The Truth about the Earl (Whispers of the Ton #1)

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

“ Y ou must dry your eyes.”

Norah sniffed, pressing the handkerchief to her eyes once more. “You did not see his expression, Sophia.”

“But I know you well enough to know you will find a way through this predicament,” came the firm reply. “You might consider writing him a letter, or simply going to speak to him again. He – ”

“He has made it quite clear he does not want to speak to me again.” Norah’s voice cracked with emotion but she swallowed her tears and tried to continue. “If he wishes to ask me anything more about the matter, then he will have to come to speak to me.”

Lady Adlay reached over and pressed Norah’s hand, her eyes sympathetic. “My dear friend, you did what was right. You should be glad you found the courage to tell him the truth.”

“I know.” The pain did not lessen, however, and Norah took in another gulping breath. “I was so very afraid. I knew what he wanted to say. I could tell what he wanted to offer for me and, as much as I wanted to accept him, I could not have done so without him being aware of the truth.” She closed her eyes, forcing back any further tears. “It was very difficult indeed but I did not think he would turn from me in that forceful manner. I believed he would listen to me, that he would let me explain it all before choosing how he would react to such news. But he did not.”

Lady Adlay’s fingers tightened gently. “I am sure he will realize there is more to be said. Perhaps he needs a little time.”

Norah nodded but did not allow even a single flare of hope to ignite in her heart. Lady Adlay had not seen Lord Yardley’s expression when she had told him, had not heard the words he had flung back at her. There was such anger and disappointment there that Norah had no expectation of him ever being in her company again.

“Come now.” Lady Adlay rose and made her way to the bell pull. “We shall have more tea and cakes and improve your spirits in time for this evening.”

Norah shook her head. “I do not think I can take part in any joviality tonight. I shall remain at home.”

“No, you shall not,” Lady Adlay stated, quite firmly. “You shall attend the evening ball as you planned and I shall be with you. If Lord Yardley is there, then we shall consider what to do at the time. You may find his reaction surprises you.”

Norah did not have the heart to refuse. Lady Adlay was doing all she could to encourage her but Norah wanted only to remain at home and perhaps retire early. It seemed, however, that she was still to attend the ball, although there was naught but reluctance when it came to the thought of seeing Lord Yardley again.

“Goodness, that was very quick!” A scratch at the door sounded and Norah called for the maid to come in, expecting to either instruct her about bringing a fresh tea tray or that the servant had already anticipated her needs and had brought one already.

“My lady, you have a note.”

Norah blinked in surprise, a sudden thrill racing up her spine and sending her heart into all manner of clamorings. “Thank you.” Dismissing the footman, she looked up sharply as Lady Adlay clapped her hands.

“You see? That will certainly be from Lord Yardley, apologizing for what he has said and done and, instead, begging you for another opportunity to talk about the matter.”

Norah shook her head. “I am not certain.”

“I am sure of it.” Gesturing for her to turn the letter over, Norah turned her attention back to it, turning it over to break the seal.

Her stomach plummeted to the floor, and her heart seemed to come to a sudden stop, making it difficult to take in air.

There was no seal.

“Oh, no.” Closing her eyes, Norah drew in a deep breath, hearing Lady Adlay’s question as to what it was that troubled her so. “It is from the very same person who wrote to me at the first, I am sure of it.”

“You mean, the person who sent you those demands?”

Norah nodded, breaking the seal and unfolding the letter with trembling hands. Her eyes drove over the first few lines, seeing the very same hand there.

“Well?”

Taking in another breath, Norah handed the letter to Lady Adlay. Much to her surprise, she did not feel any great upset or fright. Instead, there was nothing but a tight ball of anger rolling around her stomach, forcing itself into the very depths of her heart and rendering her quite wrathful indeed. How dare this person demand I do yet more to injure Lord Yardley? Can they not see just how injured he was already by such a thing? Why do they wish to do yet more to him?

“Good gracious! This is a very damaging statement indeed.”

“I quite agree.” Norah rose from her chair and began to pace up and down the room. “It states that I am to tell the ton that he is nothing but a philanderer whose particular taste runs toward those who are already wed.” Her hands clenched tightly together. “I shall not do it!”

Lady Adlay bit her lip. “And if you do not, then they say they will injure someone close to you – or you yourself.”

“Yes, they do. It is as before, and I confess that such a statement frightens me, but I cannot say such lies about Lord Yardley! It would quite ruin him.”

Her friend nodded. “It would indeed. Society would reject him entirely.”

“Which I cannot permit them to do. He would be forced to return to his estate, his life thereafter would be shadowed by such a thing and even his family’s good name could be tainted, for many years to come!”

Spreading her hands, one still clutching the note, Lady Adlay’s somewhat pale face looked back at Norah’s. “Then what are you to do?”

Norah lifted her chin. Determination flooded her, and resolve filled her to the very brim. No longer did she feel such upset or disillusion. Instead, there was a renewed vigor and determined purpose. “I shall take the letter and I shall force Lord Yardley to pay attention to it,” she stated, firmly. “Whether he wishes to hear more from me thereafter shall be entirely up to him. But I will not do such a thing again. He will have full knowledge of what has taken place and, in knowing of it, will perhaps be able to surmise who it might be that seems so very eager to pursue him with such difficulties.”

