“You wish to be present when I speak to Lord Coatbridge with respect to his possible involvement in this affair?” he asked, as she nodded. “Are you sure that such a thing would be wise?”
Her hand slid down his arm and gripped his hand.
“I must know,” she repeated softly. “I have to understand everything. Such cruelty cannot be borne. You may think me a little foolish, mayhap, but this has done the most profound damage to my heart. I need to understand why he has done such a thing.”
Her eyes shifted to his, and Gideon knew that he could not refuse her anything. There were soft pools of moisture glistening in her eyes. It was clear that her heart was aching with all that she had discovered.
“Very well,” he answered her gently, despite his better judgment. “If that is what you seek, then I shall not withhold it from you.”
A long breath escaped her.
“Thank you, Lord Stoneleigh.”
Still not altogether certain that he was doing the right thing, Gideon nodded slowly.
“Let us hope that I do not come to regret it, Lady Sara,” he murmured as she shot him a quick smile.
For the first time, there was a genuine hope that he could recover his fortune. Quite how he was to go about it, he was not certain, given that he could not be sure that Lord Coatbridge was in fact, the perpetrator. The fact that he had a flare of hope, a bright light before him, now, was more than he had ever had before, and that was enough to bring him a great deal of encouragement.
“We should talk of something else before I return you to your mother,” he continued as Lady Sara let out another long breath. “I should also thank you for choosing to believe me. I gave you a most unusual sounding story, and there was no requirement for you to trust my word, yet you have done so.”
“I believe that you are a trustworthy gentleman,” she answered quietly. “I do not believe that there is anything you have told me that could even beconsideredfalse. A gentleman would not push himself and his feelings away from a lady unless he had a genuine concern for her situation. I do not believe that you would have told me the truth had I not pressed you, but the fact that you have been honest with me says a great deal about your character. Given that I have struggled with the way that Lord Coatbridge treated me, and my belief that I knew nothing about his true character, I find myself greatly relieved that you would be so entirely honest.”
A little humbled, Gideon pressed one hand to his heart.
“I thank you, Lady Sara. You speak well of me in a way that I do not think anyone has ever done before.”
“Perhaps that is because you do not permit many people toknowyour character,” she answered softly as he found himself nodding.
“You are correct that I have not been an eager participant in society, on the whole. Nonetheless, I still feel as though your kind words are too much and not entirely deserved.”
This brought a small smile to her face which sent a flash of light into her clear blue eyes.
“Whether you think me over complimentary or not, I shall not take back what I have said. In my eyes, you are certainly one of the most favorable gentlemen in all of London.”
Being entirely unused to such compliments, Gideon did not know quite how to respond. Instead, he contented himself with walking alongside her for some minutes in silence, as they each considered what the other had said. This strange surge of affection that had first struck him during their waltz together had only grown over these last few days, to the point that it could not be ignored now. Indeed, it seemed to redouble itself, as if determined to prove its existence within his heart. He could not exactly put a finger on the day, nor the hour when his consideration of the lady had changed, but nonetheless, it had changed so drastically that he was still attempting to make sense of it all. Instead of finding her a little irritating, Gideon now found her quite insightful. Instead of forward, he found her considerate and instead of rushing to push her further away, he wanted to draw her even nearer.
Quite how he was to express such things to her, Gideon did not know. Nor did he have any opportunity however, for the carriage came into view and their walk together came to its fulfillment.
“Alas, it seems our conversation has to end at this juncture, since we are returning to your carriage.”
He turned his smile towards her, and Lady Sara managed to return one of her own.“
“We have had a good deal to speak of, have we not? I only hope that I have not upset you in any way.”
“Indeed, you have not.”
Gideon offered her a warm smile as his steps slowed, wanting each moment to linger.
“And you will keep me informed as to what you discover, will you not?”
Her eyes were suddenly wide as she turned to face him, grasping both of his hands with her own.
“I swear to you, I shall do so.”
Her eyes were piercing as she held his gaze steadily for some moments more. It was only when her mother joined them that she finally released his hands, dropping her head as a light flush came into her cheeks. Gideon continued to watch her as Lady Longford thanked him for all that he had done for her daughter and exclaimed over what a beautiful day it had been. Gideon silently admired the lady before him, thinking that Lady Sara was one of the most beautiful young ladies he had ever laid eyes on. A few golden curls spiraled from her forehead, escaping from her bonnet and brushing down across her cheek, and had Lady Longford not been present, he would have reached out and brushed them aside. Instead, he simply contented himself with a gentle smile as her eyes finally reached his again, and in his smile was a promise that he would keep his word, that hewouldtell her all that he discovered… and perhaps in doing so, he might find more with her than he had ever let himself dream of before.
Chapter Eleven
