Chapter Twenty-Eight
Adaline paused before the family dining room doors, her heart in her throat.
Faint laughter drifted from within. It sounded like her brother Henry from the low, measured tones.
Her mother’s honied voice followed, not yet sharp with worry.
Oh, but it would be. Though…maybe her family would surprise her and greet her news with enthusiasm. Wishful thinking, but one could hope.
She took a deep breath and steeled her spine, then pushed open the door. Conversation ceased. Her mother paused, her teacup halfway to her lips. Henry looked up but continued to shovel eggs into his mouth.
“Adaline!” her mother said with a welcoming smile. “You are awake at last. Did you enjoy yourself last night? I’m afraid I was so tired when we left, we didn’t speak more than three words to each other.”
Adaline met her gaze. “Yes, I did. Very much. In fact…” She faltered, then pressed on, voice trembling but clear. “In fact, something quite wonderful happened.”
“Oh?” her mother said, eyes alight with curiosity as she sipped her tea. Her brother had gone back to his breakfast, likely assuming the women were about to embark on a bit of morning gossip.
“Yes.” She’d thought to perhaps preface her announcement with a bit of explanation or an anecdote to ease into it but finally decided to just come directly to the point.
And pray for the best. She cleared her throat.
“A gentleman of my acquaintance asked for my hand last night. And I accepted him. I am to be married.”
Two pairs of eyes stared at her in abject shock. Henry had frozen mid-bite, his toast crumbling between his teeth. Her mother was the first to recover, setting her teacup down with a clatter.
“Adaline! Well, this is wonderful news! It is, isn’t it?” she asked, her brow suddenly furrowing. “Nothing untoward occurred to spur this sudden proposal, has it? You haven’t been compromised, have you?”
“No, Mother,” Adaline said with a nervous laugh. “Everything occurred quite properly.”
Not the exact truth, but what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.
Her brother did not look convinced. “Not entirely proper, or this supposed gentleman would have asked me for your hand before deigning to ask you.”
Getting his permission first wasn’t strictly necessary, especially as she was past her majority, but her brother always had been a bit old-fashioned. And overzealous when it came to what he considered his duty to her. Though now did not seem a prudent time to point that out.
“Henry, I assure you he meant no disrespect. The proposal itself was sudden. Perhaps we could blame the ambiance of the masquerade,” she said with a little chuckle. That no one else echoed.
She cleared her throat again. “I assure you, our attachment has actually been quite long in the making. He is truly everything I have always hoped for in a husband.”
“That is wonderful, Adaline,” her mother said with a loving smile. Though her eyes sharpened, not missing the fact that Adaline had yet to divulge her new fiancé’s identity.
“Who is this paragon of virtue?” her brother asked dryly. “One of the gentlemen I have selected, I hope.”
Here went nothing…
Adaline swallowed. “Lord Hugo Brelsford.”
The effect was instantaneous. Henry muttered a curse, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Her mother gasped, paling beneath her coiffure. The name hung in the air like a clap of thunder, heralding imminent disaster.
“You cannot mean it,” Henry barked. “After everything that man did to make a spectacle of you, and this family?”
Adaline’s hands clasped together, trembling.
She forced herself to meet her brother’s gaze.
“He regrets it, Henry. It was a mistake. He meant the offer as a jest, one he did not think anyone would believe. It… was merely a prank that went a little too far. It was foolish, yes, but it was not meant to wound so deeply. Nor at all.”
Henry’s voice was cold. “A prank? He humiliated you. The entire ton spoke of it for weeks. He used you to amuse himself.”
“No! That isn’t true. Stop exaggerating, Henry. You bear just as much blame as he, as it was you who took him at his word and spread the news before even verifying anything with the duke or Lord Lockhaven.”
Henry sputtered but couldn’t argue the truth.
Adaline continued before he could try. “While I’ll admit the gossip did do some harm, it did not do so permanently. Society moved on to the next scandal as they always do. Hugo never meant for any of it to happen.”
“You cannot know that for certain,” her mother said, her voice strained. She seemed to be trying to contain her emotions so they might have a calm and rational conversation. But it was with obvious difficulty.
