“Thank you, mother,” he replied.
“So, about Miss Campbell,” she started and that got his attention.
“What about her?”
“I hope you have stopped thinking about her?”
This was not a normal mother-to-son discussion and Christopher could not give his mother any response.
“Mother, what do you really want?” he asked.
His mother sighed. “Well, as you know, I am here to remind you that since Ophelia is no longer in the picture, you need to find another bride. That was the deal between you and your father.”
Christopher sighed and shook his head. “So, are you saying that you want me to get another bride so soon?”
“You were never supposed to get too close to that lady in the first place,” stated his mother.
Christopher sighed. He was in no mood to argue with his mother especially on something like this.
“I am not ready for another relationship, mother,” he clearly declared.
“But until when?” she asked. “You are not getting any younger?”
“Of course, I know, mother. I look at the mirror every morning and I know.”
“Good? Are you afraid of how to start looking for a lady to marry? If that is the case, you know I can help you.”
He chuckled. “How do you plan to do that?”
“By finding you a good girl of course,” replied his mother.
“And you think you will find a lady like Ophelia?”
“I am not interested in finding you a lady like someone else. I never had the chance to get to know her and if truly she is as wonderful as you claim, why can she not forgive you?”
Christopher was quiet. His mother had a point. He had tried not to think about it but now that his mother was bringing it up, he had no choice but to deal with it.
If Ophelia indeed had true love for him, she would have let him explain himself so that she could understand that he gave up that lifestyle to be with here. But she ended the relationship quickly.
“Let me know if you need my help,” said his mother. “Goodnight.”
He watched as his mother walked out of the room and he sighed.
All the emotions he had suppressed were coming back to him. He had tried to ignore them by burying himself in his work but now, it was like his mother had come only to open the door for them to be released again.
He was not sorry for himself, he was just angry. Angry that Ophelia could just give up so soon without even seeing him, without giving him a chance to prove to her that he had changed. Everyone has their past, and that would not determine their future if properly handled.
Chapter 29
Miss Ophelia Campbell
Ophelia was in the snow covered garden with her cousin, Charles. He traveled and had come back to see her.
“What of Emily?” Charles asked after a while. “I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“Oh, she is busy with her wedding planning,” she replied.
“Wonderful! It is about time for that,” replied Charles. “So, how about you? Have you found it in your heart to forgive your sweet Christopher?”
Ophelia stared at him. “That is not funny.”
“I am not trying to be funny. I know that something happened between you two. Is there a way to get past this.”
Ophelia sighed. “There is no going past anything,” she replied. “Lord Crampton and I are done.”
Charles was surprised. “So you mean, you two haven’t talked since the last time I was here?”
“We talked,” she replied. “I wrote to him that I wish to extract myself from the relationship and that he should not bother to write to me again.”
Charles raised his brows. “And he stopped?”
She nodded.
“I am speechless. Who would have thought that you would actually not go back to him?”
“I am not that naïve or desperate,” she retorted.
“You were at one point desperate to be with him…”
“That was before I knew him to be who he is,” she replied.
“So, he stopped pursuing you and you are alright with it?” asked Charles.
“Of course, I am,” she replied as convincingly as possible.
“So, if he comes running back into your arms, telling you he has changed, you would not take him back?”
Ophelia thought about that for a while and then shook her head. “No, I would not.”
“Unbelievable!”
“I am serious!”
“Why would you not take him back?”
“Because he had the chance to do that and he chose not to,” she replied.
Now, Charles gave her a puzzled look. “So, are you saying that the chance is over?”
“It might be,” she replied.
Charles gasped, shaking his head. “I cannot believe what I’m hearing,” he said. “You are talking as if you have already given up on the both of you.”
“Yes, I have. He hurt me and tried to use me. He has moved on and I am doing the same,” she replied.
“How do you know that he has moved on?”
“His friend, Lord Benjamin Gibbs told me,” she replied.
“You are now close with his friend?” he asked.
“Not like that. he comes here to spend time with me,” she replied.
Charles burst into laughter. “So now, you are spending time with his friend?”
As Ophelia was about to answer, a familiar carriage pulled in. She knew it was Lord Gibbs and she stood up as he climbed out of the carriage.
“My Lord,” she said with a curtsy while he bowed.
“Miss Campbell.”
