Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Sariah was looking out the window of her bedchamber when she saw Richard and Reed ride off.
Knowing this was her chance to slip away, she hurried down the hall to Maggie’s room.
With a brief knock, she walked inside without waiting for an approval.
Her redhaired friend was sitting up in bed, hair still unbound and wearing her nightdress.
She was sipping on a cup of tea and did nothing more than lift a brow at the intrusion.
“You know I am not a morning person, and yet you barge in here as if you own—”
Sariah didn’t have the time for her light chiding. She was here on a matter of urgency. “I think Reed is going to propose to me. For real this time.”
This caught her friend’s attention. Tilting her head to the side, she said, “And you are upset about this because…?”
“I am not sure I can say yes.”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “Whyever not?”
Sariah walked over and flopped down on the edge of the bed. “Because I am not certain of his feelings for me.”
A sigh came from the head of the bed. “If you believe that he truly means to offer for you, then that should give you some sort of indication.”
“But does he want to marry me because he loves me? Or because of what he might gain from the union?”
When Maggie didn’t immediately reply, Sariah looked at her. When she merely stared at her, Sariah frowned. “What?”
“Do you hear yourself right now?” Maggie asked. She leaned forward, as if to emphasize her next point. “You sound as if you do not see what the rest of us have during this house party. I know I am convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Mr. Carrington is head over heels in love with you.”
Sariah’s mouth fell open slightly. “Truly?”
Maggie snorted. “I cannot believe you are unaware of it.”
“I suppose because it is impossible to fathom. He is my Adonis.”
The red eyebrows drew together in a frown. “Your what?”
Sariah smiled, but her cheeks heated. “It is what I thought from the first moment I saw him. I was infatuated. It was why I was so upset by the accident at the Pond.”
“Ah. That makes sense now,” Maggie nodded. “If that is true, then you have nothing to worry about. While the Greeks had plenty of tragic love stories, like that of Orpheus and Eurydice, Adonis was merely a man of beauty who could not decide if he loved Aphrodite or Apollo more.”
Sariah rolled her eyes. “That is a myth that I am not sure is actually substantiated, but regardless of the actual Adonis, I cannot help but imagine that a union between us may be too good to be true.”
“That is where you are making a mistake. You should not think of it in those terms, but appreciate that you are able to make a true love match when so many in society are forced to wed for much lesser reasons and live unhappily. You have a chance of true bliss. Do not question it, but run as fast as you can to embrace it.”
It took a moment for Sariah to realize that this was Maggie speaking. “If I did not know better, you almost sound like a romantic.”
Maggie glared at her in a stern manner. “Do not dare to spread about such untruths or I will certainly be forced to deny them.”
Sariah’s lips twitched, but she wisely refrained from commenting.
“If we are going to speak of a romantic bent to one’s nature,” Maggie countered directly. “Shall I bring about your attempts at matchmaking between Lord Michael and Ava?”
Perking up at this, Sariah asked eagerly, “Have you noticed any advancement between them?”
“After you told me you had suggested Ava as a possible marriage candidate, I did see where he appeared to give her a bit more notice.” Maggie lifted her hands. “Whether or not he pursues an association beyond that is yet to be seen.”
“I think they would make a fabulous match. Lord Michael truly is an honorable gentleman,” Sariah said in all sincerity.
“Time will tell,” Maggie noted. “For now,” she leaned back against the headboard. “If you are going to continue to hound me, at least enjoy some tea with me.”
Sariah got up and offered a formal curtsy in her day dress. “As my lady wishes.”
Together, they shared a good-natured laugh.
After his talk with Lord Richard, Reed was feeling much better about approaching the baron. He felt that his chances were good that his suit for Sariah’s hand would be met with minimal resistance.
He grinned, anticipating the moment he found Sariah and told her his plans. After all these years of hard work, blood and sweat dotting his brow, things were finally starting to look up at long last.
“…not a bit premature to offer for the lady?”
“I have waited long enough to secure my future bride.”
Reed’s steps instantly halted when he overheard the male conversation taking place in a nearby room. One he knew for certain to be Lord Michael, while the other was a bit unclear. It wasn’t Lord Richard or Lord Harville, that much he knew. Or the baron.
