Twice Fallen by Emma Wildes

Author:Emma Wildes [Wildes, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, General, Contemporary, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9781101559673
Google: XEtjRke6WL0C
Amazon: B005GSZZO2
Publisher: Signet
Published: 2012-01-03T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

I

t happened in the foyer of the opera house, right after the season’s last performance of Don Giovanni. The evening had turned, the wind rising, and the guests were anxious to leave, footmen scrambling to make sure the queue of carriages stayed organized, ladies clutching their cloaks as the rain began to spatter down. “Lily.” The insistent hand on her arm made her glance up, and she took in a swift breath as she registered the familiar voice of her former fiancé, his blond hair as impeccable as ever, his chiseled features set at the moment. “Can I have a brief word?”

“Here?” she asked in disbelief, because really, even with the milling crowd anxious to escape the autumn cloudburst, it was hardly a private venue. Not to mention his wife was in attendance. She’d noticed the unfriendly Lady Sebring earlier, resplendent in the famous family pearls, her haughty gaze sweeping over the company and her smile reserved for only the dearest of her friends.

Which Lily was decidedly not.

The air smelled like perfume, stale champagne, and rain. Arthur Kerr said tightly, “Just for a moment. Please.”

“What will your wife think?” Even as she caustically asked the question she allowed him to tug her across the lobby of the theater, the red carpeting thick underfoot, the hum of voices loud as they wound their way through the groups of people. Thankfully the duchess had been at the forefront of the press of departing patrons. Lily had still been waiting for her cloak.

“It might not matter what Penelope thinks.” Drawing her into a relatively sheltered spot by the now deserted drinks table, he turned, his stare penetrating. “Lily, have you told anyone?”

She was admittedly confused by his agitated demeanor. Normally he stayed scrupulously away from her in any kind of public place. “What?”

“About me.”

Had he not been so pale, so resolute, she might have pretended to not know what he meant, but, once she’d struggled past their initial rift four years ago, the bitterness had eased into a more enlightened acceptance. With complete honesty she was able to say, “No one except my brother Jonathan, and he would never repeat it. He understandably wanted to know why our father would allow you to ruin my reputation and not demand either a marriage or satisfaction.”

Arthur briefly looked away, his posture tense. “I suppose that is a reasonable question to have, isn’t it?”

This evening he wore superbly tailored dark evening clothes with a silver embroidered waistcoat. The hint of melancholy in his expression emphasized his extraordinary good looks. Lily murmured, “Trust me, Jonathan gave me his word and he would never break it. I’ve told no one else.”

“I didn’t think it was you,” he murmured, loosening the grip on her arm as if he suddenly realized how tightly he was holding her. “Take my word, I knew you wouldn’t, but… something has happened, and I had to ask.”

… are you being blackmailed?…

Damien’s question had puzzled her because she had no real secrets. But Arthur

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