“Oh, my goodness! You have yourself an admirer,” said her mother excitedly. “Who could it be?”
Ophelia shook her head. “I have no idea, mother.”
“But, besides the Viscount, did you meet anyone else at the ball?”
Ophelia shook her head. “No, I did not. I had no chance to speak with any other man and we hadn’t stayed for long. And this letter definitely does not sound like something Peter would write.”
“May I know who brought this? Can you describe him?” Ophelia asked Marins who was still around.
“Well, it was a young lad. He said he was directed to give it to Lady Ophelia and he left shortly after,” replied the butler.
Ophelia sighed. “Well, thank you. You may go.”
The butler nodded and took his leave.
“Maybe it is the Viscount,” suggested her mother.
Ophelia frowned. It seemed possible but for some reason, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that it could be someone else. Her mind went back Mr. Gibbs.
He knew where she stayed but they hadn’t even talked much that night nor did she see him at the ball. Still, could he be her secret admirer? Or perhaps she had gotten herself a secret admirer whom she had never even met, who must be watching her from afar.
Martins came into the room again.
“Madam,” he said to Mrs. Campbell. “A carriage has just arrived.”
“Oh! That should be Lady Rebecca Egerton,” said Ophelia and stood up to follow the butler out.
“Mother, I am sure you remember Lady Rebecca,” Ophelia said as she came in with the lady.
“Surely, I can never forget those who treated us with kindness and made the fair enjoyable for us,” replied her mother as she stood up. “My Lady, you are most welcome to our abode.”
Rebecca smiled and kissed the woman on both cheeks. “Thank you very much Mrs. Campbell. I expected to see you last night at the ball.”
“Oh! I was too tired to come,” replied the woman. “I hope you do not mind if we offer you a cup of tea?”
“Oh, I would love that, thank you,” replied Rebecca, taking a seat.
Ophelia left to get tea from the cook and brought it to Rebecca.
“Well, I shall excuse you two,” said Ophelia’s mother as she left the room to attend to other duties.
Ophelia took another seat beside Rebecca.
“I think, this should be kept private,” said Rebecca handing Ophelia a letter. It was the letter she had just received. Her mother must have left it on the seat before she left.
“Oh, thank you,” Ophelia replied as she collected it.
“Reminds me of when I was still a spinster and men used to write letters to me…”
Ophelia was surprised. “You also had a secret admirer?”
“Well yes. Awhile back before my engagement. Quite a surprise. Do you know who it is from?” asked Rebecca.
“I was surprised when it came in some minutes ago. I do not know who could have written this to me.”
Rebecca sipped from her cup. “I am certain that you have lots of men falling for you. It must be one of them who finds it difficult to express himself to you in person. It sounds romantic.”
Ophelia managed a smile. “Well, you would think that but that is not how I see it.”
Rebecca frowned. “You cannot tell me that you do not have suitors dying to have your hand in marriage.”
“Well, I do not. I think I have met a few but I find it difficult to know their intentions. An example of this is this secret admirer. I have no idea who he could be.”
“Well, why don’t you give it time? Sooner or later, he will come out and present himself. I am sure his intentions are honorable.”
Ophelia sighed.
“Is everything alright?” asked Rebecca.
“Yes, my lady.”
“You say something but your face says another. And please, don’t be so formal with me, Ophelia. I want you to know that I want us to be close. I want to be your confidante and for you to be mine so that we can tell each other what it is that is troubling us.”
Ophelia smiled. “Thank you, Rebecca, but nothing troubles me more than my chances of getting married which keeps getting slimmer by the day,” she stood up. “You may think I am desperate but I am under a lot of pressure. If I have my way, I wouldn’t mind having to wait till the one I love comes around.”
“The one you love?”
“Well, I do believe in love, Rebecca,” she replied. “Mother thinks it’s a waste of time and that it is not important when it comes to marriage but I cannot help it.”
“Love is indeed a beautiful thing, Ophelia,” replied Rebecca. “And trust me, you have someone who cares for you, and maybe another suitor as well as stated in the letter from the person who is afraid of coming to meet you.”
Ophelia frowned. “I have someone who cares for me? How can you know that?”
Rebecca smiled and stood up. “I just know. So, you don’t have to fret.”
Ophelia was tempted to ask her if this was about her brother but she couldn’t find the courage to ask that. She wouldn’t want to seem too desperate to her.
“Why don’t we take a walk?” asked Rebecca. “You have a beautiful garden and not too cold outside.”
