Deciding to ignore the lady completely and focus only on Madeleine proved futile when Lady Nichole said sweetly, “How charming of you to bring Lady Madeleine a treat. You bought me chestnuts once as well, if you’ll recall.”
Robert remembered all too well, and he wanted to strangle her for reminding him. More so when he saw the anger that radiated from Madeleine’s eyes. Her trust would not be easily won. Getting her to forgive him might be harder still.
Later, as she lay in bed thinking back on the day’s events, Madeleine was having a terrible time attempting to sleep. Blakely had been extremely attentive, though her happiness at receiving his gift had dimmed with Lady Nichole’s comment, for it had reminded her of just how big a scoundrel the man was.
Pushing back the covers, she got out of bed and put on her robe. The pain in her wrist had dulled since her fall, so she tied the belt at her waist with ease. Perhaps the library would offer some distraction from the memory of what had happened two years ago when Blakely had courted her. She’d never been happier, always looking forward with great anticipation to the moment he would call, always thrilling at the occasional touch of his hand, a cheeky smile, a stolen kiss.
But then from one day to the next he’d stopped calling, and before she knew what had happened, he’d been affianced to Lady Nichole.
At the time, every gossip had whispered about him getting Lady Nichole with child, but when none appeared and Blakely cried off the engagement, Madeleine hadn’t known what to think.
She opened the door to the library and stepped inside, only to find herself in Blakely’s presence.
Perfect.
Robert turned at the sound of the door opening, and his heart almost stopped on account of the vision he beheld. Or perhaps it was his breathing that had ceased? For before him stood Madeleine, glowing with otherworldly beauty. She was dressed in white and her golden hair fell softly around her shoulders.
He approached until there was scarcely a yard between them. “Should you be roaming around like this?” He ran his gaze over her. “Not that I’m a stickler for propriety, but I do imagine there are those who would think it inappropriate.”
Christ! Why couldn’t he just compliment her or, even better, hold his tongue?
“I couldn’t sleep,” she confessed. “Considering the hour, I didn’t think anyone else would be about.”
“Yet here I am,” he said. Unable to resist, he reached for her hair, his fingers barely grazing the silky tresses before she pulled away.
“You seem to believe you can do as you please,” she said. “But that is not the case. Actions have consequences, my lord, as you well know.”
Sobering, Robert stepped back. “If it’s a book you’re after, please help yourself. I promise not to bother you any further.”
Madeleine shifted uneasily as he turned his back and strode toward the fireplace, his gaze fixed on the remaining flames. She’d offended him, and while she didn’t want to care, she couldn’t help doing so anyway.
“My apologies,” she said. “It’s just that… Well, considering our history, instinct compels me to be wary of you.”
He grunted. “You professed your love for me once. Do you remember?”
Madeleine winced, embarrassed by the memory. If only she could deny it.
“Yes,” she said.
Turning slowly, he looked her straight in the eye, the edge of his mouth tilting. “And yet you chose to think the worst of me. Not once did you trust that I had no choice in what happened. That I’d done nothing wrong, but that I was just as much a victim as you were.”
Madeleine felt her body begin to tremble. She shook her head in disbelief. “You left me so you could become affianced to another woman without a single explanation.”
“I tried to explain,” he snapped, forcing her back a step. Wild exasperation shone in the depths of his dark brown eyes for a split second before his shoulders slumped. He pushed his fingers through his hair. “I came to your home numerous times in the hope you’d listen to my side of the story, but you always turned me away.”
“I’m sorry.” She’d thought he’d wanted to beg her forgiveness, to rid himself of whatever guilt he harbored so he could move on with a clean conscience. She shook her head. “What was I supposed to think? That you still cared for me after you’d broken my heart?”
“What if I were to tell you my heart was broken as well?”
How could such a thing be possible? It made absolutely no sense and as a result, Madeleine was hesitant to believe him. Still, if there was but a remote possibility that his hand had been somehow forced – that he hadn’t left her by choice, but indeed because he’d had no choice – she wanted to know.
Hesitant, she crossed her arms and leveled a gaze at him. “I’m ready to listen now. If you’re still willing to tell me what happened.”
It felt as if they’d been suspended in time. This was it – Robert’s opportunity to earn Lady Madeleine’s forgiveness. He considered the words he would say, knowing the wrong ones would ruin his chance of winning her back. If he even had one.
“First of all, I must apologize for the pain I have caused you.” He took a hesitant step toward her, relief filling his chest when she didn’t move away. “I was always true to you, my lady, no matter what anyone says or how it may appear.”
Her eyes widened a fraction. “Are you telling me you were coerced into becoming engaged to Lady Nichole? That there was never a baby? That she made it all up?”
Robert paused mid–stride. Would she really believe him if he told her the absolute truth, as absurd as it sounded? For two years his sense of honor had held his tongue, preventing him from tarnishing the name of a good family. But what about his name? Should he sacrifice it along with everything else because of the lies one calculating female had spoken? Because of the threats her father had made against him?
“There was a baby,” he confessed, “but it wasn’t mine. It belonged to somebody else.”
“So Lady Nichole…” Madeleine hesitated. Lord, this was an uncomfortable topic. “If I am to understand you correctly, you were not the only man with whom she was intimate.”
“No,” Blakely said, “what I’m saying, is that she and I never…” His words trailed off as he stood there, looking entirely too handsome for his own good. “It wasn’t possible for me to be the father.”
Madeleine gasped. “She concocted everything? Good lord, Blakely. Why on earth didn’t you deny it?”
“I wanted to many times, but once a rumor takes hold, it can be difficult to contradict. Especially when her father supported her claim. He is a well–respected marquess after all.”
“But you’re an earl. Surely he couldn’t force you against your will.”
“Madeleine.” The tenderness with which he spoke her name squeezed her heart. “He threatened to ruin your reputation unless I did as he asked.”
Realization struck her with the stinging sharpness of an arrow. “You sacrificed yourself for my sake?”