“So you told her Corin doesn’t want to marry her?”
She nodded. “She refused to believe me. She said that she is sure that Corin loves her. She thinks he’s only waiting to propose because he doesn’t have enough money yet. She is tired of waiting, so she’s going to force the issue at her brother’s ball.”
“When is this ball going to take place?”
Loretta shrugged. “I don’t know. She didn’t say.”
“Loretta,” he placed his hand on the small of her back and leaned into her, “it’s very important we stop this from happening.”
After taking a moment to think of how she might manage it, she said, “I can explain the situation to Damara. She’ll tell Anthony not to host the ball.”
“Damara?”
“She’s Anthony’s wife,” she replied. “I don’t mind telling you that I’m glad she married him so I didn’t have to.”
A grin crossed his face. “Does that mean you’re glad you ended up with me instead?”
Catching the teasing tone in his voice, she smiled. “Yes, I am.”
“Good.” He touched her again, this time brushing her cheek with his thumb, and once more, an unexpected spark shot through her. “I’m glad you ended up with me, too.” He straightened up. “It’s time we changed for dinner.” He patted the small of her back. “I’m looking forward to spending the evening with you.”
She chanced a look at him, and something in his gaze made her feel warm all over. She didn’t know what to make of it, except it was a very pleasant sensation. With a shy smile, she let him escort her to her bedchamber.
Chapter Eighteen
That evening during dinner, Tad kept looking across the table at Loretta. Today, he almost told her about Ellen. Almost. When she told him about the scandal Celia was planning, it was on the tip of his tongue to tell her why telling Celia she wouldn’t be a part of it was the best thing she could have done.
What Celia was planning was a tragic mistake. It was impossible to force someone to love another person. Trying to do so would only result in unpleasant consequences, and those consequences were often far worse than anyone could imagine.
But he had hesitated. Being with her on the settee had reminded him of the feelings that had stirred up within him when they were on her bed. And it went beyond sexual desire. She was his friend. He’d never had a lady who was his friend before. In fact, he couldn’t recall a time when he had cared so much for anyone as he cared for her.
Yes, in the past, he’d enjoyed himself. He had engaged in good conversations, had danced at the balls, and had gone to dinner parties. There had been plenty of things that had provided him with a good time, and he had no doubt the others around him had enjoyed themselves as well.
But when he looked back on his life, he couldn’t think of a single real friend he had. He had spent time with people to get what he wanted, and they, in turn, had used him, too. All of those relationships had just been a means to an end. There was nothing lasting or solid about those relationships. Now, for the first time in his life, he had something worthwhile, and he had it with Loretta.
If she learned about Ellen, would she look at him with the same trust and respect she did now? Or would she regret marrying him? Would she even be able to tolerate being in the same room with him? Or would she insist he take her back to live in her brothers’ townhouse?
Marrying her had been the best thing that had ever happened to him. He hadn’t realized how lonely he’d been when he was a rake, but now he knew the difference between shallow relationships and a deep, abiding one. Now he knew what it felt like to be complete, to be able to share his heart with another person. And he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.
Once more, he looked in Loretta’s direction. She seemed especially lovely this evening. He tried not to think about his growing attraction to her because he knew where those particular thoughts were leading. He didn’t want to jeopardize what they had by becoming physically involved with her.
He felt safe with the way things were. She was the one good and noble thing he had in his life, the one thing that made him glad to be alive. But when he took a moment to be honest with himself, he had the nagging sensation that he was falling in love with her, and that was something that wasn’t supposed to happen.
She glanced at him as she cut her fish into small pieces. “Is something on your mind?”
“No,” he lied. He would rather die than tell her the truth.
“You’re unusually quiet,” she said as she picked up her glass of wine.
“I was just thinking about the news Malcolm and Warren gave me today.” Another lie. Well, partially. That had been weighing on his mind before he came home and got distracted by being with her.
“What news was that?” Loretta asked.
“After I talked to Corin, I met with Malcolm and Warren.”
“By the expression on your face, I don’t think the news they gave you was any good.”
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t. They received word from Captain Egan that he suffered some loss at sea.”
Her jaw dropped. “What kind of loss?”
“I don’t know the details. I only know that Malcolm and Warren lost all of the money they gave him for his whaling expedition.”
“That’s terrible. Will he be able to go back out to sea and make up for the loss?”
“I don’t know. Malcolm said the missive didn’t contain anything more than that.”
“Do you know Captain Egan?” she asked before she ate some of her fish.
“No, I don’t. I’ve only heard of him. But I was given a chance to fund part of his whaling expedition right before I met you. I declined the offer because I wasn’t sure of the risk involved. As sorry as I am for the captain and his crew, I’m glad I went with my instinct.”
“I suppose bad things happen to everyone. It almost seems like what I went through with Celia is a minor thing in comparison. I never lost some gentlemen a lot of money.”
“No, but you worry about your friend’s future happiness.”
