Lies and Letters by Ashtyn Newbold

Author:Ashtyn Newbold
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cedar Fort Publishing
Published: 2017-08-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

“So shines a good deed in a weary world.”

Lord Trowbridge walked Clara home the next afternoon, and I watched from the window as they approached the cottage. Half my face was concealed behind the moth-eaten curtains, and I strained my vision to see their expressions. I could see the pink of Clara’s cheeks even from my vantage point. I also couldn’t miss Lord Trowbridge’s adoring grin. He reached for her hand and kissed the top of it in farewell.

I slapped a hand over my mouth, trying to hide the sudden and unwelcome giggle that bubbled from my chest. It came out anyway, loud and girlish. Well, that was certainly uncalled for.

Lord Trowbridge walked away and I threw the curtains back over the window and bounded down the creaking, narrow staircase. I met Clara at the front door just as she pulled it open. She shrieked in surprise.

I stifled a squeal. “He adores you!”

The shade of her cheeks made the scarlet shawl she wore look pink. “You were watching us?”

“Of course. And I have seen enough to know that he adores you. He could very well be in love with you.”

She walked past me and slumped down on the sofa. She fanned her hands around her face in a dramatic fashion. “‘Love is not real.’ ‘Love is a weakness.’ ‘Men do not love, they only desire.’ What has happened to you, Charlotte?” She gasped and grinned knowingly. “You have fallen in love.”

I raised my eyebrows and put a hand against my chest. “Me? That is an absurd idea, and you know it.”

She leaned her face on her hand. “Do not deny it. I observed the way you looked at Mr. James Wortham at the Abbots’ two days ago.”

I panicked, but refused to admit any feelings I had toward that man. Acknowledging it would only worsen the problem. I frowned, trying to appear nonchalant. “How exactly did I look at him?”

“Like he was happiness personified.” She waved her hands in the air and laughed. “Like he was a silken, lace-and pearl-embossed gown. Or a lemon tea cake.”

I gasped, sitting beside her and swatting her arm. “I did not!”

She was still laughing, but caught her breath. “And the way he looked at you … I daresay he adores you as well.”

I shook my head, refusing to believe her. “Nonsense. He despises me.”

She gave me a look of disbelief. “That is not true.”

“I have given him every reason to despise me, Clara. It makes sense. He is just a very kind man who cannot leave a damsel in distress.”

“And what of you? Do you despise him too?” Her smile told me she didn’t think so.

I sighed. “No. I don’t. And I don’t love him either, I assure you.”

“Why?”

I was surprised by her question. “He is—he isn’t titled. He isn’t wealthy, and Mama would never approve.”

“That did not answer my question.” She was studying my face, searching for clues. I felt raw and exposed by it.

“I do not love him because I cannot. That is why.

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