Chapter Nine #2
Her words made sense, but he didn’t like the way his heart felt, as if it had been ripped out of his chest. Releasing her hands, he nodded.
“You are correct, of course. There is no way I could be the reason your friend hates you. Please, forgive me.” He gestured toward her house.
“Now go inside and let me see to your horse.”
“I thank you, Wayne. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
This time as he watched her leave, he felt the emptiness of a lonely life filling his soul. How could he have fallen in love so quickly only to have it end so abruptly?
*
Regina couldn’t sleep a minute longer, even though she hadn’t gotten much rest during the night. The events from last night stayed on her mind, keeping her tossing in bed. She already missed Wayne, and she wanted to never feel that way again.
Once she was dressed, she went downstairs.
It was too early for the cook to have prepared breakfast, yet Regina smelled the scent of cooked scones and sausage filling the air.
She stepped into the dining room and stopped.
Her parents were here. Strange that she hadn’t seen them all day yesterday, but now she would know if they thought she had disgraced their family.
However, so far, nothing seemed out of place.
Mother sat chatting with the housekeeper while Father read the newspaper.
Normally, this was what she saw every morning.
Exhaling slowly, Regina walked to the buffet table. Her hands trembled as she dished the food on her plate. She tried listening to her mother’s conversation, but as of yet, nothing was brought up about Regina’s mistakes. Not once, but twice had she tempted fate. She would not do that again.
As she sat at the table, the housekeeper left, closing the door behind her. Regina picked up her fork with a shaky hand and glanced quickly at her mother. “Good morning.”
“Indeed, it is, my dear.” Her mother smiled before sipping her tea.
“May I ask why you two are awake this early? I thought I was the only one who couldn’t stay asleep any longer.”
“Well,” her mother said, “as you probably heard, your father and I were quite ill yesterday, and so we slept most of the day. Once the sun peaked on the horizon, I knew I must rise with it. Is that how you felt, Lord Fraser?”
“Indeed, it is.” Father turned another page in the newspaper.
Regina swallowed hard. “I hope you both are feeling better.”
“We are, dear.” Mother smiled.
Father folded the newspaper and placed it on the table, sighing heavily and quite noticeably. “Is it not shocking how quickly gossip travels, especially when people have nothing better to do with their time?”
Regina’s heart paused. His gaze was aimed directly at her, and his face didn’t express that he was pleased at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. Bile rose in her throat. Father knew something—or had heard something.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Regina said in a strained voice before she took a bite of her oatmeal but didn’t taste anything.
“Why, Lord Fraser?” Mother asked as she looked at her husband from across the table. “Has something happened that we need to know?”
He motioned toward the newspaper. “There are so many speculations going around of what happened to Lady Jane Meyers’s fiancé the other night at the Montague’s ball.
Rumor has it Lord Penrose was supposed to make the grand announcement about the engagement.
” He arched a bushy eyebrow at Regina. “Amongst other rumors I have heard, of course.”
He knows! Yet if her father knew what had happened, why had he waited until now to bring it up? She prayed she was wrong. Her parents could not know.
“Regina, dear.” Mother took a sip of her tea and placed the cup back on the saucer. “What has Lady Jane said about her engagement? Were you not with her yesterday?”
Regina licked her suddenly dried lips. “According to Jane, she is engaged to Mr. Wayne Worthington. However, because there has been no announcement, I wonder if the earl is hesitant for some reason.”
Her mother nodded. “It does appear that way, does it not?”
“Indeed.” Regina quickly took another bite of her food, wishing her parents would drop the subject.
“Lady Fraser,” her father said, looking at his wife, “am I wrong in thinking you have an appointment this morning with the ladies from your sewing circle?”
Her mother gasped and jumped to her feet, nearly knocking her chair over. “Yes, I do. Thank you for remembering for me.”
Mother rushed out of the room as if the house was on fire. If not for the guilt eating Regina and fear that her father knew, she would have laughed.
Her father leaned forward, resting his wrists on the edge of the table, looking directing at Regina. She dropped her gaze to her food, although she didn’t see anything. Tears stung her eyes, but she didn’t want her father to see.
“My dearest daughter,” he began. “Is there something you would like to tell me?”
She quickly shoved another spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth to keep her from speaking. Shrugging, she shook her head.
“Nothing at all?” he continued.
