Good Lord, she had forced Quinton as well. The color leeched from her cheeks. This whole time, Quinton had been innocent. He hadn’t started the rumor after all. He had offered for her, weathered a scandal, even though none of it was true.
He needed to marry a wealthy bride, but he could have chosen anyone. He hadn’t needed his choice taken from him.
Stepping up to marry her, he had saved her reputation. The gratitude that flowed through her almost overwhelmed her. But there was something else. Something even more potent that was slowly making its way through her body, wrapping itself around her heart.
Love.
She loved Quinton. For a second time, the breath was knocked from her. After everything that had happened, she had finally found love.
Everything about Quinton filled her soul, causing it to burn with joy. He was just the man she had been looking for: kind, attentive, loyal. She had been a fool. She had wanted to trust him, but had let Victoria’s lie come between them.
What if Victoria had never confessed? The secret would have been between them for the rest of their lives. Would she have ever realized her love for him if that had happened?
While Victoria was a viper who went to any lengths to get what she wanted, a part of Sera had to be grateful to her. Without her, she wouldn’t be with Quinton.
“Sera? Is everything all right?” Aubrey’s voice filled with concern. “You’ve gone deathly pale. Here, sit down. Shall I fetch your father?”
Sera shook her head, still unable to speak.
“Can I get you something to drink? Lemonade, perhaps?”
“Yes,” Sera finally croaked out.
Turning on her heel, Aubrey quickly made her way to the refreshment table. Sera was grateful for the short reprieve. She needed a few more moments to gather herself together.
It was fortunate that Sera had been so close to some potted plants when Victoria had confronted her. It gave her the opportunity to fall apart without gathering any attention. With a few deep breaths, Sera stepped out from the potted palm, a smile tight on her face.
Gasping, Sera stared dumbfounded at the fire shining from the crystals in the chandelier. Was it possible for the room to look so different? Everything was brighter as if thousands of candles had been added to the room. The thick paneled walls shined with a high gloss, enveloping the room with a tart, lemon scent. The music seemed louder, more fluid as the dancers floated across the floor.
Were these the effects of love?
She had heard it described like this, that it heightened the senses, but she had thought it rubbish. It was all true.
“Here, sip this,” Aubrey said, shoving the drink into her friend’s pale hands. Sera took a small drink while Aubrey inspected her face. “There, a little of your color is returning. Would you like to tell me what happened between you and Victoria that caused you to look like a ghost?” Aubrey demanded more than asked.
With a final sip of the drink, Sera began to feel like herself again. “She confessed that she was the one who started the rumor.”
“What!” Aubrey shrieked before lowering her voice. “You mean she’s the one that ruined you? There wasn’t even an ounce of truth to it. Why would she have done something so heartless?”
Sera raised her brow. “This is Victoria we’re talking about.”
Aubrey didn’t laugh.
“Okay. Okay.” Sera chuckled, holding up her hands for peace. She was grateful for her friend’s defense. “She wanted me out of the way so that Lord Bromley would focus on her.”
“She actually said that?”
Sera nodded.
“Why was she so certain he would turn toward her after you were ruined? What if he ever found out that she started it? It would ruin her chances.”
“It was a calculated risk on her part, and I must say she lucked out. If it weren’t for the fact that Quinton and I pretended to be a love match to stem the gossip, it could have come out that she started it. But now, she will be safe from that scandal.”
“I’m so sorry, Sera.”
Sera nodded her thanks. It was an unfortunate chain of events, but the ending was happy. Thinking of Quinton, her heart swelled again. She wanted to confide everything to Aubrey, but it wasn’t the time. She needed to tell Quinton first.
Scanning the room for her fiancé, she didn’t notice Lord Bromley walk from behind the palms placed next to her and Aubrey, his hands clenched as he left.
“Have you seen Quinton yet? I need to speak with him.”
Aubrey shook her head, but scanned the crowd herself.
“My dear,” Sera’s father leaned down to talk with her. “I’m afraid Lord Devericks will not be in attendance this evening. I just received a note from one of his men stating that urgent business at one of his estates cropped up and that he needed to meet with his steward tonight. I thought you should know.”
Nodding, Sera tried to swallow her disappointment. She had so desperately wanted to see him this evening, to tell him that she knew he hadn’t started the rumor and that she was sorry for not trusting him.
“Thank you for telling me, father.”
“Is everything all right? You look rather pale.” He studied her with concern.
Sera nodded, trying to feign a smile. “Yes, all is well. But I would like to return home early tonight.”
“All right. Just send for me when you’re ready to leave,” her father said with a nod before turning to leave for the card room.
Turning toward Aubrey, Sera gave her a smile. “I hope you don’t mind me leaving you early this evening.”
Aubrey shook her head. “If that had happened to me, I would be begging my father to take me home immediately.”
Sera laughed. “It isn’t all that bad.”
“It isn’t?” Aubrey asked searchingly.
“No, it isn’t.” Seeing her friend’s silent question she added with a smile, “I will tell you soon. Don’t worry.”