She set the fork on her plate and focused on him. “I know Celia isn’t the easiest person to like, but from the moment we met, I felt as if I’d known her for years. She didn’t always agree with everything I said or did, but I could still speak my mind without fear I’d risk our friendship. That’s a rare thing in London.”
“I hope you know that there’s nothing you can say or do to change the way I feel about you,” he assured her. “I very much appreciate what we have.”
“I appreciate what we have, too.”
“Good. I like the person you are, so don’t change.”
She smiled at him in a way that let him know how much his words meant to her then she continued eating her meal. Yes, she was the one good thing he had in his life. The last thing he wanted to do was risk losing what they had. And that was why he decided he wouldn’t tell her about Ellen.
***
The next day in the drawing room, while Loretta was writing a missive to Damara explaining that she had an important matter to tell her, an invitation came to her. She lowered the quill on the desk and took the fancy parchment from the butler.
After he left, she brushed the edges of it. It had to be from Lady Eloise. Only Lady Eloise used such fancy lettering. She opened the invitation and saw it was an invitation for her and Tad to attend her father’s dinner party. She added that they were welcome to bring a guest as long as the guest was socially acceptable.
If this had happened yesterday, she would’ve been ecstatic, but after what happened with Celia, this somehow didn’t seem as exciting as it should be. She couldn’t imagine going to something this important without Celia. Celia would have been thrilled to have a chance to go. They would have gone shopping for something special to wear for the evening and discussed all the possible games Lady Eloise might have in mind for entertainment.
But Loretta was about to warn Damara about Celia’s plan to create the scandal wit
h Corin, and once Celia found out, she wasn’t going to be happy with her. So she couldn’t invite Celia to come along like she had originally planned.
The butler came back into the drawing room. “Your Grace, you have a visitor.”
Loretta’s heartbeat picked up. Maybe it was Celia. Maybe Corin had talked to her, and Celia needed a shoulder to cry on. “Let the person in,” she encouraged.
Dropping the invitation on the desk, she got up from her chair and waited, wondering if Celia would be crying or upset that things hadn’t gone her way. But instead of Celia, Brad came into the room.
Loretta’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.
“It’s nice to see you, too,” her brother said, not hiding the fact that he had hoped for a warmer welcome.
“I’m sorry, Brad.” She hurried to give her brother a hug and urged him to sit with her on the settee. “I was hoping for someone else.”
She turned her attention to the butler and asked him to bring in Brad’s favorite tea and some scones.
After the butler left, she said, “Celia and I had a slight disagreement yesterday.”
“What was the disagreement about?” he asked.
“You’re not going to like it.”
“There are many things I don’t like when it comes to Celia. I doubt you’ll surprise me.”
“All right, but you can’t say I didn’t warn you.” She shifted into a more comfortable position then continued, “Remember that favor I owed her?”
He nodded, and she noted that he was already on his guard.
“It turns out she wants me to partake in a scandal.” Before he could voice his displeasure, she hurried to add, “I told her no. Needless to say, she wasn’t happy.”
He shook his head. “I worried that she might try something like that. Celia is one of those people who’s hard to trust.”
“She’s not all bad, Brad. I know she has her moments, but she’s never done anything foolish or reckless. I didn’t expect her to plan a scandal.”
“Well, now you know, but,” he added before she could respond, “I am proud that you said no. Even if it was a favor, you shouldn’t do anything that can get you into any kind of trouble.”
“I know. Which is why I refused to go along with it. But that doesn’t mean I like knowing my friend is upset with me.” She gestured to the desk. “Would you believe I’m not even that excited about going to Lady Eloise’s dinner party because I can’t invite Celia to go with me? The only point of going now is so that Tad can talk to her father about some profitable ventures.”
“I thought the point of going to something as prestigious,” he rolled his eyes, “as her dinner party was so you’d be envied by everyone in London.”
“I used to think that,” she replied. “I’m not so sure any of it matters anymore.”
“I can’t believe you’re the same Loretta who told me she wanted to marry Tad in order to stay in Ladies of Grace. You really have come a long way since you married.” He paused. “Speaking of which, how are things between you and Tad?”
“They’re good.”
“Are they as good as you hoped?” he asked.
“Well, they’re much better than I hoped. Tad’s a wonderful gentleman. I can’t help but admire and respect him.”
The butler came back into the room. She waited until he put the tray down on the table and left before she continued talking.
“He’s easy to confide in,” she continued. “What’s especially nice is that he doesn’t know the person I used to be. He only knows me as I am now.”
Brad chuckled. “Loretta, you were never really that bad of a person. I know you had a tendency to manipulate things from time to time, but honestly, I think a lot of that was Celia’s influence.”
“I think the reason Celia seems manipulative is because her brother is weak. He has a hard time making decisions, and he depends on other people to do things for him. Celia probably gets tired of it and takes the lead. I bet if Anthony was willing to take charge and do more things himself, then Celia wouldn’t be so stubborn.”