“Please, meet my cousin, Charles Doodleton,” she said.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Doodleton,” Benjamin said to Charles who was looking from one to the other.
“Same here, Lord Gibbs,” Charles quickly said with a slight bow.
“Do you mind if I borrow your cousin for a while?” Benjamin asked.
“Are we going somewhere, my lord?” asked Ophelia.
“Yes,” replied Lord Gibbs. “It is supposed to be a surprise outing in my sleigh.”
Ophelia exchanged a look with Charles. She knew he was finding everything odd to understand.
“Well, I better go get properly dressed, then, and ask one of the servants to chaperone.” Ophelia replied.
“No, I think you look fine, just like this,” he replied and then faced Charles. “I hope you do not mind.”
“Of course not,” Charles replied. Once Ophelia was ready along with her maid, all three left with Lord Gibbs and Ophelia seated in the beautifully decorated sled while his coachman and her maid followed in the carriage.
* * *
Mr. Charles Doodleton
He kept on watching until the carriages was out of sight. He could not understand what was happening.
“Charles, where is my daughter?” asked Mrs. Campbell as she came out.
“She just left, Aunt Mabel,” replied Charles.
“Did she leave with Lord Gibbs?” asked his uncle’s wife and Charles nodded.
“Did one of the servants go with them?”
Charles nodded which was a great relief to his aunt.
“I shall be patient till they return,” she said and was preparing to go back inside.
“Excuse me, Aunt Mabel,” started Charles. “I do not quite understand what is happening and I would really appreciate if you could enlighten me.”
“Okay then. Out with it child! I do not have all the time in the world.”
“Has Lord Gibbs shown any interest in Ophelia?”
Mrs. Campbell stared at him and then shrugged. “We cannot say for now but let us hope for the best.”
“And of Lord Crampton?”
Mrs. Campbell looked at him, her brows furrowed in a frown. “I was made to understand that you never liked Lord Crampton and now you are concerned about him all of a sudden?”
Charles knew his aunt was right, b
ut he still had his concerns regarding how quickly Ophelia and Lord Gibbs had become familiar with each other.
“Does he know that Ophelia and his best friend are now getting close?”
“It does not matter, Charles. Why are you so bothered by it?” After this the woman left and Charles was left to his own thoughts. He as a bit confused that Ophelia given up on Christopher and now welcomed Benjamin’s advances.
He sighed. He would need to speak with Christopher to finally get the bottom of why he and his cousin where no longer speaking and try to figure out why Lord Gibbs seemed to be more friendly towards are so soon. Not that he actually liked the man but between him and Benjamin, he would go with Christopher. A devil once known is after all, better than the devil not know.
* * *
Lord Benjamin Gibbs, the Baron of Salsbury
“Your cousin does not seem to like me, very much,” he said as they rode through Hyde park.
“He is always like that,” she replied. “He acted the same way with Christopher. I actually wished I listen to him more these days.”
“So, he told you something about Christopher?”
“He told me to be cautious with him. That he had heard of his reputation with women,” she replied.
Benjamin smiled softly while eating one of the fruits in the basket that he had brought for them to snack on. “You know I wanted to tell you…”
She nodded. “I know, I wish you had told me.”
* * *
Miss Ophelia Campbell
She wasn’t comfortable spending time with Benjamin, but what else could she do? She also hoped that he would not use what happened between her and Christopher as his chance to propose to her. She knew something was off, but Benjamin has been nothing but kind towards her.
Aside from her mother and friend who were encouraging her to marry him, there was no way she would do that. He was a good-looking man. Tolerable and kind. Why could she not like him?
“Might I ask what is going through your mind?” he asked suddenly. She didn’t like it anytime he did that. It was like he was trying to know every of her thought and she could not understand why.
“Does Christopher know that we have been spending a lot of time together?”
He was surprised and didn’t reply at first, then he smiled and asked. “Why must you always talk about Christopher anytime I am around you? Can you try not to talk of him for a while?”
Even though he had said it calmly and sweetly, Ophelia could swear she got a hint of jealousy in his voice. All the same, she apologized to him.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “No more talk of Christopher. Let’s talk about you.”
He seemed delighted by this and he smiled. “Good. I am all ears.”
“That day you came to rescue my mother. Where were you exactly? Were you following me?”
