seen Elizabeth exit this very door? Amelia turned the handle and stepped into Helena’s chamber for the first time in several days.
Helena turned from her dressing table. “What do you need?”
“I came to see if you have changed your mind about the dinner at the Hammonds’. Jane says everyone will be there, and I—”
“I have other plans.”
“What other plans?”
Helena stood. Her amethyst satin gown hugged her figure, and only a gathering of lace at the bodice prevented it from being scandalous.
Amelia gawked at the dress. “That’s a new gown, is it not?”
“I was just about to ask the same of yours.”
Amelia looked down at her deep rose satin and ran a hand down the front.
Helena reached for her shawl. “I remember handpicking that very fabric for your trousseau. What was it you said? Something about how you thought Edward would like the hue? That Edward always complimented you when you wore that color?”
The insinuation brought a flush to Amelia’s cheeks. “Helena, what’s done is done. Please say you will not make me go to the Hammonds’ alone.”
“You made your decision alone, Amelia—with no consideration of anyone else.” Helena reached down to the dressing table, removed the stopper from an etched perfume bottle, and dabbed it behind her ear. “It seems fitting that you should deal with the consequences alone, does it not?”
Amelia blinked. “Am I to lose you too, Helena?”
Helena moved from the dressing table. The lilac fabric swirled around her legs as she took a few steps toward the window. “I asked you not to make me choose between you and my family.”
A wave of nausea seized Amelia, and her lungs refused to expand. She understood Helena perfectly. “Well, if you change your mind, you know where we will be.”
Helena glanced out the window. “Your carriage is here. You’d best be on your way. You wouldn’t want to keep your betrothed waiting.”
Amelia forced herself from Helena’s room. Tears burned her eyes, and she struggled for control. The captain had already done so much for her. How would it appear for her to be a blubbering fool on the way to their engagement dinner?
She should have brought a candle. The sun had long since set, and the hallway grew darker with each passing moment. A sliver of moonlight through the window afforded barely enough light to illuminate the staircase’s curve. Desire to be away from this dark, cold mansion and into the warmth of the Hammond house fueled her descent. If she was honest, though, it wasn’t the Hammonds’ company she longed for so much as another’s.
Captain Sterling.
They would marry in just two days. How strange to realize they hadn’t even known each other three weeks. At first, she’d regarded the captain as merely a means to an end. But in those few weeks, how many times had he defended her? Protected her? His qualities were noble. She could do worse than to combine her destiny with such a man. Perhaps after—
Lost in boundless thought, she didn’t notice the person waiting at the foot of the stairs until it was too late. Unable to slow her momentum, she ran right into him. She gasped. Steadying hands grabbed her upper arms.
Edward.
She tried to shrug out of his grasp. “Why are you here?”
“Are those tears I see?”
“Let go of me.”
“Not until you tell me why you’ve been crying.”
A knock sounded on the heavy front door, and James walked to open it. Edward looked over his shoulder, his hot hand remaining on her arm. She stared at the door and wriggled again to free herself.
“Expecting someone?” Edward’s words strained through his teeth. “Oh yes, now I recall. I did hear something about a dinner at the Hammonds’ tonight. I never did receive my invitation, though.”
She put her hand on his chest and pushed. “Why are you here?”
“Your uncle invited me.” He chuckled. “Oh, I see. You think the only reason I would visit here is you. I am here to dine with my business partner and his family.”
She attempted to wrench herself from his grasp just as the captain entered with Mr. Carrington, who had recently returned from Sheffield. Graham’s cool gray eyes immediately locked on Edward’s. His nostrils flared in irritation.
Edward released Amelia. Breathless, she clutched her cape at the neck and stepped backward. A gust of wind whipped through the open door. No one spoke.
“Please, let’s go.” Amelia walked over and clutched Graham’s sleeve with her hand, noting the twitch of hard muscle beneath the fabric.
It was as if he didn’t