"It's too late for that." Layla and the earl stood at their door. The blood drained out of Christina's face as she saw the look in his eyes. "I've told him everything already," Layla said.
"My Lord, I can explain…"
"You will explain nothing." The earl said. "You will pack your bags, all three of you. I will provide you with a coach, and you will leave tomorrow at dawn. I do not wish another scandal, and therefore I'm permitting you to stay for Christmas."
"Please, My Lord," Christina said. "Let me…"
He turned his gaze on her, and her blood ran cold. The look he gave her was far worse than any she could have imagined. It was not his fury that disturbed her, however; it was the hurt underneath. She had caused that hurt, and she knew she would be forever remorseful. Had he really loved Janina? Had she broken his heart with her actions? Yet even now, she did not know what she could have done differently. If only she had urged Janina to talk to him instead of encouraging her to elope. She had been so convinced at the time that talking to the earl would only lead to disaster.
His jaw was set, and he looked about the room with utter disinterest. "Good day." He said. "May you have a safe journey home and for your own sake, may you never cross my path again."
"Layla please…" Even as the earl strode away, Christina caught up with his sister. "Please let the earl know that I am truly disheartened."
"You are devious," Layla said. "To think that I, like my brother, had fallen for your sweet charade! I really believed you would make him a good wife. I am so fortunate that I found out your true nature in time. You had very nearly ensnared him."
Her words were like whips on Christina's already tortured soul. With tears clinging to her eyes, Christina managed to say, "Please forgive me. Believe me, I will suffer for my sins the rest of my life."
"They say Christmas creates miracles," Layla said. "You better pray that it washes your sins away for it would take a miracle to undo what you've done!"
Chapter 10
A Miracle
I f Christina suffered, she didn't show it. Even though her heart was broken, she did her utmost to be cheerful around the other guests. She remembered the earl's words that he didn't want more scandal. Through the day, she tried to catch his eye, and always, was met with a baleful glare. He hated her; that much was evident. Wishing she had just one chance to redeem herself, Christina prayed fervently as Father Brown led everyone through the Christmas service.
The earl, however, couldn't bear to attend. He begged off, claiming to have a splitting headache, and wandered around the halls of his castle instead. Despite the festive decorations and the guests that filled the castle, the earl suddenly felt very lonely. Out of nowhere, he had fallen in love with a woman and then had his heart broken.
At least when Janina had left him, his heart had been untouched. The moment he heard of her elopement, what little tenderness he had felt towards her had vanished.
But this was a new pain and all the worse because it was mixed with betrayal. With his other enemies, at least he could use anger against them, but with Christina, despite everything she had done, his heart still softened. When she'd turned her eyes to him beseechingly at breakfast, it had been all he could do not to throw aside the table and gather her in his arms. Why was his heart so treacherous? She should mean nothing to him. All emotion should have been wiped away the moment he heard of her betrayal.
He wandered over to the library, and to his surprise, a man was already there. He'd thought all the guests were at the chapel.
"Well hello." The man said. He was a portly fellow, with a large white beard and twinkling black eyes. "Care for some milk and biscuits? Your butler was kind enough to leave them out."
"No thank you. Breakfast was substantial enough." The earl said. "Pardon me, but I don't believe we've met, Mr?"
"You may call me Nikolas." The man said benevolently. "I hope you forgive me for being in here. I was just musing about the past. Reminiscing, you might say."
"Any interesting memories?" The earl smiled.
"Oh very," Nikolas said. "I knew a man once, you see, a very brave, proud man who was beloved by all his friends. Yet he made a mistake that he regretted for the rest of his life." Nikolas paused, as the butler knocked on the library door.
"Yes?" The earl asked impatiently.
"Beg pardon, sir, I was just wondering if I may serve you some tea or…"
"It's fine." The earl dismissed him and turned back to Nikolas. A nudging from within told him he needed to hear this man's story. "You were saying?"
