Something Lord Burrows had told him, perhaps?
What could it have been, though? She was certain he could not know about her indiscretions with Edwin, though perhaps he suspected some sort of impropriety between them? The thought made her stomach clench with anxiety. If her Papa found out she had been intimate with Edwin, he was likely to kill the gentleman in a fit of rage.
“Do you know about what time he planned on returning home?”
Unity raised one brow and slowly shook her head. “No, I do not believe—”
A sudden commotion out in the hall had both sisters turning to stare at the door in surprise. Tabitha quickly recognized Sophia’s voice calling out to her.
“I am in the parlor!” she responded.
The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard rushing toward the room, and the next moment, Sophia burst through the door.
“I have news!” she exclaimed.
Unity appeared baffled. “I thought you were spending the day with Miss Duncan?”
Sophia waved her hands frantically, dismissing the idea as though swatting at gnats.
“I returned home the second I heard what I have to tell you!”
Tabitha sighed, exasperated as always by her sister’s antics.
“Well, do not keep us in suspense,” she huffed. “What is it you have heard that has you so excited?”
Sophia hurried closer to Tabitha and took her hand. She stared up at Tabitha with pity in her gaze.
“I have heard the most terrible rumor about Lord Morrington, and I knew I had to tell you immediately.”
All the air rushed from Tabitha’s lungs at once. She grasped her sister’s hand in turn.
“What is it? What have you heard?”
Sophia shot an uncertain look toward Unity, who stared back at her, dumbfounded.
“Do not look to me for assistance,” she said. “I have not the faintest idea what it is you are about to say.”
Sophia turned her gaze back to Tabitha and took a deep breath.
“I heard from Miss Duncan, who has just returned from London, that there is a terrible scandal that has taken the city by storm. It appears Lord Morrington had an affair with a married Lady, a dear friend of his by all accounts, and got her with child.”
Tabitha stared at her sister, too stunned to come up with a reply.
“Wha…what are you saying?” she finally murmured.
Sophia looked genuinely distressed by her news. “It is only a rumor, and both parties deny there has been any indiscretion, but apparently she was not able to become pregnant with her husband for several years now. The suddenness of her condition has many doubting their word.”
Tabitha did not know what to think. Surely, it could not be true. Edwin would not dabble in an affair with a married woman. He was far too honorable for that.
Or perhaps he only pretends at honor, as he pretends at everything else.
The traitorous voice in her head startled her. She thought she had put her doubts about Edwin to rest, but this news poked at her insecurities and anxieties when it came to him, like a freshly scabbed wound.
It could not be true.
She would not believe it. Not without speaking to him first.
I must give him a chance to explain before I jump to conclusions.
Was not her hurry to judge him the reason they had experienced so many difficulties already?
I will ask him straight out, and pray he does not lie.
“Tabitha? Are you all right, my dear?” Unity’s soft voice broke through her riotous thoughts.
Taking a quick breath, she dropped Sophia’s hand and pasted a smile on her face.
“It simply is not possible,” she said, her voice sounding more certain than she truly was. “Lord Morrington is not the type of gentleman to do such a thing.”
Both her sisters stared at her in shock.
“Not a week ago, you very much believed him such a gentleman,” Sophia pointed out. “Why would you change your mind so thoroughly when there is evidence that you were right about his character all along?”
Because I know him, now. I trust him now.
She did trust him, she realized. Not only with her body, but with her heart as well. She was falling in love with Edwin, and she had even recognized it was happening until that moment.
“I will give him the chance to defend himself before I believe anything,” she insisted. “You said that both parties have denied the affair. I want to hear what he has to say about the matter.”
“Are you certain?” Sophia asked. “What if…what if you catch him in a lie?”
Then I shall prove myself the greatest fool to have ever lived.
Forcing her expression into one of utter certainty, she instead said, “Then I will have spared myself a great deal of grief over a gentleman not truly worthy of my time.”
* * *
“Miss Walters? Lord Morrington has come to call.”
Tabitha shot up from her chair at the breakfast table. “What? He has?”
The maid who had delivered the message nodded. “Yes. Shall I see him into the formal parlor?”
“Yes, please do so,” Tabitha hurried to reply. It was the next morning, and she had just been thinking she should contact Edwin in order to have the necessary conversation with him regarding the rumors of his affair. It was as if her thoughts had conjured him to her door.
