The Christmas Heiress (34 page)

Fortunately, the love note was hidden in the opposite hand that Edward had kissed after their
dance, for he certainly would have seen it. Scanning the room anxiously, she spied Jonathan at the
card table, charming Lady Johnson-Meyer, Grandpapa and Lord Bradford as they played a lively
round of piquet.

Charlotte casually sauntered over in their direction and innocently inquired how the game was progressing. She stood behind Jonathan, gently resting her
hand upon his shoulder. He stiffened slightly and she
knew he had understood her unspoken message that
she had a note for him. He turned his card and made
a joke, then leaned back in his chair.

Charlotte, laughing along with everyone else, deliberately dropped her fan by Jonathan's chair.
Stooping down to retrieve it, she let the hand that
had been on his shoulder travel swiftly down his
side. As she pretended to fumble with her fan, she
pressed the note into the outside pocket of his
evening coat. Straightening, she smiled as if nothing were amiss and made a lighthearted remark
about her clumsy fingers.

The note safely delivered, Charlotte nevertheless
stayed until the next hand was played, then with the
parting advice to all to play fairly, she sauntered
away, pleased to have successfully done her part.

However, what she had failed to notice were the
earl's eyes, staring hard and curious at her, puzzlingly aware of her every movement.

Charlotte went to her bedchamber later that
night in a state of confusion. Dancing with Edward
had brought her physical needs to the surface
again, and even though it was hours later, her body
still tingled from the gentle fire of his touch.

She had deliberately avoided him for the remainder of the night, fearing he would ask if he could
come to her bedchamber, or even worse, ask her to
meet him somewhere in the house. The library,
perhaps, where they had first made love?

Her eyes closed and her body flushed. If he had
asked, she probably would not have refused. She
had been out-of-sorts for several days now, so desperate to do something foolish and a clandestine
meeting in the library would certainly qualify as a
rash act.

Her fevered emotions made sleep impossible, and
after tossing and turning for several hours Charlotte
got out of bed. As she lit the candle by her bedside,
she debated donning her robe, slipping from her
room and surprising Edward in his bedchamber.

Tempting as it was, Charlotte told herself it was
prudent to resist the urge, for indulging in the
physical side of their relationship only confused
her further. She was still fumbling in her mind with
her decision when she noticed something on the
floor near her door.

Curious, she moved closer and discovered a piece
of parchment. Further investigation revealed it was
a sealed note, with her name scrawled elegantly on
the front.

Recognizing the penmanship, Charlotte picked
up the note and brought it closer to the light. Realizing it had been left beneath her door so she
would find it in the morning, Charlotte quickly
broke the seal and read the contents:

Dear Charlotte,

As you read this note I feet certain the household
is in an uproar. Evelyn has disappeared, but do not
fear for her safety. She is with me and we have left to
start our life together. I thank you for all your help;
without you our dreams could never have been realized. Do not fear, I shall never tell anyone of the important role that you played in bringing us together, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart
for being such a true and loyal friend.

With deepest affection,
Jonathan

Charlotte finished reading the brief message and
closed her eyes in alarm. She could hear Jonathan's
cheerful voice in every line, could imagine his excitement and delight at the turn of events. But this
was disastrous!

Without a moment's hesitation, she pulled on
her dressing gown and ran from the chamber,
hoping she would be able to find Edward's bedchamber in the numerous, winding hallways.

It was very late. The fire sputtered weakly, the
lamplight barely flickered. Dawn would arrive in a
few short hours and Edward had not readied himself
for bed, for sleep was an impossibility. His mind refused to rest with his thoughts in such turmoil, with
his emotions in such an ice-cold state of confusion.

His eyes had not deceived him earlier this
evening. Charlotte had clearly slipped a note into
Jonathan's pocket at the card table and had also
tried very hard to remain unnoticed as she did it.
Edward did not want to be irrational or excessively
suspicious; he did not want to believe it meant anything dire, yet the memory of being left a few days
before his impending wedding lingered in the
earl's mind.

