Mistaken for a Rake - Rose Pearson Page 0,53

usual, and her eyes lacked their sparkle, her hands held in front of her, her fingers twisting together.

He wanted desperately to go to her, to take her hands in his and to plead her forgiveness, but he knew he could not. Instead, he bowed towards her and then to Lady Hayward, who was watching him with something of a severe look.

“Thank you for permitting me to call upon you, Lady Rebecca,” Jeffery began as he was waved to a chair by Lady Hayward. “I am sorry for the pain and suffering you have endured since last evening. It must have come as a very great shock to you.”

“Yes, it did,” Lady Rebecca told him without hesitation. “However, from what Lord Swinton has told me, it is not as I believed it to be.” Her eyes held his, no flicker of embarrassment in her features as she spoke. “You did not do as the rumors state, and, despite what I heard last evening, you are not continuing a warm acquaintance with Lady Kensington.”

“No,” Jeffery said quickly, his whole body filled with a determination to prove to her that she was mistaken. “No, I am not, Lady Rebecca. I cannot abide the lady’s company, and yet she insists on seeking me out. The reason she does so now is because she wishes me to do something for her, to use me as her pawn simply because she knows that she has the power with which to do so.”

Lady Rebecca nodded slowly, glancing towards Lord Swinton, who now looked grave indeed.

“Lord Swinton informed me that it was for my sake that you continued on with Lady Kensington,” she said, leaning forward in her chair and looking at Jeffery intently. “Is that true?”

Jeffery nodded, prevented from speaking for a few short minutes as the maids entered with trays laden with refreshments. Jeffery’s stomach growled, and he flushed with embarrassment.

“I did not think you would have eaten, Lord Richmond,” Lady Hayward explained with a small, knowing smile. “Please, do go on.”

Jeffery expressed his thanks quickly but did not reach for anything, wanting instead to finish his explanation. “Lady Kensington warned me that if I did not do as she asked, then there would be consequences,” he said quietly. “But they would not be brought down upon my head. Instead, they would touch all those that were in my life. Lord and Lady Merrick, Lord Swinton...and you, Lady Rebecca.”

“I told him that there was no great concern when it came to me,” Lord Swinton interrupted, gruffly, “and Lord and Lady Merrick were, of course, on their guard, but there was a vulnerability about you, Lady Rebecca, that could not be ignored.”

Seeing the frown on Lady Rebecca’s face, Jeffery quickly tried to explain. “Lord and Lady Merrick are already wed, and, as such, whilst scandal might attempt to shame them, they felt quite sure they would be able to endure it. Lord Swinton here said the same, although I confess that, having borne the brunt of society’s dislike, I am not as certain as he that such a thing would be as easy as he believes it to be.” A wry smile touched his lips as he glanced at his friend before returning his gaze to Lady Rebecca. “As for you, Lady Rebecca, you could have become a pariah in society in a moment. The rumors would affect you and your sisters. Your father’s good name would be tarnished. I—I could not let such a thing happen, not for my sake.”

“And so you did whatever it was that Lady Kensington demanded of you,” Lady Hayward interrupted as Jeffery nodded. “To ensure that Lady Rebecca was protected.”

Tears began to shimmer in Lady Rebecca’s eyes, and Jeffery felt his heart tear, his brow furrowing as he watched her. He wanted to say more, wanted to apologize for pulling her into such a situation, but found that his lips would not move. There appeared to be nothing more to say.

“You could have spoken to me of it, Lord Richmond,” Lady Rebecca whispered, one hand now pressed to her heart. “You could have told me the truth of Lady Kensington.”

He shook his head. “I was doing all I could to protect you,” he replied by way of explanation. “You had already risked a great deal even in acquainting yourself with me, Lady Rebecca. I could not add to your burden.”

Silence ran around the room as they sat quietly for some minutes, allowing what had been said to fall into their hearts.