Nevertheless, he crept closer to the edge of the cracked door, a sensation of unease crawling up the back of his spine when it came to the soldier and his mention of a betrothal.
After the recent attention he’d showered on Sariah, he intended to know what the man’s plans were when it came to usurping Reed’s agenda.
“I still think you might come to regret your hasty decision,” the unknown speaker claimed. “Marriage is a permanent fixture.”
“I am well aware,” Lord Michael returned dryly. “But do you not recall that is what mistresses are for? However, I feel that won’t be necessary because something tells me the lady will be quite pleasing in the bedchamber.”
Reed’s fists clenched at his sides. The audacity of the man to speak so boldly and without restraint about Sariah!
It was true she was wildly passionate, but Reed vowed that this scoundrel would never know of her sweet responses.
He would abduct her and haul her away to Gretna Green if his hand was forced.
“Have you spoken to her father about the possibility of a union yet?”
“I have.” Reed tensed at this. How Lord Michael had managed to catch the baron before he’d departed this morning, when Reed had practically been lying awake the rest of the night with the eagerness to do so, was almost beyond rational thought.
“He was quite happy to give his utmost consent. He said he did not see any impediment that would deter my suit.”
Reed froze. Did the baron truly think so little of him when he’d done his best to prove his worth in matters of business and how he’d treated his daughter thus far?
Anger flared to life inside of him and he clenched his jaw.
He’d been a fool to ever believe that he could be fully accepted by anyone from the nobility.
The baron had seemed different, but it sounded as though he was just like any of the other gentleman, eager to make Reed’s acquaintance when it came to securing further blunt for their pockets, but brushing him off as more than that when it came to society standards.
He was ready to wash his hands of the entire lot of them.
Feeling that he’d heard enough, he turned on his heel and headed for the stairs, intent on gathering his things and leaving this farce once and for all. His face burned with a mixture of fury and chafing embarrassment.
As he turned a corner, he nearly bowled over the one woman who had been both his blessing—and his curse.
“Mr. Carrington!” Sariah exclaimed when she saw him.
Her amber eyes immediately lit up, as if she could ever convince him that her regard was genuine ever again.
Not after what he’d heard and the crushing betrayal he felt now.
“I was hoping to speak with you this morning. I could not hold back any longer and felt it was imperative to tell you that—”
“I am well aware of what you were going to say, madam.” His voice was cold, calculated, and she did not miss the grating edge.
She lowered her voice, as if even now, she was too mortified to speak his name aloud where they might be overheard. “Reed? Is something… wrong?”
He snorted. “Not in the least, my dear. In fact, I am seeing things more clearly than ever, such as the fact you shall never look upon me with anything but disgrace because of my background.”
She jerked as if he’d physically struck her. “What are you talking about?”
He wanted to applaud her efforts. She’d missed her calling on the stage.
“It does not signify any longer.” He narrowed his gaze.
“You do not signify any longer.” He turned away, telling himself it had nothing to do with the way her eyes widened and her chin gave a slight quiver, as if she were truly injured.
The only thing that mattered was her treachery in throwing him over for another man who would never care for her a fraction of how his heart was currently bleeding.
“Wait. You must tell me what has happened—”
She reached out and grabbed on to his arm when he started to leave. “You will unhand me,” he warned in a low tone. “I am leaving this house and the entirety in it behind for good.”
This time he could not mistake the sheen of tears swimming in her gaze. “Reed. Please, do not do this. I love you.”
He had reached the end of his patience. Although it seemed as though she had pierced him with the sharp end of a dagger, he snarled, “Goodbye, Miss Kent. I did enjoy our evening together. I hope it will live in your memory forever as I have already set it out of my thoughts.”
Sariah couldn’t breathe. She was frozen in place as Reed disappeared from view. The area around her began to spin, and she feared she might actually faint for the first time in her life. She reached out to grasp something to steady herself, but her mind continued to whirl.
What in God’s name has occurred?
Her veins had turned to ice and as she began to tremble, she knew that she had to leave, or else find herself breaking down in the middle of the Harvilles’ foyer.