“You’re sorry.” He leaned forward with flint in his eyes, piercing her to her very soul. “Forget the fact that hundreds of pounds in wedding expenses were wasted. Or that it was to be a marriage based solely on convenience. You ridiculed me, made a mockery of my reputation, and ensured no other woman of noble birth would ever wish to come within ten paces of me. I was scorned because of you, laughed at. And while I can appreciate the fact that you were but fourteen years of age with nothing but romantic notions filling your brain and that you were courageous enough to do what your brother should have done sooner, I cannot forgive you.”
Athena could only blink in response at the violent anger to which she’d become a witness. She’d ruined his life. There was no getting past that. “Marriage is forever. Would you really wish to be tied to a woman who loved someone else?”
He leaned back, closed his eyes briefly, and finally shook his head before pinning her once again with the fierce intensity of his gaze. “It no longer matters.”
“It does to me.”
A humorless laugh answered her comment. “Does the guilt haunt your days, Miss Townsbridge? Does it keep you from sleep at night?”
She crossed her arms and firmed her jaw against his mocking tone. “You were a good family friend. Charles was prepared to sacrifice his own happiness for you. So was Bethany. They would both have been miserable, while you...”
“Yes?”
She glared back at him. “Would you rather be blind, my lord? Or do you prefer to see?”
He held her gaze for a long, hard moment before he finally swung away and strode to the door. “This conversation is over, Miss Townsbridge. I’ll thank you never to call upon me again.”
Athena stared at his retreating form until he vanished from sight. A quivering breath stole its way past her lips. Weak-legged, she sank onto the chair behind her. Goodness gracious. The perfectly polished, well-mannered gentleman she’d once known had been transformed into an ill-bred heathen. Robert Carlisle was no longer the good-natured man notorious for his ready smiles and kind remarks. He was a thunderstorm to be reckoned with, and she’d not been prepared for that.
Her fault, of course. Everything was her fault. She had to do better – try harder – to put it to rights. Bolstering herself, she got back onto her feet, clenched her fists and marched out into the hallway.
“Miss Townsbridge,” the butler said as he approached her. “I understand you are leaving.”
The hell she was. She forced a smile. “Not quite.”
The butler’s face fell. “I, um...see.”
She stormed past him. “Where is his lordship?”
“Miss Townsbridge, you cannot mean to—”
She flung a door open on her right. A study came into view. Athena cast a quick glance at the desk, noted the open ledger there, and smiled. It pleased her to know that in spite of the somewhat chaotic appearance he’d put on display for her in the parlor, Darlington was keeping order in his accounts.
Continuing her search for the master of the manor, Athena swept toward the next door.
“Miss Townsbridge,” the butler said with greater insistence. “Your behavior is not the least bit appropriate.”
She scoffed. As if this wasn’t what she’d been hearing most of her life. Her hand reached forward to push down the handle. The door swung open and Darlington, looking mighty irate, scowled at her from his position at the head of the dining room table.
“I thought I told you to leave,” he said as he pushed back his chair and stood.
“In a manner of speaking,” she agreed as she entered the room. A dismal shade of grey covered the walls – a suitable hue to match the mood of their recent conversation.
“My apologies, my lord,” the butler spoke from behind Athena. “I did try to stop her from interrupting your luncheon.”
“I could use a bit of sustenance before I go,” Athena said. It was only half past twelve. If she left by one o’clock she could still return to Foxborough Hall with time to spare before her family returned from the village. She was certain of it.
Darlington closed his eyes briefly as if in prayer, then motioned to his butler. “Please prepare another place setting for Miss Townsbridge.”
“Yes, my lord.” The butler hastened to do as asked.
Darlington gave Athena a grim look. “Once you have eaten, you will go. Is that understood?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
He dipped his head and waited for her to claim her seat opposite him before resuming his own. A footman filled her glass with wine. Another brought her a plate filled with soggy looking vegetables and fried sausages along with a hunk of bread. Not exactly the most appealing fare, but certainly good enough to buy her more time.
Athena scooped up some vegetables and ate. They were as bland as they appeared. She took a sip of her wine, which was surprisingly good by contrast. “I would like to make amends.”
“You live in a dream world, Miss Townsbridge.”
She bristled at that but forced herself not to get riled up. If she was to help him, she’d have to keep a cool head. “You said your reputation was ruined by what I did, that you were ridiculed and that no woman of breeding would ever—”
“I know what I said,” he snapped.
“Right. Of course you do.” She began cutting her sausage into tiny pieces. The part about his reputation might be true, but the rest... Taking another bite, she considered him with discretion. No man she’d ever seen had looked more masculine than the one whose company she presently shared. As for no woman of breeding wanting him near her, that simply couldn’t be true when she herself had the strangest yearning for his attention. She took another sip of her wine, for fortification. “What if I’m able to restore your reputation?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because the last thing I want is for you to involve yourself further in my life.”
It was a fair point even if it did sting a bit. “My family is not a stranger to scandal. If you have kept abreast of the news, you will know the Townsbridges have suffered through several stormy incidents over the years.” When he snorted in response she said, “After the episode involving Charles and Bethany, there was James. He accidentally compromised Abigail, who was later abducted on her way to their wedding. Then there was William who married Mama’s cook. And finally, Sarah turned down a duke’s proposal in public only to change her mind later. Each case invited gossip, some nastier than the rest, but we Townsbridges got through it all by sticking together.”
“What is your point?”
“You need allies, my lord, and that is something I can provide.”
He stared at her. “You want me to crawl back to your family and beg them for help?”
“No, I—”
“Absolutely not,” he thundered. Rising, he glanced at her plate, then at the window. “Are you almost finished? It is starting to snow and the very last thing I desire is for you to get stuck here.”
She didn’t want that either. Lungs tight on account of their quarrel and most particularly his response, Athena returned her attention to her meal, ever conscious of Darlington impatiently waiting for her to be done. She took her last bite and followed it with the remainder of her wine. The moment she did so he called for the butler to have her horse readied.