Lady Adlay gave a small smile. “I think that is an excellent plan. He shall not be able to turn away from you then!”

Norah shook her head. “I have no promise, no hope even, that he will consider our connection in the way that he did only earlier today, but at least my conscience will be entirely clear. If he decides he cannot trust me, then I have merely to accept his decision. But I must hope that in revealing this to him, he will be able to guide me from this strange, dark path. I do not want to hurt him again. I do not want anyone to be injured because of my lack of action but I cannot remain silent as I did before.” Reaching for the letter, she held it in front of her eyes and read the harsh, biting words once more. “With Lord Yardley’s help, I will discover the person responsible for such dark demands.” Folding up the letter, she put it into her pocket and looked back at her friend. “I must. There is no other way forward.”

“Do you see him?”

Norah shook her head. “I do not.”

“He must be present somewhere!”

“Unless he, too, has decided he does not wish for company this evening and has chosen to remain at home.”

Lady Adlay grimaced, her lips curving down slightly. “I shall pray he has more courage than that.”

As do I. Walking arm in arm with Lady Adlay through the ballroom, Norah kept her chin lifted and let her gaze rove from one side to the other. Her heart was picking up speed with every step she took, afraid he would not be present. If she could not find him, then what was she to do? The article would be expected within a day or so and if she did not write it and did not send it, then there would be a potential danger for Lord Yardley himself, if not one of her other acquaintances or friends.

“There, I see him!”

Norah’s breath hitched as Lady Adlay clutched at her arm, her fingers tight. “Where?”

“He is speaking to Lady Maude. Do you see?”

Norah’s heart plummeted to the floor but she did not look away. She prayed silently that he had not returned to Lady Maude simply because of their circumstances, releasing her arm from Lady Adlay’s as she took in another deep breath.

“I shall speak to him immediately.”

“You have the letter?”

She nodded. “I do.” Swallowing against the growing ache in her throat and aware that her emotions were bubbling at the very surface, Norah told herself silently to keep herself composed regardless of what occurred. She did not want to embarrass herself, particularly in front of Lady Maude.

Clearing her throat gently and setting her shoulders, Norah made her way from Lady Adlay toward Lord Yardley, keeping her eyes trained on him. He did not look toward her immediately, for his attention seemed to be fixed on Lady Maude. Norah’s heart twisted as he smiled broadly at something the lady said. Her heart twisted. The last time she had been in his company, he had not smiled. Instead, he had been angry, frustrated, and upset. She did not know if he would ever smile at her like that again.

I shall not interrupt the conversation, as Lady Maude herself did. Standing quietly, Norah chose a spot a little to Lady Maude’s left, given that her right side was occupied by Miss Patterson. The latter stood with her head lowered just a little, as though she did not want to be seen by anyone and did not want Lord Yardley to consider that she was worthy of conversation. Norah thought to give her a small smile, to make her aware that, in her eyes at least, she was acknowledged but Miss Patterson did not turn her head even a little.

Sighing inwardly, Norah kept her head up and waited for Lord Yardley to notice her. It took some moments and with every second that passed, Norah felt the weight of their previous interaction sink heavily upon her shoulders as if she were being pushed slowly into the floor. Her skin prickled as his eyes finally caught hers, pulled away again the very next moment by something Lady Maude said. Norah closed her eyes briefly, fighting against the worry that she would be entirely ignored by Lord Yardley and would be left to stand here quite alone, for as long as he wished her to be. Perhaps, she considered, that would be a fitting punishment for what she had done.

“Lady Essington – Norah.”

Her eyes flew open as Lord Yardley’s deep voice caught her ears. In allowing her thoughts to capture her, she had not seen him step forward, had not seen him come closer to her, ending his conversation with Lady Maude.

“Lord Yardley.” Her voice was hoarse but her eyes were wide with astonishment as Lord Yardley smiled at her. “I – I have to speak to you.”

“And I to you, also.” He took a step closer, his blue eyes suddenly grave. “You asked for me to listen to you. I did not do so. I was angry.”

“You have every right to be –”

“But I ought to have more faith in you, should I not?” His hand touched hers and Norah found herself clinging to it, her heart finally warming, rather than being pulled low by fear and worry. “You are not the sort of lady who is manipulative, dark, and cruel. There must be a reason for what you wrote. A reason that I hope you will give to me now.”

Norah swallowed, closing her eyes to take in more air. She felt a little dizzy, absolutely overwhelmed by his response to her. “I had not expected this.”

“There is a lot to explain, I presume?”

Opening her eyes, she nodded. “Perhaps we should find somewhere a little….” Her eyes flew to where Lady Maude and Miss Patterson now stood, their heads low together as Lady Maude spoke rapidly, although Norah did not hear a word of what she said. “A little more discreet?”

“Indeed.” He released her hand. “Come. There is a quieter corner over here.”