Ophelia smiled and picked up her scarf which was lying on the couch.
* * *
Lord Benjamin Gibbs, the Baron of Salsbury
“I did not see Rebecca when I came in,” Benjamin said to Christopher as he walked into his father’s study. Christopher seemed to be busy with some papers on the table.
“Oh, yes. She went to Havenswood,” replied Christopher.
“Havenswood? To see Ophelia?” he asked.
Chris nodded but then stopped and turned to face him. “How did you know?”
“How did I know what?”
“How did you know that Ophelia stays at Havenswood?”
Benjamin stopped. He realized he had gotten ahead of himself and revealed too much information. He should not have said that but now, he would need to think of how to rectify that so as not to get Christopher suspicious.
“Well, you told me,” he replied casually.
Christopher shook his head, looking at him suspiciously. “How could I have told you that when I did not mention it during our talk at the ball?”
Benjamin chuckled. “But you told me at the ball that your sister would be paying her a visit today and I heard from other party guests that Havenwood was where her father lived, so I just guessed that was where she went.”
Christopher raised his brows and continued with the papers he was writing on. “That’s understandable.”
Benjamin grabbed a seat and pretended to be looking around the office but his mind was far away. If Rebecca and Ophelia became good friends, it might hinder his own plans if Rebecca made her distrust him.
He also hoped that Ophelia would not tell Rebecca of the secret letter. But even if she did managed to tell Rebecca, he was certain that Rebecca would never be able to identify his handwriting.
“Are you alright?” Christopher asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“Yes, I am,” he replied.
“You seemed to be lost in thought.”
Benjamin shrugged and leaned forward. “I just fail to comprehend what this Ophelia has on you to get you so enamored with her when you could have better ladies of a higher class.”
Christopher smiled. “Sometimes, love can be mysterious, my dear friend.”
Ben remembered that Luke had told him that.
“So, you yourself do not understand why?” he asked with a chuckle.
Christopher shrugged. “Believe me Ben, once you meet Ophelia, you will realize that I have said the truth. She captured my heart when I set my eyes on her and I lost all sense of reasoning. I do not know why I love her and I think that is a good thing.”
Benjamin smiled. “Well, I cannot wait to meet her,” he replied. “What about your parents?”
“Mothe
r should be with father. And I am sure they will love her. She is a respectable woman,” Christopher replied.
“I am sorry to bring this up but I am only saying this out of a concern for you,” Benjamin put in.
Christopher frowned and looked up at him. “What is it?”
“Have you thought about what would happen if Ophelia does not return your affection?”
* * *
Christopher Crampton , Viscount Barrington
The question came as a surprise to Christopher. He had been so focused on approaching Ophelia and telling her how he felt that he never once thought about if she declined is advances.
He could remember at the fair how they had exchanged glances a couple of time and their dance at the ball. That had given him a kind of hope but now, Benjamin just made him see something he had overlooked.
“Well, do you think she might decline?”
Benjamin shrugged. “Well, what about those errors you committed with those women? What if that stands in the way?”
Christopher gasped. “Are you trying to frighten me and to discourage me from pressing further in regards to Miss Ophelia?”
“Not at all,” Benjamin blurted, raising his hands. “I just want you to think things through. You cannot expect that someone as decent as her would want to have anything to do with a rake like you.”
Christopher sighed and leaned back. Benjamin was right. Why did he not think of that all the while?
All of a sudden Benjamin stood up. “Well, I have to attend to something. Will you be coming to the gambling hell at Yandin, tonight?”
Christopher could not reply. He was pondering about what his friend had just said.
“You are not sure?” asked Benjamin.
“I don’t know yet,” he replied in a low tone.
“Well, if I don’t see you tonight, I might come over tomorrow.”
Christopher nodded and watched as Benjamin left. When the door was shut, he inhaled a deep breath. Could his past really worsen things for him? Could he show her that would change for her?
Chapter 9
Lord Benjamin Gibbs, the Baron of Salsbury
Benjamin looked around the gambling hell and spotted Luke among some men at the bar. He was smoking and laughing with the rest of them.
Benjamin walked up to them and stood beside Luke who was surprised to see him.
“You are back! Welcome,” he said to him.
“I did what you suggested,” Benjamin said to him as he signaled to the bar man.
“You sent a letter to her?” asked Luke.
“Yes and I also somehow planted some seeds of doubt into Christopher’s mind.”
Luke smiled, removing the cigar from his lips. “That is good news, my friend. So what exactly did you tell him?”
