Lord Thornbridge touched her arm, perhaps trying to take her out of her astonishment, but Emma jerked backward. This was not what she had expected, not in the least! For Lord Thornbridge to turn his back on her now was devastating, especially given that everyone in society believed that very soon, they would be courting. She had already dreamed of her betrothal and of all the wonderful things which came with such a situation. That was now all being taken from her, without explanation, without reason.
“Why?” Blinking back the tears which came more from anger than from a broken heart, Emma held his gaze steadily. “Why do you seek to turn away from me, if you are to come back to London by the end of the Season? There can be no reason for you to separate yourself in such a manner – that is, unless your feelings for our current connection have changed significantly.”
Lord Thornbridge cleared his throat.
“I can say nothing more.”
“Why can you not?” she challenged, but he was not to answer any of her questions. Shaking his head, he turned away and it was all Emma could do not to grab at his arm. “What happened to your back?”
She spoke clearly, barely keeping her words quiet enough to avoid attracting the attention of others, but the words had escaped her before she could prevent them from being spoken. In an instant, Lord Thornbridge turned back towards her, marching forward with a look of pure fury etched across his features. Emma did not recoil, however, standing tall as she met his eyes.
“Such matters are not for you.” Towering over her, he lowered his voice. “I would be grateful if you would keep what you have seen entirely to yourself.”
“And I would be grateful if you could tell me why you cannot permit yourself to be as warm an acquaintance with me as you were before.”
Again, she challenged him, but Lord Thornbridge only shook his head.
“You may ask for such a thing, but you will not be given it. I cannot speak the truth.” His eyes grew light for a moment and, to her surprise, his hand caught hers. “Would that I could tell you, however.”
These last words were spoken quickly and quietly, his fingers pressing hers. Emma caught her breath sharply which, in turn, seemed to startle Lord Thornbridge. Without another word, he turned on his heel and made his way through the crowd, leaving Emma standing silently behind.
She expected tears, but none came. She expected upset, but in its place, were only confusion and doubt. Had he any notion of what he had done? He would leave for his estate and thetonwould quietly murmur that he had run away from her. Her own reputation might be in danger.
But thetonneed not know. Not yet, at least.
Taking a breath, Emma let it out slowly, allowing the heat which had passed through her to slowly dissipate. She could tell everyone that she was devastated that Lord Thornbridge had been required to return to his estate. They would console her and perhaps might encourage her to be diligent in her patience as she waited. And when Lord Thornbridge returned, Emma had every intention of finding out precisely where it was that he had gone, and for what reason. He could not do such a thing as this without giving her an explanation, particularly after she had seen those marks on his back. To her mind, there was something untoward going on, and Emma had every intention of discovering the truth in the hope that, once it was out, she would be able to regain Lord Thornbridge’s company - and with it, everything she had permitted herself to dream of.
Chapter Three
Some weeks later
“And so youare gone and come back.”
Throwing out his hands, Henry nodded.
“As you see.”
“It is good to see you.”
He smiled, albeit briefly.
“I did not have much reason to remain at my estate, not once I had heard of all of the goings on back here in London,” he stated as Lord Foster chuckled. “There are four of you who have regained their fortunes now, I hear. It would have been foolish of me to remain at home rather than return to London to see if I too could achieve such a good outcome.”
“I am certain that you will be able to do the same,” Lord Wiltsham stated as Lord Pottinger nodded fervently. “Some of us returned to where the gambling took place that night. It is in the East End of London, as you know. You may not recall that the establishment has a red door and that the proprietor there is a fellow who is easily swayed by coin.”
“You are suggesting that I could speak with him.”
“I am suggesting that you do something to begin your investigations. Each of our circumstances were a little different from one another, and thus we cannot tell you precisely what to do or where to go. Nor can there be any guarantee of success.”
“But I can still try.”
There was a determination within him that had not been there for some time. In the last few weeks, he had struggled with his situation, finding it difficult to look at all of the changes which would be required in his life. He had not often known struggle, but he knew it now, and it was not a pleasant situation, nor one that he would wish on the very worst of men.
His heart had not been unaffected either. To know that he had left Lady Emma confused and upset over his ending of their close acquaintance had been difficult enough, but he had not expected to miss her company so very much when he had been back at his estate. That had been rather astonishing, truth be told, and even now he found himself thinking of her.
“Lady Emma, how is she?” Lord Wiltsham and Lord Foster shared a look and a sudden panic tackled Henry’s heart, to the point that his hands gripped the arms of the chair and his heart tumbled over itself. “Pray, do not tell me that she is wed. I cannot have been away for that long!”
Perhaps I distressed her so very much that she had no other choice but to marry quickly. Mayhap thetonwas cruel to her, teasing her over my absence. Did they say that she drove me away?
