The Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. George

Author:Harper St. George [St. George, Harper]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2022-02-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Genuine learning has ever been said to give polish to man; why then should it not bestow added charm on women?

Emma Willard

An hour later, Helena sat in her drawing room attempting to read. She’d been on the same page for almost a quarter of an hour, but at least it was something. It kept her from sulking. Sort of. Her mind kept going over the disastrous evening, churning over it as if to relive it would help to change what had happened, no matter how she tried to pay attention to the words on the page. Finally, she closed the book with a huff and stared at the fire crackling in the hearth.

After she had come home, she had changed out of her wet clothes and into her nightdress and dressing gown. Then she had sent the Huxleys to bed. There was no need for them to stay up and keep her company. Only now that she was alone, she rather wished she had taken up Mrs. Huxley on her offer to play a round of cards. Doing something would be better than sitting here and stewing. Despite how badly she felt about the lost opportunity for the charity, she couldn’t deny that some of her moroseness was because she felt that she had lost Maxwell, too. Not that she had ever had him.

Groaning in frustration and residual anger at him, she walked to the hearth and used the fire poker to move a log around, sending sparks skittering. She had been terribly rude to him. He hadn’t been fair himself, but that didn’t excuse her own reaction. She’d probably have to jot down a note to send over to him tomorrow. He’d reply back in clipped prose. Then she wouldn’t see him again until he made an appearance at Claremont Hall. She would still need to carry out the charade. She might have lost the priory, but she still needed her father on her side to maintain their funding and find a new building. She and Maxwell would continue their little performance for their families, and then he would leave. This was exactly how their little drama was meant to play out, so why did she feel so bereft and lonely?

It was because she felt abandoned by him. All this time she had felt that he understood her, that he would support her, only to have her worst fears about him confirmed. He had turned his back on her the moment he had needed to in order to further his own ends. But that wasn’t completely fair. He was doing this for August, not his own personal interest. And yet, she felt that August would be on her side in this. Guilt, anger, and heartache twisted into such a tight knot in her stomach that she couldn’t tell one thread from the other.

A tapping at her window made her think the rain had picked up, but then it happened again. Her heart leapt into her throat as she looked up to see a man standing outside the window.

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.