Corin shrugged as he reclined back in his chair. “I don’t mind. In fact, it’s nice to take my mind off of my troubles.” After a moment, he added, “It’s a personal matter that involves my brother.” He cleared his throat. “What is on your mind?”
“Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn’t bother a gentleman with this, but my wife is upset and I promised I would discuss the matter with you. Do you remember my wife from when she introduced us at the Duke of Silverton’s ball?”
“Yes, I’m acquainted with Loretta. We shared a few dinner parties at Anthony’s townhouse.” His eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t understand. What did I do to upset her?”
“Nothing. It’s actually about Celia.”
Corin paled. “Celia?”
By the way Corin’s voice croaked in horror, Tad suspected Corin knew what he was about to say. “Are you aware Celia is in love with you?”
He winced. “I heard something to that effect, yes.”
“I don’t mean to pry into your business, but since my wife is a friend of Celia’s, what happens to Celia affects her. I would like to know what your intentions are with Celia.”
“The only intention I have with Celia is to stay as far away from her as possible.”
That was what Tad had figured he would say, but he felt better knowing for sure. “I’m afraid I have some bad news for you. Loretta told me Celia refuses to believe you don’t want to marry her.”
Corin groaned and clutched his stomach as if he might vomit.
“I think it would be best if you told her that you don’t share her feelings,” Tad continued when Corin didn’t say anything.
“I haven’t given her any indication to believe that I have any interest in her,” Corin replied. “All I’ve ever done was escort her to dinner when her brother has a dinner party. You have to believe me. I have done nothing to encourage her.”
“I do believe you,” Tad hurried to assure him. “Unfortunately, Celia assumes you’re going to marry her.” Before Corin could protest, Tad added, “I know how difficult this is. When a lady thinks she can change your feelings, it’s never an easy situation to deal with, but you have to tell Celia the truth.”
“What if Celia doesn’t listen to me? What if she persists in her endless pursuit of me regardless of what I do? I don’t know how well you know her, but she can be impossible. If she doesn’t want to hear something, it would have to take an act of God to reach her.”
“You can’t control how she responds to you, but you still have a duty to do the right thing and tell her the truth. If you do that, then you will bear no guilt for what she does afterwards.”
It was then that Tad realized the advice he was giving to Corin applied to him as well. From the beginning of his time with Ellen, Tad had made it clear that he had no intentions of ever marrying her. He insisted she was to marry the gentleman her father had arranged for her to be with. She had told him she was fine with it, and like a fool he had believed her. As soon as he realized her feelings for him had developed into something he’d never intended, he stopped seeing her. She, on the other hand, wouldn’t stop pursuing him.
She’d sent missives, had found ways to interrupt him while he was with other ladies, and had even snuck into his townhouse a few times. No matter how gentle he’d tried to be, she wouldn’t listen to him. Finally, one evening, she made an attempt to kiss him in the middle of a ball in order to secure his hand in marriage. It was only thanks to his quick reflexes that he’d been able to dodge her in time.
When she finally did marry the gentleman who’d been arranged for her, Tad had thought that was the end of it. Then two weeks later, she had sent him the missive saying if she couldn’t be with him, then she didn’t want to go on living. By the time he got to her townhouse, it was too late.
And to his horror, he realized her husband had loved her. If it hadn’t been for him, Ellen might have given her husband a chance. She might have fallen in love with him since he had been a decent and kind gentleman, and she might have had children. From that moment, he vowed he would never live the life of a rake anymore. The following week, he had departed from London, expecting to never return.
Tad released his breath as he brought himself back to the present. He used to think if he had done something differently, things would’ve turned out better for her. But now, as he watched the pained expression on Corin’s face, he realized that he couldn’t have predicted that Ellen was going to kill herself.
What he should have done was avoided taking her to bed in the first place. That was where things had gone wrong. But how was he to know she wasn’t telling him the truth when she told him she only wanted a little “excitement” before she got married? With all the other ladies he’d been with who’d been agreeable to ending their affairs, he had assumed his with Ellen would be the same.
Turning his attention back to Corin, he said, “If you must explain the matter in a missive, then do that. But it is important you let her know the truth.” He paused then added, “Whatever you do, don’t take her to bed. Even if she swears it won’t mean anything to her, she’ll be lying to you.”
Corin’s face paled even more. “I have no desire to take Celia to my bed.”
“I’m sure you don’t, but gentlemen can be weak.”
“I’ll tell her,” Corin promised. “I need to find the right words, but I’ll do it.”
“Good.” He stood up. “Just remember, you’re not responsible for what she says or does afterwards.”
Still looking as if he was sick, Corin nodded. Tad couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t going to be easy. Maybe with Loretta’s help, Celia would handle things much better than Ellen had. Ellen hadn’t had a good friend who could offer her comfort. Realizing there was nothing else he could say to help ease Corin’s nerves, Tad headed out of the room, leaving Corin alone with his thoughts.