"Me?" Nikolas put a hand to his chin and scratched his beard. "Ah yes. My friend, a strapping young lad, had more brains than brawn. His only fault was a fierce pride, and temper that, once kindled, was near impossible to extinguish."
"So what happened to him?" The earl asked. "What was this mistake he made?"
"He was in love with a girl, you see, and about to be married," Nikolas said. "Yet his enemies laid a trap for him. They made him believe that his betrothed had been unfaithful."
"He believed them?"
"Yes, indeed. He believed them without question, over her," Nikolas said. "He refused to hear the girl's pleas, and wrathfully asked her to leave him forever." With a sigh, Nikolas looked away. "Can you guess what happened then?"
The earl shook his head.
"She drowned," Nikolas said. "Some say it was an accident, some say she did it herself, but nevertheless, she died. As for the young man, he soon found out the truth about her and bitterly regretted his actions. For the rest of his life, he wandered about, wishing he could undo the past."
"It wasn't his fault." The earl said. "How was he to know that she had not been unfaithful?"
"He could have asked her," Nikolas whispered. "He could have talked to her. Just once."
The earl stood very still, though his fists clenched and unclenched. Who was this man? His dark eyes seemed to probe at the very depths of the earl's soul. Yet his face reflected nothing but kindness and good humor.
"What advice would you have given him?" Nikolas asked the earl. "If you were him, what would you have done differently?"
"I... I don't know." The earl said helplessly. But the truth was, he did know. He knew in his own heart what he had to do. Turning about, he sprinted out of the library and headed to the chapel. The service had just ended, and the guests streamed out, talking about the wonderful message Father Brown had shared.
Spotting Christina, the earl headed toward her, only to find his path blocked by Delicia.
"What…" He looked at her, confused. "What is it, My Lady?"
"I've had time to consider your offer," Delicia said in a loud voice, deliberately drawing attention to herself.
"My offer?" The earl looked confused. Then he remembered, feeling remorseful for leading her on, he'd told Delicia that she could publicly reject him to save her own reputation. "What have you decided, My Lady?" He asked.
"I'm afraid I must refuse," Delicia said. "I do not wish to marry you."
The earl fought to keep a straight face, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "Is that your final decision, Lady Delicia?"
"It is indeed." She said. "I'm afraid that you and I would make a disastrous pairing. I rather need... a more mature man."
"I'm sure you'll find him." The earl bowed to her and kissed her hand. He looked in her eyes and was pleased to see the slightest bit of shame in them. Even Delicia had a conscience, beneath all her wiles.
But at this moment, he didn't care about her, or about the whispers rising around him. The earl cared about one thing only, finding Christina.
She was in the suite, along with her aunt and uncle, and all three looked startled as he burst in.
"I…" He didn't know what to say. He felt rather foolish. "May I please speak with Christina alone, for just a moment?" He asked.
"Certainly not!" Aunt Emmeline exclaimed.
"Certainly!" Uncle Roger cried out.
They both looked at eac
h other, and without saying a word, looked back at him.
"Certainly!" Aunt Emmeline said.
"Certainly Not!" Uncle Roger said.
The earl stood looking at them, and Aunt Emmeline leaned over and whispered something into Uncle Roger's ears. A moment later, the two of them turned back to the earl, and without saying a word, nodded.
Up close, the earl noticed the dark shadows underneath Christina's eyes. She had been crying, he was sure. His heart clenched at the thought.
"I wished to ask you a question." The earl said.
"If it was to ask when we are leaving, it will be tomorrow as My Lord wishes," Christina said. "Please be reassured that neither my family nor I will do anything to cause you any further embarrassment."
"Christina," There was a pleading note in his voice that forced her to look up at him. He was gazing at her with ferocious intensity. But it was not anger that she saw on his face.
"You encouraged it?" He asked. "Janina's elopement?"
"Yes." She said.
