Rather than immediately agree, Lady Elizabeth frowned, her lips pulled tight as she dropped her gaze to the floor. Felix held his breath, certain that she would agree at any moment, only for her to shake her head.
“I do not particularly like being forced into any action. Lord Winterbrook.” Her eyes lifted suddenly to his. “Nor do I like being told what I must do.”
“I am only attempting to keep you safe.”
“I have something I must ask you.” Changing the subject entirely, Lady Elizabeth took a step closer to him, her hand finding his. Her fingers did not lace through his but gripped his hand tightly, as though they were two gentlemen making the most severe of handshakes. “Tell me if you truly meant everything you have said to me.”
Not quite certain what she meant, Felix frowned.
“What do you mean? In what I have professed to you?” Lady Elizabeth gave only the smallest nod, her eyes holding his, and Felix’s heart lurched. “I have never once told you a mistruth. I have not shared things with you, certainly, although there was at least one time when I considered telling you about my highwayman disguise.” Sighing, he pressed her fingers. “I can promise you that every word I have spoken to you about my heart and my affections has been entirely true.” Lady Elizabeth blinked rapidly, and her eyes suddenly became glassy, though she did not look away. Felix’s heart began to pound furiously as if somehow it realized that these next few moments would be of the greatest significance. “I have only ever told you the truth about my affections.”. Speaking quietly, he took a small step closer, feeling the urge to repeat what he had said. “My heart thinks only of you.”
Nodding, Lady Elizabeth’s tongue darted out to moisten her lips.
“Then do you mean to say that you still care for me?”
“I do.” He pressed his free hand against his heart. “You cannot know how much it tears me asunder to know that I have injured you so severely. I never wanted you to find out about my highwayman disguise and certainly not in the way that you did. I wished it to be entirely in the past. There will be time to explain it, time for me to talk with you about all that I have done if you still wish, but I can assure you, Elizabeth, my heart has been yours from the very first moment that we met.”
A tiny smile edged up the corner of her mouth.
“Truly?”
“Truly.” A little emboldened, he smiled back at her. “I could not help but kiss you that day. It was bold and uncouth, and certainly not something I ought to have done, but I was in my guise as a highwayman and therefore, I acted upon my desire. I am certain that in doing so, it was in that moment that our hearts melded.”
From the look in her eyes, it appeared as though Lady Elizabeth did not know what to say. She was somewhere between weeping and smiling, but she gave no response other than to look away. Perhaps she was confused and uncertain over all that he had said, and Felix could not blame her for that. It had been two days since their previous conversation, and they had not yet had the opportunity to speak about what had taken place – and now yet further difficulty had come upon them. Little wonder then, that she did not know how to respond to him.
“But I must find a way to extricate you from the situation,” he said softly. “You must end our betrothal - it is the only way.”
Lady Elizabeth took a deep breath, lifting her gaze back to his. With another breath, she lifted her chin and looked him straight in the eye.
“No.”
Felix reared back at her response, overcome with both surprise and relief.
“No? But after what I have done and after the situation you are now in, surely you can see –”
“I believe that your words of affection are genuine, at least.” Lady Elizabeth interrupted him, color beginning to return to her face. “I will not be chased away from something, simply because three men have decided that I will be a pawn for them to place where they will.”
Felix ran one hand through his hair, fear of what might become of her beginning to twist through him.
“You put yourself in danger by remaining with me.”
“I am already in danger.” So saying, she shrugged lightly. “I believe I will be just as much in danger in the future as I am at present, should we end our connection. These gentlemen know that I am betrothed to you, and regardless of whether or not it truly does stand between us, they will still pursue me. They intend to force your hand, heedless of who they hurt in the process. They believe that I am of some significance to you, and will not care whether our betrothal stands or not. Do you not see it? There is a difficulty here and it must be solved in another way.”
“But how can we do so?” Felix did not see an easy way out. “I must do as they ask. I will not have you injured, not in any way.”
“And I appreciate that.” For a moment, Lady Elizabeth’s lips curved, but then the smile fell away. “They are determined to have you ride with them again. If you do not, then they will no doubt expose you to all of London. Your reputation will be ruined and my name along with it.”
“I had not considered that.” Ashamed of his own selfishness, Felix dropped his head and closed his eyes tightly. “I cannot permit you to do this. You must step away from me.”
He opened his eyes just as Lady Elizabeth tossed her head, letting her gaze fly around the ballroom.
“I am sure that there is many a gentleman present who has done far worse than you,” she stated clearly. “That is not to say that I condone what you have done, nor the reasons behind it, but at the very least, you made amends. You returned what you took, and you appeared to be doing all you could to aid those you stopped. I know that one betrothal was brought to an end - not before time, I hear - and I assume Miss Whitford and her granduncle were also your doing?”
A tight laugh came to Felix’s lips. He tried to push it away, but it came out, nonetheless.
“I could not think of where else to send them.” Looking away, embarrassed, he tried to explain. “I told them to go and seek out Lord Winterbrook or Lord Bramwell for what else could I do? I knew that I was taking a risk in revealing to them that I was someone who knew people of the highest echelons of society, but I could not permit them to continue on to their intended lodgings, not when I knew what would happen to Miss Whitford if they did so. Besides which, I know Miss Whitford’s stepbrother, and was all the more angry at his behavior. How could I not step in? How could I not find a safer place for them to reside? I could not allow Miss Whitford to go to the East End, as her granduncle planned. She might have lost everything of value to her and her granduncle could have lost his own life! No, I could not let that remain on my conscience, not when I could do something about it, and thus, I told them to make their way to my townhouse.” There was a short silence and Felix winced inwardly, realizing that he had spoken rather fervently. He had not meant to permit his emotions such sway but, recalling how Miss Whitford and her granduncle had been when he had first stopped them, his feelings had come to the fore. “I am only glad that Lord Bramwell is to marry her. Such news has made me very happy indeed.”
Lady Elizabeth smiled. Her eyes lit with a gentle flame, and for the first time, Felix’s own heart rose. He had been desperate for her to smile at him again, though he had not realized it until this moment. How beautiful she was! How much he desired her company, how much he wished to make amends to her, in any way that he could.
