was also glaring at Ambrose, at well, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. His gaze finally drifting to her as he said, “I … I have something to … I was looking for you.”
Felicia groaned at this, coming forward and sitting on the bench on the other side of Georgiana. Hoping to get answers as to their presence, she turned to face her instead of the two men. “Walter tells me he has mentioned to you the rumor that … well, the rumor which made him decide to leave for France two years ago,” Felicia said.
“Yes…” Georgiana replied uncertainly.
“Well, I am the one who told him you and Rowley were engaged,” Felicia said, pausing for just a moment to let that sink in before continuing, “I did so, because Mr. Rowley had told me so himself.”
Georgiana’s brows furrowed in confusion as she took in the words. Then, with a gasp, she turned to look at Ambrose again, seeing for the first time he was as white as a sheet.
“Ambrose?” her voice squeaked a little as she said his name, a knot forming in her stomach as the realization sank in.
He had the decency to look at her guiltily, and she was in too much shock to see the faces of the other two. She was aware Felicia had chosen that moment to take her hand, in an effort to comfort her, and that Walter was still standing nearby.
“Why?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears as the weight of the betrayal began to fully hit her.
Ambrose looked down at his hands in his lap, unable to meet any of their gazes as he replied quietly, “I did it because … because I was selfish. I know that is no excuse at all, and I don’t really have any explanation I can give you for what I did…”
“Well, try to explain it anyway,” she ordered him bitterly, tears slowly trailing down her cheeks. She leaned into the comfort Felicia was silently giving her.
He winced at her tone of voice, but he did his best to comply. “I have always loved you; I was just too afraid to say it. And then … and then you met Bartlett…” he paused to glance at the other man, quickly looking away as he was met with a well-deserved glare.
“And then, it was too late. Miss Harris was happily talking away to me one night about how you made a perfect couple, and it was just the two of us standing there at the time … I don’t really know what possessed me to do it, but I just … I told her we were already engaged. I had no idea it would lead to…”
There was a long silence between the four of them before Walter finally spoke, “I know I am partially to blame, but could you not have made things right when you saw the damage your words had done?”
Suddenly, Georgiana felt angry as well as hurt, as certain memories came to mind. “You stood there, supposedly comforting me, countless times while I cried my heart out, knowing you were the one who had … that you were the one responsible for the pain I was in?!” she accused as she rose to her feet.
He opened his mouth to reply, but one glance up at her apparently changed his mind. She could tell by the look on Ambrose’s face, he was aware of the depth of his wrongdoing, but she still couldn’t believe he could have done such a thing to her.
Felicia, still silent, stood, too, and placed a hand on Georgiana’s shoulder. Seeing Ambrose had yet to reply, she came to an instant decision.
“Well, I must admit, earlier today–and even before today–I was considering telling you I wasn’t falling in love with you and that I didn’t want you to court me any longer.”
She saw his head jerk up in surprise to face her, before a resigned expression came onto his face, but she hadn’t finished. “The only reason I haven’t already called it off was because I was afraid of hurting you … I wanted to spare your feelings.
“Now I know that is not something I need worry about, it should come as no surprise that I am ending our courtship now. Perhaps, with time, I won’t be so angry with you, but I sincerely hope not to see your face for a long while,” she announced, as she turned and all but fled down the path and away