Letters to a Lover by Lancaster Mary

Author:Lancaster, Mary
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2021-04-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

“Well,” Azalea said, taking her husband’s arm. “What do you make of that?”

“That at least he did not hurt you,” Eric said grimly. He paused, his eyes raking her once more. “Did he?”

She shook her head. “No. I do think he was just desperate to apologize.”

“In case you dropped a word to Miss Fenner, no doubt.”

“Perhaps that had at least something to do with it. But as soon as he took my arm, Eric, something frightened me. I did start to remember things. I remembered being in the garden with him, slapping his face for trying to touch me, even his ludicrous expression afterward.”

“But he implied you walked away as if you weren’t frightened, leaving him to slink away with his tail between his legs.”

“No, I wasn’t frightened then, and Darchett didn’t frighten me this afternoon. Something in my memory did.”

He placed his hand over hers on his arm and gripped. “What?”

She squeezed her eyes shut, then shook her head with frustration. “I don’t know. I can’t remember that. But I can recall fragments of the evening now. Dancing, supper, walking with Darchett in an indulgent kind of way, then slapping him…and then it’s blank.”

Eric’s eyes narrowed. “Then you don’t remember if he came after you?”

“I don’t think he did.”

“Come, shall we walk home, or will I send someone for a cab?”

“Oh, no, let’s go to the Exhibition. I feel fine now.” She smiled. “Actually, I feel wonderful because at least I’ve started to remember. I don’t feel that evening is lost forever. Dragan is right. I just need something to jolt my memory.”

“And rest,” Eric reminded her.

“Just for an hour,” she pleaded. “To show the world that I am well, and you did not feel it necessary to thrash Lord Darchett. Besides, I want to see this bed the children were talking about after you took them to the Exhibition. The one that’s attached to an alarm clock and actually throws you out of bed at the required time. And then I promise I will rest before the ball.”

He hesitated. “You will stay with me while we are in the Exhibition?”

“Yes.” God knew it would be no hardship. She wondered if he could sense her genuine pleasure. They began to walk toward the Crystal Palace once more. “Eric?”

“Yes?”

“As soon as you were there, as soon as I recognized your arms, I knew I was safe.”

“I should have been there when it mattered,” he said bitterly. “With you at the Roystons’ ball.”

In spite of all the people milling around them, she rested her head against his shoulder. “You are here now.”

*

The evening’s ball was a grand affair. Azalea’s parents, the duke and duchess, no longer attended such events, but a large part of her family was there, including the Monktons, Rosemary and Gordon, Horace, and Forsythe. And, Azalea was glad to see Griz and Dragan, looking carelessly beautiful and causing many heads to turn. Not that Griz would care about such attention, if she even noticed.

But it seemed she did.

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