"Why?" He asked. "You hadn't met me. You could have no possible reason to hate me. So why did you do it?"
"I was protecting her," Christina said. "Janina told me that her father was forcing her to marry you when her heart was set on Viscount Randolf Smythe. I... I couldn't bear the thought of her eternally locked in a marriage with a man she didn't love."
"Why didn't she tell me?" The earl asked.
"She didn't dare, and she didn’t have the courage to do so. Your temper is legendary, and she was afraid of running afoul of it." Christina looked away. "Besides, she'd heard that Lord Randolf was a rival and thought…"
"And thought that I'd marry her to spite him?" The earl shook his head. "My bride-to-be didn't know me well at all, did she? But do you think I would have done it? Do you think I would have married her in spite of her wishes?"
"No! Never." Christina said. "If she'd known you, she would have known that you are one of the kindest men in the world. You're the most honorable man I know and would never do such a thing. I know that now."
"But you didn't then." The earl said. "At the time, all you knew was that a disastrous wedding was about to occur, and you had to save your cousin from it. Is that a correct conclusion?"
"It is." Christina nodded. "I see now that I am gravely at fault. If I had only…"
"I see now that it is I who owe you a debt." The earl said.
"Pardon?" Christina looked bewildered.
"Indeed." The earl said. "Why, if it weren't for you, I would have been wed to a woman who didn't care for me. I would have been trapped in an unhappy marriage. It stung when she left me but at least I didn't spend eternity chained to an unhappy woman!"
"I…" Christina didn't know what to say. She'd never considered it from that perspective before. "But do you mean to tell me that you weren't in love with her? Weren't you heartbroken when she left?"
"Far from it." The earl said. "It was a marriage of convenience. My family was pressuring me to create an heir, and Janina was lovely, well mannered and from good stock. I thought I might as well resign myself, and hope that we'd grow fond of each other as time passed."
"Oh..." Christina said. "That's a terrible reason to be married."
"It is, isn't it?" The earl said. "I was a fool. Now I know there's only one real reason to be married."
"What could that be?" Christina asked.
He took a step closer, and she stumbled back towards the wall.
"I won't hurt you." He whispered, and there was sorrow in his eyes. "I let my temper get the best of me earlier, but I promise you, I regret that deeply."
She shook her head, not knowing what to say.
"Christina, since the moment I saw you, since the moment you knocked on my door in that storm, my heart has been your slave." The earl said. "I thought that I must be mad or foolhardy to fall in love so quickly yet love it was. Even in the depths of my anger, it was all I could do to not gather you in my arms. I couldn't bring myself to hate you, and I certainly couldn't bring myself to be indifferent to you."
"My Lord..." Christina's eyes welled.
"I have been a fool." He said. "For a minute, I believed, actually believed, that your intents were malicious. But I know you. I know you could never have done what you did out of hate or malice. You acted in the best interests of your cousin, and if you'd known me at all, you would have come to me. Isn't that true?"
"If I could go back in time, that's exactly what I'd do," Christina said.
"I realized that." He said. "Thanks to a gentleman in the library. When I heard his story, I knew I had to come to you, and ask you for forgiveness. Christina my darling, you have stolen my heart. Will you also accept my hand? I only ask to spend eternity beside you."
"Oh!" The tears spilled over now and dropped down her cheeks.
"Don't cry." He said. "I promise to spend the rest of my life protecting you from anything that would cause you pain. Please agree to be my wife."
"I will! I will!" Christina flung her arms around him, and he dipped her down, pressing his lips to her in a kiss that had them both seeing stars.
A cough from behind made them immediately draw apart.
"Would you give us your blessings, Aunt and Uncle?" Christina asked.
This time, there was no hesitation as both spoke together simultaneously.
"Most assuredly!"