Norah followed after him, pausing only to nod and smile at Lady Adlay, who had been waiting a short distance away, her hands clasped tightly together. The brilliant smile on her friend’s face caused her lips to curve and she turned back, ready to explain everything to Lord Yardley.

“I do hope you will accept my very sincere apology for leaving you as I did in the park.” Lord Yardley’s expression was a little harder to see now that they stood in the quieter corner of the ballroom where the shadows clung a little more tightly. “It was wrong of me to do so.”

She smiled, their hands finding one another in the gloom. “I quite understand. I am only relieved you thought to return, Lord Yardley. I cannot tell you how much joy this conversation in itself is bringing to me! Although I fear the happiness we share at present will not last for long.” Seeing the confusion on his face, she pulled the letter from her pocket and handed it to him.

“What is this?”

“ This is the reason I wrote what I did,” she said, by way of explanation. “This was received only this afternoon and I confess, I do not know what I ought to do.” The tightness came back into her chest just a little. “The fear you would be severely injured scares me deeply.”

Waiting for him to finish reading the note, Norah watched the play of emotions flickering across his face. First, there came the way he blinked rapidly, lifting the paper a little closer to himself. Second, came shock. Shaking his head, one hand rubbed hard at his chin, only for his jaw to tighten and his eyes to narrow just a fraction.

He was angry.

“ You received this?”

“Yes. Someone else knows I am Mrs. Fullerton.”

“And they sent this to you?”

“This is not the first. It was brought to me by a small street boy, who delivered it with thought only for the coin he had received. I have kept him on as an errand boy.” She gestured to the note. “I was told I had to write the first else Lady Adlay would be injured again – or that worse would occur with either yourself or –”

“Lady Adlay’s injury came from this person?” He waved the note and Norah nodded. Briefly, she explained about the first note she had received as regarded Miss Geraldine Pottinger and how she had chosen to ignore it – and that Lady Adlay had been injured as a consequence.

“Therefore, when the second note was received, I had no choice but to do so, out of fear that something even more untoward would occur.”

Lord Yardley closed his eyes, his face pinched. “Who would dare to do such a thing?”

“I do not know.” She moved a little closer, looking up at him. “I am more sorry than I can say that I did such a thing, but I felt as though I had no choice.”

Opening his eyes, Lord Yardley reached out, his fingers brushing gently across her cheek. The shadows hid them and Norah was all the more grateful for it, glad that she could be so close to Lord Yardley whilst being in the midst of a ball.

“I understand.” The softness of his voice smoothed away the guilt in her heart, the gentleness in his eyes sending joy into her soul. “I am even more sorrowful over what I did in removing myself from you with such haste. Had I only listened, then…” His fingers brushed the curve of her neck and Norah caught her breath. “I suppose such things do not matter any longer. We are at an understanding now.”

She smiled at him. “Yes, we are.”

“One thing I must ask, however.” His hand dropped back to his side, perhaps a little afraid that he might be seen and her reputation then brought into question. “Were you forced to write that particular piece about yourself also? That seemed, to me, to be a very strange thing indeed.”

“Oh, no, I was not.” Quickly, Norah explained what had taken place. “I assume that given there now was no way for them to add additional parts to the articles I had already written, they then decided to threaten me directly.”

“But they chose first to write about you,” Lord Yardley mused, his eyes narrowing as he looked out across the crowd of guests. “Then about some young lady that neither you nor I know about.”

She nodded. “At least nothing was ever written about her. The person in question did not demand I do as I was asked as regarded her, at the very least.”

Lord Yardley’s lips bunched and he rubbed at his chin with one finger. “So Miss Pottinger is quite safe. Thereafter, the article was about me.”

“Yes, that is so.”

“And this next piece is also about me.”

Nodding slowly, Norah began to realize what he meant. “The person responsible for such stories is known to the both of us.”

“And obviously, there is a reason behind their desire first to injure you and, thereafter, to injure me.”

She bit her lip. “And this first story did not have as much of an impact as was desired,” she added, softly. “Hence, there is to be a second – one that will surely push you from society forever.”

Lord Yardley’s jaw worked and he looked away. Instead of trying to think as to who would do such a thing, her mind went only to the article she was to write and the effect it would have on Lord Yardley.

“I cannot do it.”

His eyes shot back to hers.

“I cannot write this piece. I cannot see you so injured.”

Lord Yardley’s hand grasped hers tightly. “But if you do not, then the consequences could be most severe. I think not of myself but rather of you! They threaten to injure you, Norah!”

“They threaten to injure you also, Lord Yardley,” she responded, softly. “Or to further injure Lady Adlay. I know you will both say that you will be careful that that such a thing does not matter, but I assure you that it does. I cannot put you in danger but I also cannot write what is being demanded.”

His fingers squeezed her own, his eyes searching her face. “Then what shall you do?”

Norah’s mind began to whirl, searching for an idea, for something that would release her from her current difficulty whilst protecting those she cared for. “I am not certain as yet but, mayhap with yourself, Lady Adlay, and I working together, we will find a way forward. A way that removes us both from this state of difficulty once and for all.”