The Heiress of Winterwood - By Sarah Ladd Page 0,46
desperate to believe God would answer. And in spite of her uncertainty, she felt her tense muscles relax. She lifted her chin, feeling stronger and more determined than she had in days.
Flickering light spilled from her uncle’s study. Moving figures within the room cast animated shadows on the oak floor of the vestibule. She paused and listened.
Edward’s voice reached her ear first. “What of Winterwood, then? Surely there is something to be done.”
Her uncle’s hushed response echoed from the stone walls. “Legally, everything—the land, the assets—will all be in her husband’s name once she marries. Up until now I’ve barely been able to buy a horse without running it through Carrington.”
“But Carrington’s gone now. Remember?”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s an issue of how the will was written. My brother may have been an impudent fool, but he rarely missed a trick where business was concerned. How do you think he amassed all this property?”
“That notwithstanding, we need the funds. Surely something can be done.”
“If she decides to marry someone else, there is nothing that I—we—can do to prevent her from doing so.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Something can always be done. We just need to make certain that she doesn’t marry anyone else. Then our problems are solved. Am I correct?”
Helena and Amelia exchanged glances and tiptoed to the threshold. Helena whispered in her ear, “What are they talking about?”
“My inheritance.”
“Your inheritance? But I thought . . .” Helena’s voice trailed off.
Helena’s naïveté baffled Amelia. How could such a clever woman not see the clearest deception right in front of her? “I have been trying to tell you. Edward does not love me, Helena. He desires only Winterwood and the fortune that accompanies it.”
“I think—” Helena’s foot caught the leg of a side table and scooted it across the floor. The resulting sound ricocheted, and the voices inside the study halted. Helena’s eyes grew wide, and her hand slapped over her mouth.
In a split second Uncle George appeared in the doorway, wrapped in a crimson dressing gown. His angry eyes flicked from his niece to his daughter, then back to his niece.
“I’ve underestimated you, Niece.” He nodded toward the library, his voice devoid of any fatherly affection. “There is someone here who wishes to speak with you.”
The room’s stifling heat slapped her as she stepped in.
Edward stood in front of the roaring fireplace, broad shoulders silhouetted against the flames. His dark eyes locked on hers.
Amelia drew closer and prepared herself for battle. The scent of damp horse and the outdoors clung to Edward’s person and prickled her nostrils. She mustered every ounce of energy to combat the desire to shrink away. She knew Edward’s game of intimidation all too well, but this would be the last time she’d have to endure it.
His deep voice pierced the silence, and he pulled at his disheveled cravat as if it were a noose. “I’m desperately waiting for you, dear Amelia, to tell me there’s been some mistake.”
Amelia lowered her chin but refused to break eye contact. “I cannot.”
Edward’s face reddened. “When exactly were you planning to inform me of your change of heart? After all, our wedding is—should have been—just weeks away. So when? A week before? The day before?”
His tone sliced her confidence. She squared her shoulders and straightened as tall as her frame would allow. “This happened suddenly. I did not intend to deceive you.”
A snide chuckle escaped him before he released his words through gritted teeth. “Imagine my surprise, my utter humiliation, when I went to apply for the license, only to be told by the snit of a clerk that my intended’s name is already on a license.” His words climbed to a shout. “With another man’s name!”
Amelia’s chest burned. Every breath felt shallower than the last. She cast a nervous glance at her aunt and uncle, for once grateful for their presence. “You must know within yourself that this marriage would have been a mistake, and I—”
His cry cut her off. “A mistake? I love you, Amelia. There is no mistaking that. My love has not wavered. What a fool I must be! All this time, these many months, I believed you returned my affection. And now I find you have deceived me in the most debased manner!”
Amelia squelched a stirring of guilt. She had given Edward repeated opportunities. His utter disregard for her concerns had left her no choice. She would not apologize for her actions. “I have told you from Lucy’s birth that I intended to raise her. I made