Edward struggled to stay calm, reminding himself repeatedly that things were not always as they
appeared, that it was foolhardy to jump to conclusions without knowing all the facts. On the surface
it seemed ridiculous, almost melodramatic to believe that Jonathan and Charlotte had formed a romantic tendre, and yet the closeness they shared
was very evident.

Even LadyJohnson-Meyer had remarked upon it
the other evening, suggesting they would make a
fine match. And Edward had sensed that Charlotte
was being evasive at the sledding party when he
asked about his brother's melancholy mood. She
seemed to know something, but instead of discussing it, she had tried to deliberately distract him
from the issue.

Edward sat down in the chair in front of the dwindling fire, rubbing his chin with his thumb, telling
himself this was insanity. He would not believe the
worst. Yet it was difficult to tell himself this could be
an innocent misunderstanding with circumstances
indicating otherwise and the bitter taste of betrayal
lingering in his mouth.

Refusing to simply wallow in his misery, Edward
crossed his bedchamber, knowing he could not wait
any longer to confront Charlotte. Determined, he
yanked open the door, but came to a sudden halt.
Charlotte stood in the chamber doorway, wringing
her hands in agitation, a crumpled piece of parchment sandwiched between her fingers. Jonathan's
letter.

"Charlotte!"

"Oh, Edward, thank heavens you are here." Without waiting for an invitation, she barged past him
into the room. "Something dreadful has happened.
I must speak with you at once. Is your valet about?"

"I dismissed Thompson hours ago."

"Good." She nervously paced in front of the
window, then stopped and turned toward him. "Hurry and shut the door. I do not think anyone saw
me, but we must be careful. Now more than ever."

The dread within him began to build. "This
could not wait until breakfast?"

"No, by morning it will be too late. To be honest,
in all likelihood 'tis already too late." She took an
audible breath. "This will not be easy for you to
hear, Edward."

"Does it concern my brother?"

Her eyes widened. "How did you know?"

He gave a humorless laugh. "My head is not
always consumed with business. I am aware of other
things happening around me, though apparently I
am powerless to control them."

She shot him a narrowed-eyed gaze. "You knew
and yet you never said a word to me about it?"

"I suspected. I also foolishly hoped my suspicions
were wrong." Edward struggled to maintain a nonchalant facade.

"I wish you had told me," she said in a forlorn
tone. "Perhaps between us, we could have prevented things from getting so out of hand. When
Jonathan first approached me-"

"Ali, so he was the instigator of this relationship,"
Edward said, his voice crackling with the annoyance
he could no longer contain. "I had wondered."

"I accept an equal share of the blame." Charlotte
pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her
head. "I was not coerced. I participated of my own
free will. But I never fully realized the depth of
Jonathan's passion, the lengths to which he would
go to have what he wanted, until it was too late.

"Please believe me when I tell you that I regret
my part in all of this, that I never meant for it to happen. I would do anything to prevent you this
distress, to spare you this hurt. My only hope is that
in time you will be able to forgive me."

Edward's heart chilled. "A pretty speech, Charlotte. I suppose I must feel grateful that at least
you have had the courage to tell me in person.
Far more civilized than my former fiancee treated
me. I wonder, does this mean my taste in women
is improving?"

Charlotte frowned. Edward could tell she was
trying to gather her thoughts, trying to understand
what he was implying. He saw in her eyes the exact
moment she caught his meaning.

"You thought that Jonathan and I were ... that
we ... how could you think ... after all that you and
I have been to each other you believed I would
carry on with another man?" She stopped sputtering and gulped in a few controlling breaths. "And
not just any man, but your brother?"

Edward had not imagined she would be so upset.
"What was I supposed to think? Last night was not
the first time I have seen the two of you exchange
notes."

"So you thought I came here to tell you that I was
jilting you?"