It took all of her willpower not to cry her eyes out right now. Yet her father’s tone of voice didn’t sound as if he were ashamed of her, so perhaps he didn’t know what she’d been doing with Wayne Worthington these past two days.
Blinking back the tears, she lifted her head and looked at her father. Dare she think he was smirking? No, it couldn’t be.
“Father? Pray tell, what are you referring to?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Regina, one of my associates noticed you with Lord Penrose yesterday afternoon at the boxing match.” He motioned with his head toward the dining room’s door. “If your mother catches wind of this, she will have heart palpitations.”
Relief nearly drowned her, but she couldn’t show her father how happy she was that he didn’t know about Wayne. Well, not yet, anyway. “That is what I told Jane and Lord Penrose, but they both convinced me to go. I did not see anyone I know, and I prayed that you and Mother wouldn’t find out.”
“Well, I suppose if Lord Penrose thought you would be fine going with him, who am I to argue?”
“Indeed. However, we both know Mother will argue.”
“She only wants what is best for her daughter, as do I.”
The rhythm of her heart threatened to weaken Regina’s limbs, but she had to remain strong. At this point, having a suspicious father would be disastrous. “I know, Father.”
“As much as I miss taking you to men’s sporting events, it is time you think of your future.
” He moved away from the table to sit beside her.
He touched her hand as a frown claimed his face.
“Regina, you must know that I am not a wealthy man. I cannot continue to buy you new gowns and accessories, along with your mother, and keep our servants employed. I have been a patient man, but…” His shoulders sagged.
“My dearest daughter, we need to find you a husband this year.”
A different suffocation squeezed her chest, and she fought back the tears once more. This wasn’t a surprise, but she had wished her father would have kept it secret a little longer. He was correct, though. It was long past the time she found a husband. “Yes, I know.”
“Your mother does not know how bleak the situation is yet, so I ask you not to say anything to her.”
She nodded as a tear slid down her cheek. “I promise not to let you down. At the next ball, I will find a man who captures my interest.”
He gave her a tender smile and patted her cheek. “You are a wonderful daughter, and I love you with all my heart.”
“And I love you, Father.”
He stood, kissed her forehead, and walked out of the room.
Once the door was closed, she allowed her feelings to pour out.
This was too much for her to take. She couldn’t live like this.
Twice now, she could have been caught in a scandal, which would have ruined her chances of ever finding a husband.
Seeing Wayne again was out of the question—unless it was to see him marry Jane on their wedding day.
Although Regina still felt her friend deserved someone better, she had to admit that Wayne was a sweet man.
The only reason he was drawn to Regina was because of the poison.
By now, that was out of their systems. But she couldn’t take that chance.
She must have no contact whatsoever with the man.
The memories would suffocate her and possibly tempt her, but she would not relent.
She exhaled slowly and wiped the tears off her face.
It would be difficult, but she could not worry about Jane any longer.
And the confusion from being poisoned would have ended as well.
It was time she thought of her family. Marrying well would help her parents.
She just prayed it would make her happy, too.
Regina left the dining room, and as she headed toward the front door, her attention moved to her father’s liquor tray, but more importantly, to the bottle of wine.
In a flash, she recalled something that happened at the ball the other night when she argued with Jane.
During the evening, there was only once when Regina had a glass of wine—but it was not her drink.
She and her friend had been talking about how much spirits Jane consumed the night she had met Wayne. Upset, Jane handed her untouched glass of wine and said, “Since you believe I drink too much, be the considerate friend and finish my drink before it becomes a temptation.”
Regina’s stomach churned as the memory returned in full force. For a brief moment after drinking the wine, there was a bitter taste on her tongue. She had just thought it was due to being so angry at her friend. But now…
Had Jane given Regina the poison?
Although the prospect nearly had her losing her breakfast right here on the floor, she couldn’t think of any other way that she had been poisoned.
She had taken a couple of drinks of punch, and yet nobody had touched her glass.
Other people had drunk from the punch bowl, too, and if that had been the drink laced with poison, then the Montagues’ ball would have been disastrous.
All these years, she had thought Jane was her best friend, but what if the earl’s daughter hadn’t returned the same affections?
During this past year, Regina noticed how selfish and irritable her friend was becoming, especially how often Jane had a glass of spirits in her hand.
Could this have contributed to why Jane had thought it necessary to harm Regina?
Whether a cruel joke or done in spite, Jane had indeed wanted to harm Regina. She had no other choice now. She must say something to her former friend and bring the truth out once and for all.