Unity and Sophia sat with her and both stared up at her with expression of concern.
“Are you certain this is a good idea?” Sophia cautiously asked.
Tabitha rolled her eyes. “Do stop worrying. I cannot simply pretend I have not heard these rumors about him. The sooner I confront him about them, the sooner we can all move on from this ordeal.”
“I think it is very good that you are choosing not to shy away from the situation,” Unity said with a proud smile. “It shows a great level of maturity, Tabitha.”
“Thank you, Unity,” she replied. “Now, would either of you be willing to accompany me to meet Lord Morrington. I do not wish to keep him waiting.”
To her surprise, both her sisters jumped to their feet.
“I will go!” the declared in unison.
Tabitha sighed and shook her head in exasperation. “You may both come with me if you wish to.”
She moved toward the door, and both her sisters hurried to follow after her. They made their way through the house toward the parlor, where Edwin waited for her by the fireplace. When she entered the room, he gave her a wide smile.
“Miss Walters, I apologize for the suddenness of my visit,” he said, his voice eager. “I was hoping, however, that I might interest you in a walk? There is something I wish to discuss with you.”
Does he already know what I have heard about him?
Was he here to assure her of his innocence before she even needed to ask?
“Ah, yes, My Lord, I would be happy to accompany you on a walk,” she replied. “One of my sisters will accompany us.”
“I believe we both could use the exercise,” Sophia announced. Tabitha shot her a glare over her shoulder, but her youngest sister only gave her a cheeky grin.
Sighing, Tabitha turned her gaze back to Edwin. “Fine…both my sisters will accompany us.”
Frustration flashed through her eyes, but he hid his angst the next second and smiled.
“That sounds lovely.”
* * *
Edwin was nervous. He was rarely nervous when it came to ladies, but he supposed he had never intended to propose to one before. Though he would much rather be alone with her, he supposed he could not escape the necessity of her sisters joining them as they walked through the field at the back of their father’s estate.
He felt awkward speaking to her with them so close behind, however, and hesitated to say what he needed to say.
“Tabitha,” he murmured. “Is there, by chance, any way we could add some distance between ourselves and your sisters?”
Her lips curled into a sma
ll smile. “Fear not, Edwin. My sisters are well aware of our need for privacy.”
He glanced behind him, and to his relief and surprise, saw that Miss Unity and Miss Sophia had fallen a good distance behind them. When he and Tabitha crested a rather large hill, he lost sight of them completely.
“Ah, that is a welcome reprieve,” he murmured.
They continued walking, though they floated closer and closer together until their hands brushed. He wanted to grab her and kiss her. Press her down into the grass and let her cries fill the blue skies above them.
Edwin restrained himself, however, knowing that time was not on their side. Her sisters would come back into sight soon enough.
“What is it you wished to speak to me about, Edwin?” Tabitha asked him in a soft voice. A delicate blushed covered her cheeks. Was she having similar, carnal thoughts as his own?
He gave his head a firm shake, focusing in on the matter at hand.
“Tabitha, I have something I wish to ask you. Something of great significance…”
She came to a sudden stopped and turned to face him. Surprised, he stumbled to a halt as well.
“Edwin, I am sorry, but there is something I must ask you first,” she said, her tone insistent. “I have tried not to bring it up immediately, but it is truly eating at me on the inside.”
His eyes widened.
What in the world could be troubling her so?
Nodding, he replied, “All right. What is it you wish to ask me?”
She took a deep, fortifying breath, before blurting, “I have heard a rumor that you had an affair with a married lady back in London and got her with child. Is it true?”
She spoke so quickly, he had a difficult time understanding her right away. When he fully comprehended what she was saying, he felt as though a stone had dropped in his stomach.
“Where…where did you hear this?”
“From my youngest sister, who heard it from a friend of hers just arrived from London,” she explained. “She only told me yesterday.”
He was not sure if he should be relieved that she had only just heard the rumor, or fearful that she had already made up her mind about it.
She is asking me about the situation, though. It appears she is willing to hear my side.
But what to tell her? He had promised the Countess he would not say a word of what had really transpired. He had sworn to keep the circumstances of her pregnancy a closely guarded secret, even at the risk of his one reputation and social standing.
It had been a small sacrifice to protect his dear friend.
But could he hide the truth from Tabitha?
Not if I want her to be my wife.