* * *
Lord Benjamin Gibbs, the Baron of Salsbury
Benjamin was a little angry by her suspicions. What exactly did she expect him to say? That he had been taking his time to watch them? To know their every move? To tell her that he knew what time she woke up that morning and when she had her breakfast?
That he knew she sometimes still wished she and Christopher were still together, or that the accident was no accident at all and that he had been tailing them for some time that day, just to keep an eye on her?
“Lord Gibbs?” she said again.
“I am sorry, I become lost in thought,” he said with a smile as he readjusted his hold and the reigns. “Why do you always think the worse of me?” he asked in a tender voice.
Ophelia was confused by this question. “I’m sorry. I do not understand what you mean by that.”
“You think I have been following you around. Why?”
She averted her gaze and looked at the ground. “I’m, sorry to have implied...”
“No,” he replied, still calmly and with a soothing smile. “I do not want you to be sorry. I just want you to give me a response.”
* * *
Miss Ophelia Campbell
Ophelia waited for a while, thinking if to tell him the truth or not.
“You can tell me what you think of me,” he replied, still giving her a reassuring smile.
“Well, first of all,” she started. “I am sorry if this seems a bit strange, but you told me to be free with you.”
He nodded, “Of course, please talk to me.”
“You said you never recognized me the first time I saw you with Lord Crampton. Something tells me you were lying on that day, but I do not understand why you would lie about it. Since then, I have been having doubts about you. I am sorry, but that is the truth. Why would you lie about that?”
Lord Gibbs chuckled. “How well do you know Christopher?”
She frowned. What has that to do with anything?
“Not so much,” she admitted.
“Exactly,” he replied. “I have known him for a long time,” he stated. “He has been talking about you since the night of the fair but I never knew that he was talking about the same lady I met. So, imagine my surprise when I saw you.”
“So, you did remember me?”
“Of course, you are unforgettable,” he said. “Then why be so secretive,” she asked. “I like you, miss Ophelia and I could not have said that in front of Christopher. He would have gotten angry and very jealous of that. Besides, he still asked me several times why I never told him about you.”
“Is he that bad?”
“He is very bad,” Benjamin replied. “He has no friends aside me. I am the only one that can tolerate his excesses. Or, have you seen anyone with him aside me?”
She shook her head and then thought of talking about the very night she had seen him kissing some lady.
“You want to tell me something?”
“I do not know if it is necessary or not,” she replied.
“Do tell.”
“I saw him that night, with a lady. She kissed him on the cheeks. I am not certain if that meant anything or not. A kiss on both cheeks could be a friendly kiss, right?” she asked.
Benjamin laughed. “That is how it starts. Until he takes them under the kissing bough and makes them weak in the knees.”
Ophelia’s heart skipped a beat as she heard this. He could not have possibly known about their kiss, could he?
“You are saying something about the kissing bough?”
“Yes,” he replied. “He hangs kissing boughs around the house anytime he wants to catch his victim. This would cause the lady to start thinking that fate had brought them together and then he can take advantage of their gullibility. He also tries to woo them by promising him wealth and a title.
Ophelia sighed and swallowed. She blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes. She had been a fool! Now, she could see that everything had been planned, just as he had done with countless other women. Why did she not realize it?
“Are you alright?” he asked her. “Your eyes…” he started, extending his hand to her eyes which she knew must have reddened suddenly.
“I think I got dirt in it,” she replied, blinking rapidly.
“Well, then I guess that means I need to take you home. I do not want anything to hurt you.”
“Alright. Please, take me home.”
Chapter 30
Christopher Crampton, Viscount Barrington
Christopher was riding on one of his horses when a servant approached him. Behind him was a man he recognized instantly as Ophelia’s cousin.
“My Lord, you have a guest,” said the servant while taking a bow.
‘Thank you, Timothy. You may go,” he said, dismounting from his horse and giving the reins to the stable boy. “Mr. Doodleton,” he said as he walked closer to the man. “Quite a surprise to see you. I hope you are here not to mock me for I know you never wanted me to have anything to do with your cousin, Miss Campbell.”
The man sighed. “My Lord. I know I never liked you, but I am not here to mock you.”
This further surprised him. “Really? Then, what are you doing here?”
“I want to speak with you and to ask why you would treat my cousin the way you treated many of your whores!”
Christopher looked baffled. “So, you are here to fight me, then?”
A Lady To Redeem A Rakish Lord (Historical Regency Romance) Page 22