Chapter Seventeen
While Tad was at White’s, Loretta paced back and forth in the drawing room. Should she visit Celia? Or would she be better off staying home? If Corin did listen to Tad and tell Celia how he really felt about her, Celia was going to be devastated. Maybe Loretta should warn her first. It might help ease the unwelcoming news. She probably would have taken it better if Celia had warned her that Anthony didn’t love her before she found out he’d married Damara.
While she continued pacing the room, the butler came into the room and announced Celia had come for a visit, making her internal debate useless. If Celia was here, then it was a sign that she was meant to talk to her. After all, she didn’t think it was a coincidence.
“I’m glad you came over,” Loretta said as Celia entered the room. “I was just debating on whether or not I should visit you.”
Celia grinned at her as she took her by the hand and led her to the settee. “We’re such good friends that we know when the other wants to visit.” They sat down, and Celia’s smile widened. “I thought of sending a missive, but that would have taken too long.”
Since the butler patiently waited nearby, Loretta turned her gaze to him before Celia could continue.
“Pardon the interruption, but would either of you ladies like something to drink or eat?” he asked.
Loretta glanced at Celia.
Celia shook her head. “I’m much to excited to eat or drink anything.”
And Loretta was much too apprehensive to stomach anything at the moment. “No, thank you,” she told the butler. “We’re fine as we are.”
With a nod, the butler left, closing the doors on his way out.
Before Loretta could speak, Celia blurted out, “You remember that favor you owe me?”
Loretta wasn’t sure why, but she knew this wasn’t going to be good. “Yes,” she slowly replied.
“I’ve decided what it is!” Celia clasped her hands together. “The good news is that your part will be easy.”
“What part is that?”
Something in back of Loretta’s mind warned her that this wasn’t going to turn out well
, but it was like the time Stephen had gotten an infection after he fell in the barn and a nail went into his leg. She hadn’t wanted to look at it because it was disgusting, and yet, her curiosity had gotten the best of her.
“You,” Celia began, “are going to help me set a trap that will ensure I get to marry Corin.”
Loretta’s jaw dropped. Celia couldn’t be serious! Up to now, Celia had been waiting for Corin to propose to her. Given Lady Eloise’s command that none of the members in her group engage in a scandal, Loretta never once thought Celia would be a part of one, let alone plan one.
“It’s all very simple,” Celia continued. “I already arranged for my brother to host a ball next month. During this ball, I’ll find a way to soil his clothes. I think spilling some punch on him will be enough. I’ll pretend it was an accident. Then I’ll suggest my brother take him to the den and fetch him some clean clothes to wear. While Corin’s in the den, I’m going to slip in there. I need you to follow me and wait by the door. I’ll need a minute to remove some of my clothing, so don’t come in and cry scandal right away. When I’m ready for you to open the door, I’ll say, ‘Oh, Corin! I didn’t realize you were here!’ Then you’ll open the door and catch us together. That’s when you cry scandal. Make sure it’s loud enough for others to hear so they’ll come running in to find us together.”
“But…but… Corin might leave as soon as you enter the room,” Loretta said once she found her voice.
“That’s the beauty of it. I’m going to make sure all the candles are removed from the room and the drapes are closed. He’ll be there in the dark. The door in that den is so quiet that he won’t hear me enter. I’ll just sneak in, remove my gown, and then give you the cue to open the door.”
“But…but…” But what? Loretta struggled to find some way—any way—to reason with her so she would forget this scheme, but her mind drew a blank.
“This will work,” Celia said. “I’m tired of waiting for him to do something. I’ll be entering a third Season next year. I know he’s waiting until he has more money before he proposes, but I’m not willing to go beyond a second Season waiting for him.” She patted Loretta’s hand and grinned again. “After this, you won’t owe me any more favors.”
Finally, Loretta’s mind began to work. “What about Lady Eloise? She’ll remove you from the group if you do this.”
Celia shrugged. “I don’t care. I’ve had time to think about it, and her group isn’t all that important. Besides, I’d rather be married to Corin.”
Loretta’s heart sank. Celia was telling her the truth. Loretta was loath to admit it, but the plan was a good one. She didn’t see how it could backfire on Celia; however, she couldn’t go through with it. Not only was it wrong, but Corin didn’t want to be with her.
Loretta shifted on the settee and cleared her throat. “Celia, I have something I need to tell you. It’s not going to be easy.” She took a deep breath. She could do it. She just needed to be honest, kind, and firm. She released her breath. “I know I owe you a favor, and I’m going to follow through with a favor. Unfortunately, it’s going to have to be something else.”
“Why? What I want from you is simple.”
“I know, but…” Just come out and say it. “Celia, Corin doesn’t love you.”
She let out a laugh of disbelief. “Yes, he does.”
“No, I’m afraid he doesn’t.”
“That’s silly. He does care for me. I know it.” She pointed to her heart. “In here. The only thing holding him back is that he doesn’t have enough money.”
“That’s not true. I confirmed this with your brother. He said Corin doesn’t want to marry you.” Celia’s cheeks grew pink, and thinking it was a sign of sorrow, Loretta added, “I am so sorry, Celia. More than anything, I want him to love you because then you would be happy.”
“If you want me to be happy, then you’ll do this favor for me,” Celia snapped.