After dancing a few more dances, she sent for her father. The headache excuse she had used to plead out of her remaining dances had fully formed, causing her temple to throb.
So much had happened that evening, it was almost too much to take in. Almost unreal. Sleep would help her absorb it all. It always did.
Locating her father, they made their way home. After a quick good night, Sera went up to her room and passed out.
CHAPTER 8
Disoriented, Sera sat up in bed as the grey morning light filtered into her room. It felt as if she had just fallen asleep. The bedclothes around her body looked crisp, attesting to the solid sleep she had received the previous night.
Her headache was gone, which she was eternally grateful for. Looking around the room, everything looked in place, the same as it always did.
She didn’t know why she expected it to look any other way. Last night, the ballroom had seemed so much different to her, perhaps that was why. She just felt different inside and thought her room would reflect that as well.
What had kept Quinton away last night, she wondered as she climbed out of bed. Picking up her silver backed brush, she thought of what she would say to him, how to approach her new feelings for him.
He had to feel something for her. Didn’t he?
Taking everything he possessed, the last of his money even, he had lavished her with a gift and flowers. None of it had been necessary, but it had touched her. His sacrifice had meant something to her even when she hadn’t been sure about who had started the rumor. A man wouldn’t be so unselfish for just anyone, would he?
No, she didn’t think so.
She needed to tell him, needed to reach out to him first.
Intending to write him a note, she was surprised when Lydia arrived a moment later with a letter addressed to her.
“This just arrived for you,” Lydia said with a curtsy before leaving.
Her heart hammered. Was it from Quinton?
Seeing the handwriting on the front, she knew it was from Lord Bromley and not Quinton
.
Interesting. Why was the duke sending her a note so early? What could he have to say?
Inserting her finger between the sheets of paper, she released the wax securing the pages.
Dear Lady Sera,
I apologize for writing to you at such an early hour. However, I have a large favor to ask of you that cannot wait. Last night, when you said how you valued our friendship, I said you could always come to me if you ever needed help. I didn’t realize that I would need your help in return. I would ask that you would meet me by the pond at Hyde Park at ten o’clock. Please tell no one that you are meeting me. It’s important.
Sincerely,
Bradford, Lord Bromley, Duke of Wathersby
Her eyebrows furrowed as she flipped over the page, looking for any additional clues as to what the secret meeting would be about. What could Lord Bromley possibly need her help with?
She breakfasted quickly, pondering about the duke’s letter while she dressed.
The house was fully awake by the time Sera needed to sneak out. Walking out toward the back of the building, she gave the appearance that she was taking a turn in the garden. When no one was looking, she slipped out the side gate, moving quickly down the street toward the park.
With her head tilted down, she hoped that no one would notice her walking about unescorted. It was highly improper, and she hoped that no one would learn of it. She wasn’t afraid though. This part of town was quite safe, and the park was only located two blocks from her home.
Besides, Lord Bromley wouldn’t have asked her to travel alone unless it was imperative.
She walked more quickly, feeling an urgency she hadn’t felt before. He couldn’t possibly be injured; she wouldn’t be able to help him with that. Besides, if he were injured or sick, he wouldn’t want to meet her at the park. Something had to be wrong though. She had never known him to write such a desperate letter.
She arrived at the pond slightly out of breath, glancing around for any sight of him.
“Hello?” she finally called out.
“Sera. Over here.”
Turning toward a cluster of bushes, Sera hurried toward Lord Bromley’s voice. Pushing past a few branches that clawed at her dress, she peered through the dense foliage.
“Your Grace?” Cocking her head to the side, she listened for a reply. Nothing. “Bradford?” she asked, calling him by his given name. Technically it was improper to call him that, but they had almost become engaged for heaven’s sake.
“Walk forward just a little more.”
She followed the sound of his voice to a break in the plants. The small opening was large enough to fit the two of them.
He looked dashing in his morning coat, a smile on his face. Could anything be truly wrong if he were smiling?
“Is everything all right? Your letter worried me.” She breathed heavily, trying to push her panic back.
“I’m sorry about that.” He looked repentant. “I needed you to come here on your own, and it was the only way I could think of to get you here.”
“You mean you don’t need my help with anything?” Shaking his head in answer to her question, her hands rose to fists at her hips. “Why did you ask me to come here then?”
“I know, Sera.”
She paused looking over his face in confusion. “Know what?”
Softly, he took both of her hands in his. “I know that you don’t love Lord Devericks. I know you were forced into the union.”
Her mouth fell open. “How could you possibly know that?”
A blush crept over his cheeks. “I overheard your conversation last night with Lady Aubrey. I heard that Lady Victoria started the rumor about the two of you and that it isn’t true.”
“Oh.” Sera slipped her hands out of his and turned, embarrassed that he knew the truth of what had happened. “Yes. Well, it wasn’t how I thought things would turn out.”
“It doesn’t have to.”
Her head whipped around, her eyes locking with his. “What are you talking about?”
“You don’t have to marry him.”
