Brilliance (Diamonds of the First Water Book 5) by Sydney Jane Baily

Author:Sydney Jane Baily [Baily, Sydney Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wolf Publishing
Published: 2023-04-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Vincent ignored the missives from his cousin. He expected a heartfelt request for forgiveness from Brilliance, but one never came. Not that it would have made any difference. She did not understand how egregious her betrayal. Moreover, she apparently thought a barely uttered apology—while he was too blisteringly furious to listen—had been enough.

She was wrong. He had trusted her! A mistake he would not make again.

“Fool me twice,” he muttered, as he wrote to London in an attempt to get his music recalled. Hopefully, the only copy was the one sent to Brilliance. After all, there couldn’t be much call for an anonymous sonata with an asinine title.

As Vincent discovered, Brilliance had given the publisher his real name and his address. Any questions or royalties were to be directed to him. However, she had not told anyone at Boosey & Co that he was the composer. Still, under Vincent’s authority, the publisher agreed to stop printing more copies, but there was nothing he could do about those already distributed or sold.

Within a week, he tried to put the entire incident behind him… except now Brilliance was gone. Not only from the southeast of England but from his life. And with each day that passed, he missed her more and began to regret his outburst and the boiling fury that had caused him to say some inexcusable things to her.

In truth, he had been angry at her as much for the betrayals of the past as for what she had inadvertently done. And in his heart, he knew it was he who owed her an apology.

Should he go to Lord and Lady Diamond’s country house in Derby? He had no idea whether Brilliance would wish to see him again after the cruel dressing down he’d given.

Vincent supposed the more important question was whether he could forgive her duplicity enough to take up where they left off. He had been prepared to propose marriage.

Now he wasn’t sure she was any different from Ambrose or worse, Lydia. Or worse again, Ambrose. He could never decide which betrayal cut deeper—that of his ladylove or his best friend—although ultimately, he knew he loved his music more than he had ever cared for Lydia.

And what about Brilliance? He simply never imagined, with her openness and frank speech, she could deceive him as she’d done. It had shaken him to his core.

His heart hardened, and he made his decision. Better to have found out her true nature before he went hat-in-hand to speak with her father.

And better still that he should remain alone rather than tie himself to someone he could not trust, no matter how much he missed and yearned for her.

“She stole my music and sent it to London. I do not know how you can defend her,” he said over dinner with Alethia and the Colonel one evening. Unfortunately, every time he went to their home, he was reminded of Brilliance around every corner.

His cousin had just opined how she thought Lady Brilliance’s intentions were good.

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