“Well,” started Ben as he sipped from the bottle he was handed. “I told him it was possible for the lady to have other rivals, so he should not be too disappointed if she does not return his feelings. I also reminded him of his behavior which is unbecoming of a soon to be Earl.”
Luke laughed out, picked up his bottle and raised it for a cheer. “You are smarter than I thought,” he said to Ben who cheered with him before they both gulped down their drinks.
“So, what else do you think I need to do?” he asked Luke.
“Well, one thing is certain. The lady will be intrigued and confused. If she has several suitors, she will be unsure of which of them sent her the letters. She might even be thinking that your friend had sent the letter. You must find a way to clarify that. At the same time, you need to give her a way to return the letters. Create a way to keep the conversation going between you two.”
“So when do you think she will ask to meet?” asked Benjamin.
“All in due time. She has seen you before, has she not?”
“Of course, she has.”
“Well, then,” continued Ben. “When the time is right, let her ask to meet, then we shall do something about that.”
Ben smiled and brought out some pound notes which he handed to Luke who took them excitedly.
“Why did you have to be Christopher’s friend, anyway?” he asked. “I used to know him as someone who was a loner, always kept to himself. And you may not remember me, but we have played a game together at the gambling hell, and I could see that you are a great gambler.”
Benjamin smiled. “I never wanted a friend because I didn’t need one. But when I met Christopher, I thought, we could be friends. He needed someone to spend time with and I needed someone to make me ‘more responsible’, to appease my grandfather. I needed someone of a higher class. That was how we became friends.”
“But how did he become a scoundrel? Was that your undoing as well?” Luke asked with a laugh.
“Oh no! That was all him. He had the desire to corrupt women in his mind all the while. I just happened to bring it out.”
Luke smiled. “And here you are. Both of you, loving the same woman.”
“Yes, he has had his chances with all the women he needed and I never gave him a problemm in regards that. I found Ophelia, and she belongs to me. I am not going to allow him to ruin that for me.”
Luke smiled. “Well, keep paying me for good advises and I will help you get her…isn’t that your friend coming in?”
Benjamin was surprised and turned to see the entrance. Luke was right. Christopher was walking into the gambling hell and he seemed to be looking around for him. He finally spotted him.
“I thought he wasn’t coming tonight,” said Benjamin. “Excuse me.”
Benjamin walked over to Christopher.
“I thought you weren’t coming in tonight,” he said as they both took a seat.
Christopher frowned as he looked at Luke who was looking back at him.
“I think I know that man,” he said to Benjamin. “You won against him in a game some months back. Do you not remember?”
Benjamin shrugged. “No, I don’t.”
“What were you two talking about?”
“Nothing important,” replied Benjamin. “What made you come in tonight? Thought you were not sure.”
* * *
Christopher Crampton, Viscount Barrington
Christopher should not have come to the gambling hell that night. He had lots of things to do but Benjamin had somehow shifted his mind from things.
The only thing he could think of was what he would do if Ophelia did not return his affection. After some time, he had decided to come to the gambling hell to seek his friend’s advice.
“So, that is why you are here?” asked Benjamin after he had told him everything.
“Yes. Ben, I do not think you understand how serious my feelings are for Ophelia. I’m afraid that my heart shall not be at peace until I have spoken with her once again.”
“Have you told your mother about her?”
“Of course not. Mother is too busy taking care of father than for me to start dumping my own worries into her laps.”
“What about your sister? Is she back from Havenwood?”
“Yes. I trust she is back but she must have gone to her husband’s estates by now. She will be back to give me the outcome tomorrow.”
“Well, then, you can wait for her to come back before you start worrying yourself endlessly,” said Benjamin.
“I am unable to stop myself from worrying, Ben. But I think I know what to do even if she does have other men seeking her hand.”
Ben raised his brows. “What would you do?”
“I am going to get close to her. I will get to understand her and maybe in the process, she might get close to me too. But I am not giving up.”
Benjamin smiled. “That is a good decision,” he said before raising the bottle to his lips.
* * *
Miss Ophelia Campbell
“Emily, do you think it wise for me to go to this dinner?”
It was the second day after Rebecca had visited. Emily had come over and Ophelia and told her everything, including the pa
rt where she had been invited to the Barrington estates for a dinner.
“I think it is alright for you to go. Seems his sister is trying to be your friend and bring you and the Viscount together. That is a good thing,” said Emily.
A Lady to Redeem a Rakish Lord: A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 7