The voice spoke again, “I cannot believe you are finally getting engaged to your Duke. You have been planning this for months. He has kept you waiting long enough. But I guess now that you are pregnant there is no putting it off any longer is there? I am happy for you. Getting the title, you finally deserve.”
Katrina’s reply was too low to hear, but Rhiannon had heard enough. Heard more than enough. What she just listened to made her sick to her stomach and all of her fears had come true. It was no wonder she debated for so long about staying here. Her instincts had been right and that’s why she wanted to leave. How could he do this to her? She hadn't thought he was the sort to do something like this.
Especially not with Katarina. Of all the people. Oh, they had put on a good show. He was quite the actor indeed. Aidan had pretended to be mad at Katarina when he had actually been with her the whole time.
She had been certain Aidan had felt more for her, but it had been too good to be true. All their kisses and touches had obviously meant nothing. Meant that he was just trying to find a new girl to fill his bed. That would never be her. Ever. She would never stoop so low as to do that with a married man.
But she almost had. He was taken, and yet made it seem like he wasn’t. He had made her fall in love with him, and after his story in the stables, hadn’t stopped her. Their touches from the stables that once made her fly, now made her want to bathe to scrub the feeling of him from her skin.
Apparently, she was wrong about so many things. That was a pain straight to her heart again. How dare he lead her on while his fiancé was here? How dare he kiss her and touch her the way he had when he knew full well that he wouldn’t ever marry her?
She thought Aidan was different, that he could have loved her. What a fool she had been.
He may say he wanted her, but she would have never been his duchess. Could never be the person he wanted. She was a nobody. With no family to speak of, no money to her name save a few shillings. She barely even had a home to call her own. What a fool.
He would have never offered for her, not when he had someone born and bred for this life. And she knew it. Had fought against her feelings because of all those reasons, and now she knew why there was a reason she fought so hard against it. She knew deep down that he would never be hers.
Oh god, it hurt to think of him using her that way. What a fool to have given her heart to someone who could never offer her a future. Who had played with her heart and made a fool of her. She would never stay to become his whore. Never.
Rhia heard movement in the room and the swish of skirts as someone walked to the door. She quickly hid in a small alcove and watched Katarina walk back to the ballroom.
Rhia kept a distance from the woman as Katarina made a beeline to Aidan and she watched as Aidan spoke with Katarina before he led her to the dance floor.
Rhia couldn't take it any longer, seeing her worst fears confirmed as Aidan danced with his soon to be wife. Knowing he had been acting and was just wanting her here for one thing was too much. She felt her heart shatter in her chest, and it took her breath away. Had she known how he felt about another woman, Rhia would have never let her heart lead her into such a terrible situation. Nor would she have given him so much of herself.
She had let him touch her, and kiss her, all the while he knew that he was promised to another. Rhia felt like she would throw up. Her stomach churned and she swallowed hard against the bile that rose in her throat and she had to take as deep breath as she could to once more to calm herself. Her cheeks burned with the humiliation of her thoughts about him and how inappropriate she had been. No wonder he wanted her as his mistress. She had proved to him that she would act like one out in the stables.
The memory she had thought beautiful and something she would have cherished was now tainted, and it soured her stomach further. He had said he was nothing like the men of the ton, but he was. He had wanted something from her and had almost gotten it. Not caring that he was hurting an innocent in the process.
Watching the man, she loved dance with the woman he was going to marry, Rhia took a deep breath and released it. She was done. No longer would she remain and let him play her for a fool.
Picking up her skirts, she turned away from the hateful woman, the man she thought she loved, and her broken heart, and walked as quickly as she could to her room, -being careful on the stairs and feeling grateful that she had no incidents on them,-where she found it empty.
She would have thought to find Julia, but Julia was nowhere to be seen. She hadn’t the time to find her friend, and that was hard for her. But she couldn’t stay even a few moments longer than necessary.
Sighing, she removed the stunning gown as quickly as she could, and pulled the diamond pins from her hair. She dropped them on the vanity and quickly rebraided her hair, after combing out the style Julia had put it in. She found her worn and serviceable dresses in her wardrobe and put one on. Grateful they were there and that she didn’t have to wear a dress she would have to return.
Finding her bags, she stuffed everything that belonged to her inside them, making certain she left nothing behind. She would need to send for Julia later, she just couldn’t stay any longer to find her.
She left everything that belonged to Aidan, or to his sisters, behind. Slipping down the servant stairs and out into the night. Grateful she knew where they were, but mad because she only knew where they were because Aidan had brought her up them. He said he had brought her up them to preserve her modesty, but now she knew he didn’t want to show he had been with her. His future mistress.
She couldn’t think of it any longer or she would retch all over. She had to leave and never think about Aidan, or his family again.
She would mourn her broken heart on the way. Never would she forget this heartache. She only prayed her leg would cooperate, and that she could make it to the village with no problems.
She had fallen so completely for him. His sweet words, his kind gestures, his handsome face. His heart and his wonderful family.