“Yes I do. In the eyes of society, I’m ruined. I’m engaged for heaven’s sake.” She spoke logically to him, but she didn’t mean any of it. No, she didn’t have to marry him, but she wanted to. There wasn’t anything she wanted more than to be married to the man she loved.
Feelings of love coursed through her again as she thought of Quinton, remembering the curl of his hair, the softness of his lips. She wanted to marry him, be with him for the rest of their lives.
“I can’t bear to see you sacrifice yourself for propriety’s sake.” Conviction colored his voice as he took hold of her hand, leading her a different way out of the brush.
“Sacrifice myself? Oh, no.” She shook her head forcefully. “I don’t want you to think I’m sacrificing myself. I may have been forced into it, but everything is okay now.”
They exited the bushes next to a waiting carriage. “No it isn’t. Would you mind getting inside?” he asked, his voice deadly calm.
He sounded more upset as they talked about her upcoming wedding. Trying to placate him, she climbed up into the waiting carriage.
“Drive on,” he said, giving a firm nod to his driver.
“I don’t want you to be upset by this, Bradford.” She reached out to him.
He patted her hand as the carriage hit a bump in the road. Their speed had picked up. “I’m not any longer. I will make sure you’re happy, Sera.”
A warning bell sounded in her head. “I am happy.”
He nodded as if he already knew that. “You will never want for anything.”
She glanced out of the window at the quickly passing buildings. They were heading away from her home. “What is going on? Where are we going, Bradford?” Panic settled in her chest.
“We’re going to get married.”
She jerked her hand away from him as if he had burned it. “What?” she screeched. “What do you mean we’re going to get married? I’m engaged to someone else.”
He shook his head slowly. “Not anymore. How could I let you marry someone that you don’t love? I was going to propose to you a week after the scandal hit, Sera. We would have been married if Lady Victoria hadn’t started the rumor. This is how it is supposed to be.”
She shook her head. “If I hadn’t been ruined we might have married. We may have been together. That isn’t possible now. You must see that.”
The buildings outside of the window began to thin out as they reached the edge of the city. She had to get him to turn the carriage around before anyone found out she was gone.
He reclined in his seat. “I don’t see why not. I don’t care about the scandal, Sera.” He leaned forward and took her hands again. “All I care about is being with you. I care about you very much. I know you feel it too.”
It was true. She did care for him. How could she not? For quite some time she had thought they would be married, that he would be her husband. He was everything she had wanted. She had thought she was in love with him, but not anymore.
“Yes, Bradford. I do feel it. I care for you, but not like that.” He looked at her in disbelief. “It’s true. I thought I was falling in love with you, but I’ve realized that I wasn’t.”
“You can’t mean that. We have something.”
She shook her head gently, taking her hands out of his. “No. We might have had something, but it isn’t meant to be. I’m engaged to Quinton now and I will marry him.”
“But I don’t care about all that. It doesn’t matter to me. No one will speak poorly of us.”
“But I do.” She didn’t want to have to hurt him by telling him that she was in love with Quinton, but she would if it were necessary. They needed to turn around the carriage before it was too late. Before another scandal was created. With a deep breath, she looked into his eyes. “I love Quinton, Bradford.”
He shook his head, refusing to believe her.
“I do.” She nodded. “I didn’t at fi
rst. Actually, I thought he was the one that started the rumor, but before I even found out that Lady Victoria had started it, I fell in love with him.”
He leaned forward again, pleading into her eyes. “It isn’t real, Sera. You were forced into a situation, forced to have him for a fiancé. It isn’t real. It will pass.”
Her head shook sadly, seeing his pain. She wanted to avoid that. “It won’t. I love him more than I could ever love anyone else. It won’t work between us, Bradford. We’re over. You need to turn the carriage around before any more damage is done.”
Leaning back in his chair, he studied her before shaking his head. “No.”
“What do you mean ‘no’?” Sera asked, her mouth hanging open.
“I mean no, we aren’t turning around.”
She threw her hands in the air. “But I just told you, I love Quinton.”
“I don’t believe you really do. I think that if we press on to Gretna Green, you will realize that you don’t really want to be with him.”
“Gretna Green!”
He smiled indulgently at her. “Of course. Where else could we get married on such short notice?”
“But, but…” she gestured wildly, looking for words. “But that’s in Scotland!”
A large bump in the road threw her against the carriage wall. “Ouch!”
Jumping across the carriage, Bradford took a seat next to her. “Are you all right?”
With one hand held to her throbbing head, she batted him away with the other. “No, I’m not all right. I’ve been kidnapped.”
“You’ve not been kidnapped, Sera.”
She arched a brow at him. “Really? So I may leave if I wish? I may return home?”
His mouth sealed tightly, refusing to answer.
“Just as I thought,” she said, trying to rub away the headache in her temple. “I won’t marry you, Bradford. I’m sorry.”
“You will change your mind.”
She shook her head, but stopped when it made the pain worse. “No, I won’t. I don’t think you understand. I love Quinton. I will never marry anyone other than him. I don’t care if I’m ruined and he won’t have me.”
Scandal of Love Page 9