Edward cast her a cool look. "Technically, we
would have to be engaged in order for you to throw
me over for my brother. I have proposed to you several times over the last few days and still you do not
wear my ring upon your finger."

"I have not rejected you," she said half-angrily.

"Nor have you accepted me." His gaze ran over
her, taking in her blue silk dressing gown, the
curves of her lovely silhouette, her loose flowing hair tied back with a single ribbon. His chest
squeezed. "Are you waiting for a better offer?"

"From your brother? Don't be ridiculous. You are
the one with the greater income and the aristocratic
title." She stared at him with an odd flicker in her
eyes. "However, I must concede you have raised an
excellent point. You are only an earl. Perhaps it
would be prudent for me to set my sights on a duke.
Do you know of any under the age of sixty, perchance?"

Edward wanted to shout with frustration. Charlotte's earlier demeanor of distress had vanished,
giving him a strong feeling that he had misread
something about the situation between her and
Jonathan. He turned a fierce gaze upon her. Why
did his dealings with her always have to be so damn
complicated?

"Why did you come to my chamber, Charlotte?
What has upset you so greatly?"

She held on to her indignant anger a moment
longer. "I consider Jonathan a dear friend, nothing
more." She moved forward and touched Edward
briefly on the arm. The small gesture went straight
through him, making his heart lurch with longing
and desire. "'Tis Jonathan and Evelyn who are involved. I am so upset because they have run off together and I came to you hoping there was something
we could do, yet I fear it is too late."

"Evelyn?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Miss Evelyn Montgomery.

"My mother's companion?"

"The very same."

Edward closed his eyes and swallowed against the tightness of his throat, waiting for the surge of relief
to recede. He could not believe how fast his heart
was beating. Charlotte had not betrayed him with
another man. A thousand endearments crowded
his mind, but he voiced none of them. The opportunity to win her for himself still existed. But first
this new problem must be sorted out.

Jonathan and his mother's companion? Whatever could his brother have been thinking? Or
rather not thinking, just acting, and irresponsibly
to boot.

Edward frowned. "I was unaware Jonathan and
Miss Montgomery had formed an attachment for
each other. How is that possible? Miss Montgomery
is nearly always at my mother's side and I have rarely
observed her in conversation with my brother."

Charlotte turned and walked to the window. "A
marked attention to each other would have been
noticed and most certainly stopped. It could have
even resulted in Miss Montgomery's dismissal, no
doubt without a reference. Instead the pair have
been communicating through the numerous letters I have been delivering for them. If somehow I
were caught, no one would ever question or challenge me, so it was safe. Those were the letters you
saw me exchanging with Jonathan."

"You encouraged this relationship?" Edward
caught her wrist, spinning her back toward him.
"Have you lost your mind!"

"I had no idea their feelings had progressed to this
stage. I thought it a harmless, innocent flirtation."

"Apparently that is not the case." His voice
calmed and the hold on her wrist gentled.

Charlotte held out the crumpled note. `Jonathan slipped a note under my bedchamber door. I'm
sure he intended me to find it in the morning, but
I was awake and the moment I saw it, I read it. His
message thanked me for all my help and promised
faithfully to protect me by keeping my role in his
romance with Miss Montgomery a secret.

"As I came here to tell you about it, I passed your
mother's bedchamber door and noticed a letter
had also been left for her, though it was not placed
completely beneath her door. Disregarding any
sense of propriety, I opened and read it, and thus
confirmed the awful truth of the situation."

Edward took the second letter Charlotte offered,
scanned it, then silently cursed. "News ofJonathan's
elopement will crush my mother."

Charlotte nodded. "I cannot imagine a worse beginning to their married life. This marriage is
doomed before it has even begun. Even with complete family support behind him, it would have
been difficult for many to accept such a socially inferior woman as his bride, but eloping will create a
scandal from which they will never recover."

"Jonathan has never cared overmuch for the
opinion of society," Edward said slowly, hoping the
situation was not quite so dire.