These rumors would affect her as well. She would be forced to endure the whispers and suspicious glares whenever they were in town. If she was willing to stand by his side, he thought she deserved the full truth.
“I never had an affair,” he began. “I would never attempt to seduce a married lady, no matter how tempting I might find her.”
There was a brief flash of relief that crossed her features, but it was replaced with resolve the next second.
“I heard that the lady in question is a close friend of yours, and has become pregnant after years of producing no children with her husband. If the baby is not yours, is it her husbands?”
He gritted his teeth and shook his head. “No.”
She appeared disappointed. “Then…then if she had an affair with someone else, why would you lie for her?”
He could see the doubt begin to blossom in her eyes, and it made his chest ache. She was fighting it, but he knew she was struggling to contain it.
“I am covering for my dear friend because the truth is much more difficult for people to digest.”
She licked her lips and stared up at him, clearly nervous.
“What is the truth?” she murmured.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he took in a deep breath to build up his courage. He needed to tell her. He needed her to know everything.
“If I tell you, you must swear you will not repeat a word I say.” He made his voice hard so she understood the gravity of what he was about to reveal. “You cannot even tell your sisters.”
Her eyes went wide. “I…I swear, I will not tell a soul.”
He believed her. She was not one to make false promises, and he trusted her to maintain his confidence.
Still, saying the word out loud was no easy task.
Forcing them past his lips, he said, “The Countess of Pimperton is not with child because she had an affair. She is with child because…because she was raped.”
Chapter 30
Tabitha stared at him in horror. She could hardly believe what he had just told her, but the anguish in his expression was not something that could be faked.
He is telling the truth.
She let out a cry of despair, her heart breaking for the poor Countess of Pimperton, and for Edwin who had risked so much in order to protect her.
“Ho…how could something like that happen?” She had heard of the Countess, though she had never met her in person. She was married to a wealthy older gentleman who was politically active and influential. For a lady of such status to be violated in such a way…
Edwin shook his head. “She would not give me the details, nor reveal the identity of her attacker. I think she fears retaliation from him were she to expose him.”
“He must be a truly terrible person to bring such harm to her.” Tabitha thought of herself and of her sisters, and could not imagine how any of them would be able to live with such an act being done to them. It made her shiver with dread and disgust to even think about.
What a truly brave lady the Countess must be. No wonder Edwin cares so much for her.
“Her husband? Does he know?”
Edwin nodded. “Yes, the Earl knows all that I do, though she will not even tell him her attacker’s name. He has proven himself a loyal and loving husband, standing by her side even as the rumors have swirled about the two of us.”
“You allow them to spread, knowing the truth would be too painful for her to reveal.” Any lingering doubts she may have had about Edwin were swept away in the face of his stalwart devotion and selflessness. She was not sure she knew of any other gentleman who would so willingly sacrifice his reputation for the sake of a friend when he was completely innocent of any wrongdoing.
In that moment, she was no longer merely falling in love with him. She was in love with him.
“How is the Countess faring during this trying time?” she asked. She reached out and took his hand, in that moment uncaring if her sisters came upon them and caught her.
He squeezed her fingers. “I fear she puts on a brave face to hide her torment. The gossips have been particularly vicious to her. She is called a harlot by those who she once considered friends, and has been ostracized from the majority of society. Her husband is called a cuckold and laughed at behind his back for remaining with her.”
“How terrible.” Tabitha could not imagine such rejection. Yes, several of the ladies of Laurelborough made it clear how much they disliked her, but she was still welcomed into every home and received an invitation to every social gathering. She took those open doors and invitations for granted.
What would she feel if they were all taken from her in an instant?
“Is that why you came to Laurelborough?” she asked in a small voice. “To escape the gossip?”
“Yes, but I knew they would follow me here eventually,” he confessed. “Such rumors do not die simply because you are not around. They linger and fester until they become a pillar of your social image, impossible to erase from peoples’ minds.”
“I am so sorry.”
He gifted her a small grin, then slipped his finger beneath her chin so that he could tilt her head up.
“I must confess, my initial reason for venturing the country was to find peace and solace from my damaged reputation in town. I did not expect to meet you, or to desir
e you the way that I do.”
Her heart began to race and her whole body grew hot. His touch sent a shock coursing through her, and she wanted more. She wanted his hands on her, exploring her and driving her toward her release. She wanted to put her hands on him and feel his bare skin beneath her palms.
Improperly Enticed By The Rascal Earl (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 23