But, as it turned out, that no man was to be trusted. She didn’t realize she needed to know that lesson, but apparently it was one she knew now without a single doubt.
No man of the gentry should be trusted with a young woman’s heart. Not Aidan, nor Cole, who no doubt knew of the situation the entire time. As the tears started falling, she ran as fast as she could into the dark and away from the betrayal she could never face.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Aidan
Northumberland, England, Sept 1812
Aidan kissed Rhia’s gloved hand, and left to procure her a lemonade. He knew after their dancing and the small tour of the ballroom she was probably thirsty. As he walked away, he felt dread in the pit of his stomach.
He didn’t like leaving the love of his life, and all he wanted was to get back to her side. To sit near her during the ball and talk with her as it went on. She was the only person he wanted to be with and speak to.
And when it was time, Aidan wanted to walk her around the gardens, and ask her to be his wife. But as Aidan got further into the crush of people, men and women both stopped him to talk to him, and he hated it.
These people would never give him the time of day in London, but here? They couldn’t get enough of him. He had heard them talking about his face, his scars and other things, but he let it go. Couldn’t change what people thought. Didn’t want to.
So, hearing those things they had said about him, and now speaking to the people who said them, while they talked and tried to win over his favor, made Aidan want nothing more than to get back to Rhia. Someone who was as real as these people were fake.
He could hardly move and all he wanted to do was get back to the love of his life. To hold her in his arms. And possibly dance one more time before he asked her the most important question of his life. She didn’t know the true purpose for the ball was to announce his engagement to her.
He felt the ring box in his pocket and as soon as he was
back, he was going to suggest a turnabout the garden and ask her to marry him. He didn’t want to wait much longer.
He thought of Rhia, about how she was kind, thoughtful, generous, well read, beautiful outside and in. He couldn’t wait to make her his. In every way.
After their kisses and touches in the stable, he finally knew why men fell all over themselves and why women did what they wanted with them.
He knew no other woman would have held a candle to how he felt for Rhia. And was glad it had been with Rhia. She was worth every day of waiting. Worth every minute he had endured while waiting for her to enter his life.
He had never known what it would be like to be in love, to kiss and touch the woman who was the other half of his soul. Until her. And when things heated up in the stables, he had been so hard that day, it had been the best day of his life, but everyday thereafter was a torment of epic proportions.
Tasting the skin of her breasts and her sweet pink nipples was a phenomenal thing he couldn’t wait to do again. Hearing her cries of passion, and feeling her body go taut in his arms while reaching her peak was something his dreams could never have conjured.
He shook his head to clear it, because regardless of how he hated this night, his memories and thoughts shouldn’t be in this room with all of these awful people and grateful for his long jacket to hide his arousal. He didn’t need anyone to comment on it, so he thought of Katarina and her bitchy tone, and it went away like it had never been there. He made his way to the chair Rhia had been sitting in. Away too long from her side.
Aidan was good and done with people stopping him and trying to talk to him. He was tired of women simpering and fawning at him, when they normally would never give him the time of day. And he was glad they hadn’t. Rhia was the only real person in this room, aside from his mother and sister, and whenever a woman stopped him, trying to talk to him and falling all over themselves in their quest to do so, it was all he could do to not roll his eyes at their ridiculousness.
All he wanted to do was get back to Rhia, and dance with her again. He wanted to show everyone that he was dancing with the most beautiful woman in that ballroom, and she was his and his alone. Loved that they had their two dances and he didn’t care if it was the done thing to dance more than twice with a woman. He wanted to dance all of them with her. Just to prove to society who she belonged to. And who he belonged to.
He had the ring practically burning a hole in his pocket. He couldn’t wait to ask her to marry him, couldn’t wait to see the look on her face, see the love in her eyes and how it would feel when she kissed him as she accepted his proposal.
He felt a hand grab his arm and he turned to look down at Katarina. “Your Grace. How marvelous to see you on the dance floor.” He looked down at her with confusion and then followed her line of sight to see several people staring at them.
She smiled a sugary sweet smile at their audience and then turned to him with a glare, whispering at him in a hiss, “Are you not going to acknowledge me at all? Aside from you escorting me here, you have left me to be the hostess on my own. This is not at all acceptable Aidan. You need to dance with me and let me introduce you to people. It is the done thing. There is always a host, and a hostess. Since this is your house, you are the host. Now, do your job and dance with me.” He guessed she didn’t want to make a scene or draw attention to herself. But he was good and done with her, and her selfish bratty ways.
Aidan sighed, getting angry that once again he couldn’t just be by Rhia’s side, “Katarina, this isn’t my ball. You are the hostess, and I am only here at the request of my mother. That is it. I am not here to entertain your guests, be introduced and dance with you. I am not obligated to do so, and I won’t do it. Done thing or not. And it may be the done thing, but I have other things on my mind. You are not one of them. If you will excuse me.”
