The Marquess Deceives a Diamond by Natasha Lockhart

Author:Natasha Lockhart
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: 0
Published: 2018-05-22T04:00:00+00:00

***

George felt his throat constricting as he stared at the face of his mother. What was she doing in Jasberg? Did Cassandra already know the truth about his identity? Would today be the day she left him forever?

“It’s about time you showed up, Mr. Cromwell. The earl has refused to introduce this lady to us. He said he would leave that honor to you.” The dowager countess glared at him, barely concealing her irritation.

George opened his mouth to speak, but shut it quickly. This was not how he intended to reveal his identity. How long had the earl been planning to pull the rug from under his feet?

“May I speak with you privately in the foyer, Lady Hawkstone?” His eyes pleaded for her cooperation.

“Of course.” She stood up and walked toward him.

“What about our introduction?”

He held up a hand. “Give us a moment please, Lady Winchester.”

George closed the doors to the drawing room and exhaled sharply.

Cassandra placed a hand on his shoulder. “Is something the matter, George? You must tell me what is going on. Who is that woman?”

George grasped both her hands and stared at them. “Cassandra, do you recall my saying there was something else I wanted to share with you about my life?”

“Yes, vaguely. You never returned to the subject, so I assumed it was not of any great importance.”

He squeezed her hands. “It is of the utmost importance, my love.”

“Then, why did you not tell me before this moment?”

“I was unsure of how you would react.” He felt the heat of her gaze upon him, but he could not look into her eyes. “I’m sorry. I know it was cowardly of me to delay the inevitable. I should have told you the whole truth weeks ago.”

“Well, it seems you have no choice but to tell me now.” She bit her bottom lip. “This concerns the strange woman in the drawing room, doesn’t it? Is that woman someone important to you?”

“Yes, she is very important to me. Until I met you, she was the most important woman in my life?”

“Is she a former lover?”

“Certainly not!”

“Then, who is she? Why is she here?”

How he longed to turn back time. He would have sat a little longer in the rain and told her the truth. “I don’t know why she came here.”

“Look at me! Who is she, George?” Cassandra yelled.

He lifted his head and looked at her face. Her lips were quivering, and her eyes were round with fear. She was afraid of what he would tell her. Everything she thought she knew about his social status was about to crumble and fall. The dreams she’d imagined of their life together were about to evaporate in a puff of smoke.

“She is the Duchess of Linwood. She has traveled here from Knightfordshire.”

“Did her husband send her here to offer you your old job back? Surely, he could have simply conveyed his wish for you to return in a letter.”

George shook his head, clinging tightly to her hands. “Cassandra, please forgive me for my deception.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.