Epilogue
T ry as she might, Delicia was never able to convince anyone that the earl had actually made her an offer of marriage. Somehow, after news got out about the earl's proposal to Christina, people were convinced that it had been just one of Delicia’s tricks. Especially when they recalled how the corner of the earl's mouth had twitched, and how easily he had waved her off.
Layla, who was chosen as one of the bridesmaids, was at first skeptical and then truly repentant when she found out the circumstance behind Christina's misdeed. The two of them soon became the fastest of friends, and Christina found herself almost as fond of Layla as she was of the earl.
Their wedding was held as soon as the first buds of May began to bloom. He waited for her under an arch heavy with blooming roses, looking incredibly handsome in a tuxedo created by London's finest tailors.
As for her, murmurs and gasps went up as she was led down the aisle by her beaming father. Aunt Emmeline and Uncle Roger, sitting in the first row, both wiped their eyes at the sight of her.
She looked like an English rose, in full bloom. Her cheeks were red, and her green eyes sparkled. Her white dress, imported from Paris, clung to her hips and then trailed behind her with a fluffy bounce. She set the trend for wedding dresses that year, but it was her jewelry that caught the crowd's eye. The earl had gifted her emeralds that matched her eyes and cascaded down her neck in a waterfall of sparkles.
When she said her vows, tears were freely shed, and when the earl followed with his, Christina found herself crying even more.
There was an eternity of happiness to look forward to now, and she couldn't wait to begin.
There was only one mystery that they never did quite find the answer to.
For when the earl had asked his butler who the mysterious man in the library was, the butler had simply looked confused.
"You must be mistaken, sir." The Butler said. "When I came to offer you tea that day, there was no other man in the library. I would have definitely seen the man you described."
The earl was rather baffled, but Christina thought she could guess the truth. She had been praying for a miracle on Christmas, and now she was convinced, she had been blessed with one.
***The End***
The Earl’s
Love or Loyalty?
Regency Romance
Grace Fletcher
Chapter 1
Mr. Batten’s Estate
S elina!”
Selina Musgrove wondered about the voice. For a moment she thought someone was calling out to her in her dream. Forcing her eyes open and fighting back sleep, Selina lay on her
back at the foot of a tree. Emerald green leaves shone in the sunlight high above her head.
How long had she been there? She did not understand.
“Where are you? Selina!”
Now Selina recognized who was calling her. Pushing herself to sit, Selina was dusting the grass out of her hair when a tall, slim woman with long blonde hair came around the trunk. She saw Selina and started.
“What are you doing here? I’ve been looking for you.”
“Sorry, Patricia.” Selina rubbed at her eyes. “I fell asleep.”
Patricia Batten tittered and sat on the grass beside Selina.
“Honestly, Selina! It’s a gorgeous day, and you’re sleeping?”
“It was not my intention.” Selina yawned and pulled out the pins in her hair. “I thought I’d just sit here and admire the view. I didn’t realize I’d dropped off until you called.”
She undid the plait she had put her hair in that morning and shook her head, brushing the grass out with her fingers. Then she plaited it up again.
“Look at this.” She brandished the letter Selina hadn’t noticed she was holding. “Mama and Papa said this came for me this morning. It’s from Uncle Henry.”
“Uncle Henry?”
Patricia rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.
“You’re so exasperating sometimes, Selina. You know. Uncle Henry Batten, Papa’s brother. He’s invited me to come to his estate to visit.”
Then Selina remembered. She had met Mr. Batten the year before at Christmas. She liked the gentleman. Fifty years old, fitter than most men twenty years younger, handsome, charming; he was a consummate gentleman. Selina liked him because whatever he did or said was genuine. Selina liked those qualities, and so much enjoyed his company.
Patricia saw none of that. She was polite and pretended to enjoy her time, but it was clear to Selina that she was simply around him for the money. Henry didn’t have children, and it was unclear where his fortune was going. His brother, Patricia’s father, wanted the inheritance for himself and his only child and had instructed Patricia to ingratiate herself whenever she could.
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