Unsuitable Betrothal: Ladies, Love, and Mysteries by Alec Joyce

Author:Alec, Joyce
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-02-11T00:00:00+00:00

6

The next few days were a flurry of activity. The day had arrived for the guests to appear and whilst the house was ready, The Shadows certainly were not. They had searched high and low for these papers and the ornament, with Lord Paxton, Miss Hawkins, and Lady Catherine even venturing to the dusty attic to search for them. When they had reappeared, somewhat dustier than they were before, Hannah had felt her heart soar with hope, only for their sad shakes of the head to bring her hopes to the depths once more.

Lord Bentham had said very little. Ever since they had spoken at length, he had been quiet and reserved. At times, she caught him staring into space, his eyes seeming to look at something that was not quite there. Clearly, it was a great astonishment for him to know that there was more to Miss Lewisham’s story than he had ever expected, and even more of a shock to know that she was in such a desperate situation. She wondered what it was he thought, and often lingered on the tender words that he had expressed when they had met in the hallway. It had not been at all the correct situation for him to express such sentiments, but nevertheless, his words still lingered, swooping around her heart and begging to be allowed in to heal her wounds.

“You are thinking on him again.”

Hannah blushed furiously as Miss Hawkins came to sit down beside her, glancing in the direction of Lord Bentham, who was sitting across the room, a book on his knee but his eyes nowhere near it.

“You should speak to him,” Miss Hawkins said encouragingly. “How shall you ever cross this great divide that has grown between you unless you speak openly?”

Hannah shook her head. “I cannot trust him,” she said in a low voice. “Not yet, at least. He may have spoken beautiful words, but I cannot tell whether or not they came from the place of his heart. What if he was just overwhelmed with all that has occurred and spoke without consideration?”

“And there is a good deal you have to forgive him for also,” Miss Hawkins interrupted, touching Hannah’s arm. “Even if you do believe what he has said, he did make the decision to turn away from you in search of his own pleasures.”

Hannah nodded, knowing that such a pain would not easily leave her. It was one thing to trust what he said but quite another to let go of what he had chosen to do. That would mean beginning anew, believing that nothing like that would happen again, that the words he said would not be thrown asunder for the sake of his own self-interest.

Glancing up, she saw Lord Bentham looking directly at her and immediately dropped her gaze, flushing a little as Miss Hawkins smiled understandingly, her gaze gentle.

“And we have not yet found the papers or the ornament,” Hannah murmured, deciding to move the subject from one thing to the next.

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