Though nothing of note had happened there, he had caught a glimpse of Miss Rutherford with a gentleman clearly paying attention to her and being well received. It did not surprise him at all that she had not even tried to approach him, though his mother had insisted he at least greet the young lady, which he did, for all of two minutes.
Her clear disinterest had been very entertaining to him, as had the almost jealous appearance of the young man she had been showing a preference for.
These thoughts, however, soon led him back to thinking about Georgiana. She was the one thing he had been trying for the past week to avoid thinking too much about.
Whenever he thought of her, he also thought of Mr. Rowley and what he had no doubt done. Walter had to remind himself once again, he could do nothing about it until he had proof.
With such regular mail between England and France, Felicia should have received his letter by now. With any luck, a reply was already on its way back to him. If one more week passed without him hearing anything, he would consider making a quick trip to France.
His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a carriage arriving. It was odd since his mother hadn’t gone anywhere today, nor were any guests expected.
He got up and went over to the window, curious to see who it could be. Pulling the curtain aside, he watched as the carriage came to a stop and the person inside stepped down from it.
When he saw it was Felicia, who was heading for the front door of the manor, he was both surprised and elated. He quickly rushed out of his study, down the hallway, and towards the entrance of the manor to meet her.
“Felicia!” he called out the moment he saw her.
Her head jerked in his direction, and a bright smile instantly appeared on her face. “Walter!” she exclaimed as he drew her into a warm embrace so enthusiastic, he lifted her a few inches off the ground for a moment.
Before they could say anything further, Sylvia came from another direction, asking, “What is all this commotion about?”
Walter took a step back, releasing Felicia, so his mother could see her. “Felicia just arrived,” he told her, stating the obvious.
“It is lovely to see you again, darling,” Sylvia said with a smile. “Walter, why didn’t you tell me she was coming? We need to have one of the guest rooms aired for her. You are staying here, aren’t you, dear?”
“Of course, Auntie,” Felicia replied, as she hugged the older woman.
“I didn’t know she was coming, or I would have told you,” he added.
“Well, come with me to the drawing room. I have a pot of tea there, and I would love to hear your news over a cup, while Walter finishes with his ledgers. You can start with telling me what brings you here.”
Felicia’s smile turned tentative as she replied, “On that note, I would love to share my news with you, Aunt, but first I must … I have to discuss something of great importance with Walter.”
The glance his cousin gave him suggested she did not know how much he wanted her to say with his mother present. Then, he recalled, the last she knew, he had not told his mother his reasons for having gone to France in the first place.
After a pause, Sylvia nodded. “Very well, I will leave you two to talk while I have some refreshments prepared.”
“Actually, Aunt Sylvia … you may want to wait a while to do that…” Felicia told her, looking furtively at Walter, who felt as though he was bursting at the seams to get her alone and question her.
“Oh, very well. Just let me know when you have the time to talk to an old woman like me,” she replied with an exasperation that was both playful yet genuine.
“We will, Mother, I promise,” he said, and, after a quick kiss on her forehead in thanks for her understanding, he hurried Felicia away to where he could talk to her in private.
He closed the door behind them, instantly turning to her and asking, “So?”
“Ambrose Rowley,” was the one name she gave in reply, her mouth forming a thin line.
“You are certain it was him that started it?” Walter asked, trying to refrain from feeling too angry. He could not let himself jump to any hasty conclusions. Not again.
She looked annoyed he should even question her certainty. “Of course, I am certain. There cannot be any doubt since he is the one who told me.”
“What?” he exclaimed, completely caught off-guard by this. That Rowley had started the rumor, he had predicted, but that he could be the sole perpetrator of it, or that he had directly told Felicia himself, Walter would never have guessed.
Felicia obviously knew what his mind was going through, as she nodded in agreement. “I know! The audacity of it! If you had…” she winced and stopped herself, but he knew what she had been about to say.
He sat down with a thud as he finished her sentence, “…if I had simply verified whether Georgiana was engaged, then I would have discovered it was untrue, asked you about it, and Rowley would have been exposed in his lie before a single day had passed…”
He closed his eyes tightly, though that did not help him avoid seeing his own stupidity, which was threatening to overwhelm him at that moment. He felt Felicia take a seat beside him.
“I could have told you I heard it directly from Rowley. What that might have changed, I don’t know … I can’t even tell you why I felt I should leave that piece of information out…”
“It is not your fault at all,” he assured her, grasping her hand for a moment to comfort them both. “It is that man’s fault,” he stated, refusing to even utter his name as he rose to his feet.
Walter paced back and forth as his anger grew. Clenching his fists, he realized he really wanted to punch something in his fury. He knew without a doubt, he wanted to punch one very specific person but, just then, something else was far more important.
Heading for the door, he told Felicia, “I need to go and see her.”
“Wait!”
He paused, albeit grudgingly, and looked at her, “Why?”
“I know your first instinct is to tell her right away, but wouldn’t the next time you see her be soon enough? That way, you will have the time to … cool down a little. Besides, might she not refuse to see you?”
He hesitated at the door. While he hated the excellent points she had made, he could see the sense in her suggestion … it was then Walter remembered something he felt might change her mind.
Looking up at her to observe her reaction, he said, “Since I sent that letter to you, Rowley has officially started courting her.”
He could see surprise and a hint of anger in her face before she looked slightly incredulous. “And you are sure of it?”