The Wedding Game(67)

At the last word, Father gave a visible wince of displeasure. ‘Then do so and be gone.’ He looked at Belle, his gaze softening. ‘And if you need to return home, for any reason, you are not to hesitate. I will send a carriage immediately.’

At this, Belle laughed. ‘Do not be silly, Papa. If I wish to come here, Guy will drive me in his own carriage. And then he will come to bring me home, just as he is doing now.’

For a moment, their father had the same perplexed look on his face that summed up what she felt about her sister’s new-found independence. He gave one more cold glance in Guy’s direction and said, ‘Very well, then.’

‘Very well,’ Belle agreed. ‘Come, Mellie. We are leaving now.’ Guy offered her his arm and escorted her towards the door. But as she passed her father in the doorway, she stopped to kiss him on the cheek.

For a moment, he softened and his hand rose, as if to beckon her back. Then it dropped again and he sighed in defeat.

Mellie sighed as well, hopping to the floor and giving one last, longing look at his cushion before wagging his tail and following his mistress out of the house.

Her father cleared his throat, as if coughing away the inconveniently soft emotions. ‘Amelia. I wish to see you in my study.’

She gathered up her sewing. ‘I will be with you momentarily.’

‘Now, Amelia. We do not want to keep our guest waiting.’

Ben.

She had assumed he must be gone. But he was in this very house with her, waiting. She stood up so quickly she dropped her workbasket and smoothed her skirts and hair, wishing for a mirror. Then she did her best to walk at a ladylike pace one step behind her father.

But she touched the locket for luck as she did so.

As she entered the room, he rose, turned and bowed. But his face remained expressionless, giving no hint of what was to come. He waited until she had taken the chair on the opposite end of the desk before resuming his seat.

She looked from one to the other, but neither man spoke. The silence drew her nerves to the breaking point, so, she broke it. ‘Good afternoon, Mr Lovell. What business did you have with me?’

He showed no mercy and did not answer the question she had asked. ‘I came to assure myself that your sister was well and offer my apologies again for what happened in my home.’

‘No apologies are necessary,’ her father said hurriedly.

Ben held up a hand to demur. ‘Despite my efforts to do just as your father wished, my engagement to your sister ended badly. I promised that she would not be hurt and wished to assure myself that all was well with her.’

‘I assume you know it to be so,’ Amy said, growing impatient. ‘For it appears you helped her husband to engage a companion for her.’

‘How gracious of you,’ her father said, smiling.

‘So kind,’ she added, ‘to make it unnecessary for me to follow her to her new home.’

‘It was the least I could do,’ Ben said, ignoring the warning glare her father shot her and responding with a modest nod. ‘I wanted to be sure my oath to you was properly discharged.’

‘Of course, my dear fellow. Any obligation is fulfilled. You have done all you could.’

‘But that still leaves the matter of the seat in the Commons we discussed,’ Ben added. ‘And certain threats that you made against my character.’

‘They were not meant as threats, per se,’ her father hedged.

‘I spoke to Cottsmoor about them. He found them to be most ominous.’

‘Cottsmoor?’ her father said weakly.

‘I believe you said something about biblical retribution, if I failed in my duty,’ Ben said quietly.

‘Father is a great fan of the Bible,’ Amy supplied. ‘Especially Genesis. Jacob and Esau. Leban and Rachel...’ She gave him a significant look and pretended to veil her face.

‘And you did not fail, Mr Lovell,’ her father said, ignoring her. ‘I have no reason to seek retribution.’

‘But that does not reduce the power you have over me,’ Ben reminded him, turning to her. ‘And you as well, Miss Summoner. For you took the time to find my mother and verify the truth about my past.’

At your request.

She wanted to shout it at him and end this pointless charade.

‘I am sure she meant no harm,’ her father wheedled.

‘On the contrary, she has been trying to harm me since the first day we met,’ Ben said with a laugh of incredulity. ‘Spilling drinks. Knocking me off a horse. And locking me in a closet at the Middletons’ musicale.’

‘That door was not locked,’ she insisted, before remembering where she was.

‘Amelia!’ her father said, obviously appalled.

‘In short, I have no reason to trust the pair of you,’ Ben finished.

‘No more than I trust you,’ she said, growing tired of waiting for him to make good on his words.

‘But there is no need to involve a peer,’ her father said hastily. ‘I am sure we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution.’

‘I would have more faith in your words if you had as much to lose as I,’ Ben reminded him. ‘If we were related, by a bond of marriage, as planned? Then the last thing you would want was to see me disgraced.’

The room fell silent and both men looked to her.