eyebrow.
Jac’s frown deepened, and she kicked the baseboard of the bed. “Yes, because she did her best to keep you alive.”
“ And she saved Rhett’s life before they fell into the Thames,” Winnie added.
Peter looked at him, brows furrowed. “You fell into the Thames? Were you drunk?”
And there it was. Peter had been awake for less than an hour, and already Rhett was disappointing him. “I was not drunk, and I’ll have it known that I saved Della’s life in return.”
“Because you almost caused her to drown by pulling her into the river with you,” Winnie muttered. At some point, she had ferreted out more of the truth than Rhett would have liked, but not the most poignant aspects.
Peter tossed and turned, and immediately Meg leaped up to adjust the pillows behind him, trying to make him comfortable. “I don’t know why you’re all making such a fuss about my betrothal.” He was vexed. Rhett could hear it.
Meg scowled, first at her sisters and then at Peter. “Because you were a dunderhead, and it’s causing no end of problems.” Her eyes flicked to Rhett and then hardened as her gaze returned to the duke. “We’ve heard the full story. You proposed to Lady Cordelia because you needed an heir, and she fell right into your lap. You didn’t give any thought at all to the consequences of such a bloodless decision. It was quite stupid.”
Peter sat up straighter, hand going to his head as he did. “Margaret…” Rhett recognized that tone. It was usually directed toward him.
“You are so incredibly lucky, brother,” Meg continued quickly. “Because despite your calculated reasons for selecting her, your convenient duchess is perfect . It’s impossible not to fall in love with her.”
Rhett’s heart cracked. It was impossible not to fall in love with Della. As unlikely as it might seem, he’d fallen in love the first second he saw her. But Uncle Frank’s doubts had wormed their way into Rhett’s brain. What if she didn’t truly reciprocate those feelings? She’d never said as much. She’d kissed him, sure, but he knew more than anyone that a kiss could mean nothing. It certainly didn’t mean a lifetime.
And even if she loved him, would she choose him over Peter now that the option was there?
“Where is Della?” Winnie asked.
“She’s giving the family space,” Jac replied.
“Well, she’s being stupid. Family doesn’t need space.”
“She’s not stupid,” Rhett said. “And you’re wrong.” He loved his family, but if Peter married Della, if she chose the dukedom, he was not sure he could live with it. He certainly couldn’t live here, in England. He was going to need all the space the continent could offer.