“But I do, Mother. We have spoken of it at length. I’ll admit, when we first met in person, there was a great deal of animosity on both sides. But we have moved past that and found that we have much in common. We truly enjoy one another’s company. He is a good man.”
Her brother snorted. “A good man would not have acted as he did.”
Adaline pursed her lips. Pointing out the same could be said for Henry and his actions would not help her case, though it was difficult to keep from saying so. “He agrees. Which is why he has done nothing but try to make amends and better himself since the day it happened.”
“He is very likely just telling you what you want to hear,” Henry muttered.
Adaline threw her hands up. “To what purpose? Marrying me brings him nothing. A good dowry, perhaps. But he has wealth. He doesn’t need mine.”
“That you know of,” Henry said. “He might be the son of a duke, but he’s a second son. One, who by all accounts, is fond of unruly pastimes that most certainly include gambling and other revelry. You cannot know the state of his financial affairs for certain.”
Adaline shook her head and folded her arms, trying to rein in her anger. Losing her composure would not help her now.
“I know he is who he presents himself to be.” She hadn’t wanted to divulge their secret, but it might be the only way to get her family to understand.
“We have been writing to each other for many months, anonymously. Neither of us knew who the other was. And in so doing, we were able to truly be ourselves. To become familiar with each other in a deeper way than would have ever been possible with only brief public meetings in person. I know his heart.”
“You know nothing.” Her mother rose, making a visible effort to control her emotions.
“My child, I love you and have never wanted anything but your security and happiness. But I fear you have been misled. All these months, you have been corresponding in secret? With an unknown man who could have been anyone? Have you no thought for the consequences to such actions? I can only guess at the content of these letters. How can you be sure that they were, indeed, anonymous? That he didn’t know your identity the entire time?
Perhaps even shared your letters with others for their own amusement.
Did you never think of such a thing? The gossip, the scandal, that could once again come of it, not just for you but for the entire family? ”
“Of course, I thought about the consequences, Mother.” She just hadn’t deemed them worth discontinuing something which had brought her such joy. Though again, pointing that out seemed detrimental to her cause.
“And yet you acted recklessly anyway,” her brother cut in, his booming voice making her flinch.
“Hugo would never harm me in such a way,” Adaline insisted.
Henry threw up his hands. “He already has!”
Adaline’s cheeks burned. That was the one argument she could not truly refute. “This is different. His letters were never meant to be shared. Our letters were truly anonymous. And… they were initiated by me.”
The general uproar at that statement made Adaline’s ears ring.
She closed her eyes for a brief second, praying for strength.
“It is not so bad as it sounds. I found a letter, unsigned, written to his grandmother. No names were included, so I had no inkling of whom the letter might have been from. However, I did recognize the footman who had dropped it when I saw him again, and I returned the letter to him to give to his master. And… included one of my own.”
Her mother gasped. “Adaline.” She stared at Adaline for a solid ten seconds, her mind seemingly unable to process what she had just been told. Adaline forged ahead, hoping for the best.
“We continued our correspondence, leaving the letters for each other at a secret designated location.” She didn’t know if her family would feel better or worse knowing that Lucy had been instrumental in their scheme. Either way, Adaline had every intention of protecting her cousin’s involvement.
“Even without the letters,” she continued, “we have grown closer in person as well. Yes, we started as enemies due to his past actions. But he regrets them bitterly. It was those very actions that spurred his change. He wanted to ensure he never did such a thing again and has done much to make amends. And yes, through our association and through the letters, I feel I truly know his heart. He is a good man, I swear it. And…I love him,” she said, hardly daring to say the words aloud. “I wish to marry him.”
Her brother’s expression darkened. “I love you, Sister, but you have always had a tendency to over-romanticize things. You have been reading the words of a scoundrel. He has been and always will be reckless. If he truly cared, if he were truly honorable and wished to do right by you and this family, why did he not come here, like a gentleman, and ask for your hand?”
Adaline fought the urge to shriek out her frustration.
Instead, she took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as she could manage.
“He intends to. Once I have spoken with you. It…happened rather suddenly. And I thought the news would be better coming from me. Considering the good possibility you’d have shot him on sight before he had a chance to speak. ”