Katarina was practically vibrating with anger, “If you do not dance with me Aidan, you will not like the consequences. Trust me on this. I will spread the rumors far and wide about you and your ‘guest’. They will most certainly not believe your story. Don’t make me go tell them. I have several people here that would simply love to hear about your lovely mistress.”
Aidan almost growled at her. “My god Katarina. What is wrong with you? Blackmailing me, in the middle of this ball does not earn you any points in your favor. Rhiannon is not my mistress and I will thank you not to say that ever again. You cannot just leave it, alone can you? You cannot stand that not every second of my attention isn’t focused on you. Well, Katarina, let me say this loud and clear. I didn’t want this ball to happen and am still angry with myself that I let you stay, even after everything that has happened over the last few days. I must have been crazy for allowing this ball to happen. Scandal, talk, or no. Do you know Rhia was the one who convinced me I should let you have your ball when I was going to cancel it after the incident in her bedchamber? You had no idea, did you? She was the one who made me see reason when all I wanted was to send you away. So, I let it happen. Let you and your mother stay. Against my better judgement. But here you are, you couldn’t just leave things alone and go about your merry way at your goddamn ball. Couldn’t just be happy that you are hosting the damned thing. That it is all about you. Well, Katarina, I am finished. Done. You have gone one step too far and I will remedy my idiocy right now. The ball is through. I am putting a stop to it once and for all.”
He cleared his throat as though to raise his voice to make an announcement and Katarina grabbed his arm again in panic.
“All right, I will not say anything. You win. Just don’t stop the ball. It is being said that this is the ball that everyone should have attended, and the season hasn’t even started. Please, Aidan. Don’t stop it. I will not ruin it for you. I promise. But you do need to dance with me. Just once. It really is the done thing, and I will not ask you for anything else. I swear it.”
Aidan’s jaw ticked. He ground his teeth together, still so angry that she would dare to want to ruin Rhia. He really needed to stop this farce of a ball, but he held his tongue. If he stopped the ball, he couldn’t make the announcement he wanted to make. So, he chose his battles.
Closing his eyes in defeat, he gave the lemonade he had gotten for Rhia to a passing footman. “You and I will dance one time, not the waltz. This next dance is a country dance and it will be the only dance you receive from me. If you cannot agree to that, then I will stop this ball right now.”
Katarina was glaring daggers at him. “Fine.” She ground out through clenched teeth.
They turned to walk to where the dancers were lined up and waiting for the next dance. Seeing Katarina on Aidan’s arm, everyone immediately started whispering and gossiping behind gloves, or fans until the music started up.
Aidan sighed with regret, and hoped Rhia would understand his conundrum. He hated every minute of dancing with his cousin and the moment he could, he was taking Rhia to the garden to ask her to be his. He counted down the seconds until the dance was over.
They finished their dance and as soon as he could, Aidan left Katarina with Koryn so he could get back to Rhia.
He didn’t dare try to get more refreshments, he had already wasted so much time with Katarina and her guests that Aidan wanted to yell at the insufferable people who crowded his home and his life.
This was not the way tonight should be going. But he was going to change that right now.
He walked to where his mother was sitting and seeing the chair next to her empty, his eyebrows drew together in confusion. His mother was there and he leaned over to speak into her ear,” Where is Rhia?”
She leaned back into him, “Your beast of an aunt ‘accidentally’ spilled her drink all over Rhiannon’s lap. She went to the retiring room to dry it off. I do hope her gown isn’t ruined. I feel awful about it Aidan. She seemed to want privacy, but she should have been back by now. Come to think of it, she should have been back long before now. It has been a rather long time Aidan.”
; Aidan looked around, trying to see if he could spot her gown in the crowd. Being taller than most gave him an advantage, and he used it now. But he didn’t see the magnificent color of her dress. So he hooked his mother’s arm through his and they walked out of the ballroom and down to the retiring room.
His mother went inside, checking to make certain if Rhia was there or not and immediately came back out. “She isn’t in there.”
Aidan looked around confused. “Where did she go? Would she have gone out to the gardens? She shouldn’t have gone out there alone. Any man here would try to take advantage of her. Especially if she is by herself. What if Katarina did something to have someone hurt her? We need to check. Right now. Please.”
Lydia shook her head, “I don’t think they went that far Aidan. Maybe she went to have Julia help dry her dress more? Koryn did dump her entire glass of lemonade on her. But you are right, I do think we should check the gardens as well. Any number of men could be in the gardens just waiting to prey on an innocent like Rhiannon. I would hate if something were to happen to her.”
Aidan looked around again, “Let’s go see. We need to look everywhere. When Katarina was rude to her the second time she went to the gardens. I feel she would have gone there for solace again. Maybe Koryn said something to her. Did you see Koryn after Rhia left? We need to hurry, mother. I worry about her being on her own. Plus, I want to ask her soon, you know I want the announcement made before the night is through.”
The Duke Who Loved Me Page 28
