A Dreadful Secret (Lost Fortunes, Found Love Book 4) by Rose Pearson

Author:Rose Pearson [Pearson, Rose]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Landon Hill Media
Published: 2022-12-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

“I cannot go out tonight.”

“But you must!” Mary came towards her, reaching out to grip her hands with hers. “To remain at home would not be wise. You will only find yourself struggling with more discontent, more melancholy, more fear. It is better to come out and remain in society so that your thoughts are a little diverted.”

“But what if Lord Pottinger should be there?” Even saying his name brought tears to her eyes. “I do not think I can face him.”

“If he is there, then you shall see and speak with him as you normally would,” her sister replied, firmly. “Tara, you have been incredibly brave already. This is only a little thing that is asked of you now. Lord Pottinger and Lord Stoneleigh gave us their assurance that nothing untoward would be said about either of us. That should rein in your fear a little, at the very least.”

Tara shook her head, saying nothing. She had been entirely unable to forget the look on Lord Pottinger’s face as she had left the room. He had appeared suddenly haggard, staring at her as though he had never really seen her before. How diminished she must be in his eyes now! She was unable to explain it, but that seemed to mean a great deal to her. How she longed for him to understand and accept the reasons behind her actions, and yet she feared that such a thing would never be. He would blame her for everything which had happened since that night, would hold her accountable for the situation he now found himself in, and she would have nothing to say in her defense. She was, of course, entirely responsible. Had she refused, then perhaps none of this would have taken place.

But Mary would have suffered a great deal.

“I must insist.” Mary let go of her hands. “You are already dressed and prepared. I understand your fear, but I must beg of you to come out with me. I truly believe it will be for the best.”

Tara bit her lip. The thought of seeing Lord Pottinger again was almost too much to bear, but then the awareness that her sister would be left without a chaperone, should she step out without Tara and only with their father, brought itself forcefully to her mind, and she closed her eyes.

“I will go, but only if we do not make ourselves prominent. I have no wish to be amongst society this evening. I do so only for your benefit.”

Opening her eyes, she saw that her sister was smiling, even though her gaze remained steady with determination.

“Very well. I can accept that, and if Lord Pottinger is present, then you and I will face him together. You did the right thing in speaking with him, I can assure you of that.”

“If only I did not feel so much remorse, then perhaps I might be a little less afraid,” Tara replied, blinking back tears. “I have injured him so severely. I wish that there was more I could do to free him from the circumstances I placed upon his shoulders.

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.