Georgiana tried to rest, but she could not seem to get comfortable. Her mind decided it was the perfect time to go over the dance she had shared with Walter. She hadn’t let her mind dwell on it until now, but the silence of the carriage seemed to, somehow, make it impossible to think about anything else.
What bothered her about remembering was, of all the things that stood out to her, the one she recalled most clearly was how good it had felt to be dancing with Walter again, and to feel his arms around her.
It was foolish and completely ridiculous to even think about such a thing, even for a moment. The same was true for the memory of how her heart had wanted to flutter when she gazed back at him and those entrancing gray eyes of his…
Before she knew it, they had arrived back at Irvington Manor, and the carriage was slowing to a stop. Blinking her eyes as though trying to wake up, she forced her thoughts away from Walter.
Adelaide and Jonas left the carriage first, with Ambrose waiting for her to stretch a little before he helped her out, as well. As they walked towards the manor, he asked her in a quiet voice, “I meant to ask you earlier, but I have to know … how … what happened earlier … during your dance with Lord Bartlett? He didn’t pressure you into dancing with him, did he?”
She hesitated, knowing he wouldn’t approve. “He wanted a chance to apologize … so, I gave it to him.”
“And?”
“And … I told him I forgave him.”
“What?” Ambrose exclaimed, then seemed to realize how loud his voice was, before he continued in a softer tone, “What about all the pain he has caused you? And then, there are the many rumors which started because of his actions. You can’t seriously have forgotten any of that.”
“I know, and I haven’t forgotten anything, so don’t worry about that. I have no intentions of rushing into anything. I gave him the chance to be a friend, but he is going to have to work very hard to regain my confidence. I certainly shall not go out of my way to speak to him and will probably not trust him for a long while either.”
Ambrose was silent for a long moment. Finally, he quietly replied, “I suppose … if that is what you really want, and it will make you happy. You do know that is all I want, don’t you?”
“Of course,” she assured him with a smile. “I think you worry too much about me sometimes. While I need your support on occasion, I think I can stand on my own two feet most of the time.”
“I know. But … I like taking care of you,” he admitted.
Leaning closer to him, she gave him a sisterly kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, Ambrose,” she said as she turned and went up the stairs to her room, completely missing the way that cheeks flushed in response to her kiss.
She only barely caught his whispered goodnight, as her thoughts drifted towards Walter once again…
Chapter 21
The next morning, Walter walked to the main dining room slowly and thoughtfully. There were many things on his mind, chief of which were thoughts about Georgiana.
He was so consumed by the memories of the previous evening, he completely missed that his mother was right there until he nearly bumped into her.
“Oh, I am sorry, Mother, I didn’t see you there … how are you this morning?” Walter asked.
Sylvia seemed to consider asking him about what was preoccupying his thoughts, but instead, she answered his question. “I am feeling much better,” she said as she took a seat. “It seems that plenty of rest was all I needed.”
“I am glad to hear it,” he replied as he took his own seat.
“Not as glad as I am to be feeling better, I am sure. Still, I am sad to have missed the Dalwater ball. Of all the days to have felt indisposed, it had to be yesterday … What did I miss?”
“Well … I was … I was finally able to apologize to Georgia—Miss Montgomery,” he replied, then quickly continued before his mother could remark on his near slip of the tongue. “It went slightly better than I had expected. She said she forgave me, though I know she won’t ever forget what happened.”
Sylvia nodded, as she busily spread butter on her toast. “I am impressed to hear