Loretta drew back, shocked by her friend’s harsh tone. After a moment, she swallowed the lump in her throat. “You’re wrong. If I want you to be happy, I won’t take part in the scandal. You should wait for the right gentleman to come along. Don’t settle for someone who isn’t going to love you with all of his heart.”
“He does love me.” When Loretta shook her head, Celia pounded the settee in frustration. “I can’t believe this. Just because you couldn’t be with someone you loved, it doesn’t mean the same thing should happen to me. You lost Anthony because you didn’t risk enough. If you had done the same thing I’m going to do, you would be with Anthony right now.”
“If I had trapped Anthony into marriage, it would’ve been a mistake. He and I don’t belong together.”
“That’s not what you said last year when you accepted his proposal, and it’s not what you said earlier when you found out he married Damara.”
“You’re right,” Loretta admitted. “At the time, I didn’t realize we were wrong for each other. But recently, I’ve come to understand it would have ended miserably. I might’ve been happy for a while. Maybe for a year. Maybe two. But sometime in the future, I would’ve realized that he and I are not meant to be together.”
Celia snorted. “And you think you’re better off with Tad?”
“Tad is a lot better than Anthony.”
“Tad is not better than my brother.”
It was on the tip of Loretta’s tongue to tell Celia that her brother was a coward and that she could not respect him because of that, but she held her tongue. Celia was her friend, and she wasn’t about to hurt Celia by saying that about her brother. After a moment, she settled for saying, “Corin doesn’t feel the same way for you that you feel for him. I’m telling you the truth. The best thing you can do is find someone else.”
Celia jumped to her feet. “I’ve had enough of this. If you don’t want to help me, fine. I’ll find someone else to do the job, but I don’t need to sit here and listen to this nonsense. I’m not going to lose the only man I’ll ever love.”
“Even if he doesn’t love you back?”
“For the sake of argument, let’s say you’re right,” she said as she began pacing in front of Loretta. “Let’s say he doesn’t love me yet. After we marry and he gets to know me, he will.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
She stopped pacing and glared down at Loretta. “I’m very disappointed in you. After all the things I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me?”
Though she tried to stop them, Loretta’s eyes filled with tears. “Please don’t think I don’t care about you, Celia, because I do. It’s not easy for me to tell you the truth when I know how much it hurts you.”
“It’s not the truth. Corin does want to be with me. I don’t know why my brother would tell you otherwise, but he’s wrong.”
When Loretta didn’t answer, Celia stormed over to the drawing room doors, flung them open, and marched out of the room. Loretta called out for Celia to come back so she could try to reason with her, but Celia didn’t listen. The slam of the front door let Loretta know she wasn’t going to give her another chance. Loretta remained on the settee, her shock holding her in place.
Never in a million years did she expect Celia to take the news so badly. Yes, she had expected Celia to be upset. What lady wouldn’t be in her situation? But she had not expected Celia to be so set on being with Corin that she refused to even consider the possibility Loretta was telling her the truth. For whatever reason, Celia really believed Corin loved her. She believed it so much that she was willing to go through with a scandal in order to marry him.
After a few minutes passed, the front door opened, and thinking it might be Celia, she rose to her feet and was ready to go to the entryway when she heard Tad greet the footman. She waited in the room and gestured for him to shut the doors to the drawing room so they could talk in private.
Once he did, she approached him. “Celia came by. I tried to explain to her that Corin doesn’t want to marry her, but sh
e won’t listen to me. Did you have a chance to talk to Corin?”
“I did. He was at White’s, as I expected.”
Noting the hesitation in his voice, she studied his expression. “What happened? Did he say he wouldn’t do it?”
“No, but I could tell the conversation made him uncomfortable. He kept clutching his stomach as if he was going to be sick.”
She frowned. “What’s wrong with gentlemen who can’t just let a lady know how they feel? Ladies can’t read their minds.”
He offered her a smile. “Ladies can’t read their minds any more than gentlemen can read ladies’ minds. Nothing is as confusing as love to most people.”
“There wouldn’t have to be any confusion if people would just come out and say what they want.”
With a chuckle, he brushed the dimple in her chin. “I agree, but I doubt many would listen to your advice.”
Something in the way he touched her sent a shiver of excitement through her, and the sudden burst of shyness caused her to glance away from him. But it was silly that she should react in such a way. The touch didn’t mean anything. He was such a handsome gentleman that it was natural for any lady—even her—to feel weak around him when he touched her like that.
“I believe Corin will talk to her,” he assured her.
She looked back at him. “Soon?”
He shrugged. “That is something I can’t tell you. I think he’s going to need to work up his courage first.”
She groaned and went to the settee. He followed her and sat beside her. “I hope he does it soon because she’s planning something awful.” She turned to face him. “You remember the gown she bought for me to wear at the Duke of Silverton’s ball? Well, I owe her a favor because it was so expensive. She came over here to tell me what the favor is, and it’s not at all pleasant. She wants me to help her trap Corin into a scandal so he has to marry her.”
His eyes grew wide. “She what?”
“I told her I couldn’t do it because of how Corin feels about her. I don’t want her to be with someone who doesn’t love her. I want better for her than that.”
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