“I don’t know,” Brad said. “Celia’s got a stronger will than most people.”
He had a point. Corin wasn’t that kind of gentleman. Much like Anthony, he had a tendency to be too cowardly to stand up to her. If Tad thought Corin might vomit over having to tell Celia the truth, then it seemed to her that Corin wouldn’t be a good match for her friend at all. No. Her friend would need someone who had a stronger will than hers. She doubted Celia could respect anyone who would let her take advantage of him.
“You know what I like to think?” Brad asked, interrupting her thoughts.
Loretta turned her gaze back to him. “What?”
“I like to think that everybody is on the path of maturity.” He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. “The changes that I’ve seen in you these last couple of months have been nothing short of amazing.”
“Thank you, Brad.”
Feeling better, she picked up the teapot and poured tea into their cups.
“So are you going to go to Lady Eloise’s dinner party?” he asked.
“Yes. If nothing else, Tad will benefit from talking to her father. I think the two get along well, and I know it’s important to Tad that he’s wise with my dowry.”
“That’s good to hear. I was hoping he wouldn’t squander it. It wasn’t easy to save up five thousand pounds. That was partly why I said no to so many of the things that you wanted in the past. Sometimes the kindest answer someone can give another person is no.”
“Well, in that case, you were the kindest brother in all of London,” she replied, teasing him. With a grin she handed him his cup.
The footman arrived in the doorway, and noticing him, Loretta motioned for him to enter. He brought her a neatly folded parchment. Hopeful that this might be from Celia, she took it. But she didn’t recognize the handwriting, so it couldn’t be from her. Biting back her disappointment, she thanked him and waited until he left before she opened it.
Brad swallowed his tea then asked, “Who’s it from?”
“Iris,” she said in surprise. “That’s Lady Steinbeck.”
It was an invitation to her upcoming dinner party. With everything going on between Anthony and Celia, she had forgotten Iris had mentioned something about an invitation.
“Is something wrong?” Brad asked before he bit into a scone.
“Lady Eloise is very specific about the types of people we’re allowed to associate with.” Noticing his eye roll, she added, “I’m very well aware of how you feel about Lady Eloise, and yes, I agree that she’s a snob.” She had never denied as much.
After he swallowed a bite of his scone, he said, “I thought you didn’t care for Iris. Actually, I thought both you and Celia didn’t like her.”
“That was before,” she said.
“Before what?”
“I saw her the other day, and I figured it was long overdue for me to apologize for the way I talked to her last year.”
His eyes widened. “You apologized to her?”
“I had time to think about the way I treated her, and I realized I was wrong. All I wanted to do was make amends.”
He smiled. “It’s too bad Stephen isn’t here.”
“I doubt he’d change his mind about me.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Ever since we were little, you and Stephen shared a rivalry. I think it’s because you two are close in age. But,” he gestured to the invitation in her hands, “he couldn’t argue with that. It’s proof you and Lady Steinbeck are getting along.”
“I don’t really know her.”
“This is a good chance for you to get to know her.”
“It is nice of her to extend an invitation to me and Tad,” she admitted, glancing down once more at it.
“It is. And who knows? It could be the start of a friendship.”
He was probably right, but if Lady Eloise found out, she wouldn’t be pleased. Celia wouldn’t be pleased, either, but
Celia would still talk to her.
Brad finished his scone and then focused on her. “Loretta, I’m going to ask you something. You don’t have to tell me the answer, but I want you to think it over. Even if Lady Eloise is influential, is it worth doing everything she wants if it means you miss the opportunity to have a good friend?”
“But what if Lady Eloise could be a good friend?”
“I doubt it.” He stood up. “The only time I remember you making a decision for yourself was when you insisted on asking Tad to marry you. It seems to me that worked out very well for you. You have good instincts. I’m sure whatever you decide, you’ll make the right choice.”
After he left, her gaze went back to the invitation in her hand. The debate could wait. Right now, however, she needed to warn Damara that Celia planned to use Anthony’s ball as an excuse to create a scandal with Corin. She could worry about this later.
***
One hour after Loretta sent the missive to Damara, the butler informed Loretta that Damara was there to see her.
Surprised, Loretta gestured for Damara to have a seat. After asking the butler to bring them some tea and crumpets, Loretta sat beside her. “I didn’t expect you to come so soon, but I’m glad you did.”
“You said you have an important matter about Celia to discuss with me,” Damara said. “What’s wrong?”
Before Loretta told her, she asked, “Did you tell Celia you were coming here?”
“No. You asked me not to.”
“Thank you for not telling her about my missive.”
The butler came back into the room and set down the tray full of tea and crumpets, and Loretta waited until he left before she spoke.
“Celia is about to go through with a foolish plan to trap Corin into marriage, and you have to stop her,” Loretta said.
Damara’s eyes grew wide. “How is Celia going to trap Corin into marriage?”
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