Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 73963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
These were the things I had been telling myself since arriving home last night. It did me no good to feel anything for Lord Ashington. There had been moments last night when an odd warmth in my chest startled me when I looked at him. He had been much more interesting than I had assumed. I believed he would make a fine husband. Just not mine. I wasn’t what he would choose as a wife and letting myself believe otherwise would lead to future heartbreak. For I was afraid I might find myself truly having feelings for Lord Ashington if I let my guard down.
“Tell me about your sister,” Mr. Compton said as he placed his cup of tea back on the table beside him.
The smile came easily to my lips as I thought of my sister’s arrival. “What is it you wish to know?” I asked him, not sure if he was truly interested or if he was seeking conversation only.
“Anything you wish to share. I’ve not heard you speak of her much and it is clear you two are very close. That is something quite foreign to me. Ashington is my only sibling.”
He didn’t need to say more. We both knew what he meant by that; however, I wasn’t sure it was Ashington’s fault entirely that the two hated each other. Nor was it my business to know the details of why they were at odds. Even if I did probe, I doubted very much that I would receive much truth. There was a gleam in Nicholas Compton’s eyes that made one question his sincerity.
“Whitney is a true beauty and brightens any room she enters. Her laughter is musical and she can make the dreariest of days happy. She finds joy in the simplest moments and makes one wish to see the world as she does. I don’t miss home, I miss Whitney. She is home to me.” It was easy to speak of my sister. Knowing she would be here with me soon eased the ache of missing her so much. Just speaking of her made my mood lift.
Mr. Compton said nothing but the way he looked upon me was puzzling. It was as if he were seeing someone he had never met. Measuring them and their words perhaps. It was an odd experience to be on the receiving end of such a gaze. I wondered what he was thinking, but I asked nothing, remaining silent.
When he finally spoke, he cleared his throat and leaned back in the velvet high back chair. “Not in all my days have I heard a lady speak of another with such honest reverence. Even amongst sisters, there is always a hedge, be it rivalry or jealousy. However, your words were spoken with such purity that it can’t be questioned.” He said this as if he couldn’t believe the words he was speaking.
“I would give my life for my sister,” I stated because, in truth, I was doing just that. Choosing to marry was giving up the dreams I had for myself. The life I had wanted I would give up so that Whitney could have the one she deserved.
“I have no doubt and I must say I am shocked by it,” he replied, still studying me as if I were something strange. “I think you can’t be any more intriguing Miss Bathurst yet, with each moment I spend in your presence, I find I am wrong.”
His words were flattering I would admit, but again, I was never sure if I was but a pawn in his game. I dare not take his words to heart for they could become something to hurt me in the future. I was not in London for myself. I was here for my sister. I best remember that.
“I assure you I am as common as the next girl,” I replied then took a sip of my tea. In the future, it would do for me to be careful how much emotion I laid bare for others to see. Especially the likes of Nicholas Compton. His beauty was not something to be blinded by, for his inside did not reflect his outward appearance.
Chapter Seventeen
Earl of Ashington
I wasn’t sure how long I could remain in the city before going back to Chatwick Hall and dealing with pressing matters of business. Emma loved the country and would be more than happy to return, but I had yet to decide on a wife. Perhaps we could be gone but a fortnight and the time away would give me time to clear my thoughts.
A blur of yellow ran past me then skidded to a halt beside the library door before turning and darting inside. It was as if I hadn’t been standing here at all. I waited and it was but a moment before I heard the heavy footsteps of Alice coming down the hallway.