His Jilted Bride (Historical Regency Romance) (22 page)

Two gentle arms came around her.
“It'll all be all right, Amelia, I promise.”

How could she make such a promise? She
couldn't. For as much as Edwina wanted to be reassuring, Amelia
couldn't be reassured.

“
Does Elijah know?” Edwina whispered in her ear.

Amelia shook her head, unable to
speak.

“
It'll be all right, Amelia, I know it will be. Elijah isn't
the kind—” Her words died on her tongue, replaced with a gasp as
her body tensed.

Amelia didn't want to
look. But she had to. She had, no
needed
, to know who'd just happened
upon them and overheard her biggest secret.

Slowly, she turned her head and almost
had an identical reaction to Edwina, only she did more than gasp
and tense, all of her blood drained to her toes.

Henry.

She didn't know why, but for some
reason it seemed worse that it would be Henry who might have
overheard than if Elijah had. Of course it wouldn't have been ideal
for Elijah to have heard that way, but at least he'd have heard and
her secret would be revealed. Now, even more people knew than she'd
intended and she'd be forced to tell Elijah tonight, Henry would
demand it.

“
Weenie,” he said quietly, crossing his arms. “Your husband
was looking for you. I assume Alex wants him to play chess again or
some such nonsense and he's looking for you so he doesn't have to
play.”

Edwina lowered her eyes in a silent
apology, then released her hold on Amelia.

Instinctively, Amelia reached for her
friend and patted her arm as if now she was the one reassuring her
that it would all work out. Perhaps not the way that Amelia once
dreamed everything would be, but now there would be no more
uncertainty or suspense.

The two ladies exchanged a look, then
Edwina quietly slipped out of the library, leaving the door
slightly ajar.

“
Henry.”

“
Amelia.”

Amelia clasped her hands in front of
herself, not sure what to say.

“
Would you like to sit by the window? The settee over there is
far more comfortable than the one here by the door.”

His words were anything but an
invitation, but neither were they a coldhearted demand. There was
certainly something unusual about him today.

Without a word, Henry uncrossed his
arms and fell into a chair not far from where she'd just moved.
“Has my brother done something to upset you?”

Amelia started. Not only had he not
asked her what she thought he might, his tone had been softer than
usual. “P-pardon?”

“
Elijah. Has he done something to you or did the two of you
have a quarrel?”

“
No.” What on Earth was this coxcomb talking about?

Henry stretched his long legs out in
front of himself and crossed his ankles. “And have you thought any
more about what I told you the other day?”

Amelia snapped her brows
together. What
was
he talking about? Oh. Elijah's supposed secret. “You mean
that he blows glass?”

Henry looked at her as if she'd just
grown a pair of horns. “No.”

She forced a shrug. “That's the only
secret I learned about him yesterday.”

Scowling, Henry said, “That's all you
learned?”

“
Yes. We spent the entire day together, Henry. Don't you think
if there was a secret to uncover about Elijah, I'd have ferreted it
out?”

“
If you spent all day together, I'd think you would have,” he
mumbled. “Just give it more thought and try again.”

She scowled. What did he think this
was, a business opportunity for her to ponder over? “No, Henry, I
haven't given it nearly as much thought as you think I should have.
Quite frankly, I don't think he has a secret. I honestly believe
he'd have told me if he did.”

“
Oh, he would have, would he?” He scoffed. “Everyone has a
secret, Amelia. One they want to keep buried. You just need to dig
a little deeper to uncover it.”

“
And what is
your
secret?”

His lips thinned and it appeared he
had no intention of answering her, then in a voice barely above a
whisper, he said, “I used to be insanely jealous of my own
brother.”

“
Because of his title?”

“
No. I never cared about that.” Henry fiddled with his cuff.
“Actually, it was about you.”

She pointed to herself.
“Me?”

He nodded once, still playing with his
cuff. “You used to chase after Elijah and shower him with your
attentions. I guess—” He shrugged as if that were a perfectly
acceptable way to end a sentence.

“
But you didn't like me,” she pointed out, her mind still
racing, trying to puzzle out how in the world he could have
possibly been jealous. “You used to tell Elijah all the time how
you had all the luck between the two of you because you didn't have
me on your heels.”

“
I know.”

“
You—you also used to throw snowballs at me harder than you
did at him and even put a dead fish in my picnic
hamper.”

“
I know. That's how a boy tries to get a girl's attention,” he
said, meeting her eyes again.

“
But why?”

“
I already told you, I was jealous that you only paid
attention to him.”

Good grief. This was a conversation
she'd never dreamed of having. “Yes, I understand that part. But
how was tricking me into eating a worm or hiding my shoes on top of
the conservatory supposed to gain you the right kind of
attention?”

“
How does chasing a boy all around the lawn, screaming like a
gypsy that when you catch him you're going to kiss him gain you his
favorable attention?” He slid his right leg up and rested his ankle
on top of his left knee. “I think you've found your
answer.”

“
Why didn't you just tell me?”

“
Would it have mattered if I had?”

She closed her eyes. It had been
because Elijah had been the one who allowed her to join their games
without too much of a fuss and had taken her side against his
brother that she'd initially gravitated toward him. But it had been
his similar sense of humor and their ability to hold a conversation
that had kept her attracted more to Elijah than Henry. Henry was as
handsome as Elijah, but he was far too cryptic and quiet, and
nearly unapproachable at times where she was concerned. It wasn't
that he acted as if he didn't like her, he just seemed indifferent
toward her when she was in the room. Yes, indifferent, that was a
good way to describe it.

“
That's what I thought,” he said quietly. He smiled. “It
doesn't matter, Amelia. My interest in you is the equivalent of
your interest in me: we're just friends. That's all you and I can
ever be, and not just because you're married to my brother, but
because that special spark isn't there between us.” He raked his
hand through his hair and swallowed uncomfortably. “I was at your
wedding, too. I could have just as easily been the one to convince
you to run off with me. But that's not what either of us would have
wanted, was it? While I had some strange sort of jealousy for
Elijah being the object of all of your affections, I realized
sitting in that sanctuary, that's all it ever was. I didn't
actually have feelings of the romantic variety for you.”

“
Well, thank you, Henry; this is just the conversation every
young lady longs to have. So eloquent and flattering.”

He looked as impassive as he always
did. “I'm not the best with words, you should know that by now. So
ignore the not-so-flattering parts and think about the
others.”

“
Must you always talk in riddles?”

“
No, I don't have to. But it's more fun this way.”

Of course he'd think so.

“
Just think about what I said. Everyone has a secret—even
Elijah.”

“
Why don't you just tell me what it is then,” she
hedged.

He stood. “It's not my secret to
tell.”

“
Does that mean...” she started hopefully.

“
Does that mean what?”

Her face flushed. Leave it to Henry to
make her say it. “My secret, is it safe?”

Henry quirked a brow. “I wasn't aware
that I knew any secret of yours.”

“
Yes, you do.”

“
Ah, that secret.” He leaned in close as if he were about to
make some profound statement that she alone were fortunate enough
to hear. “Amelia, that secret isn't a secret at all—”

The blood rushed from her head and the
room spun. It wasn't? “Does Elijah know?” she blurted.

He rolled his eyes and gave a shake of
his head. “No. He's probably the only one who doesn't,
though.”

Amelia's already unsettled stomach
lurched. She was going to shoot the cat. There was no way to hold
it in. Franticly, her eyes searched the room for something to retch
into, her heart was pounding so hard it just might leap out of her
chest.

“
Are you all right? You look as if you're about to
spew.”

Any other time Amelia
might have done her best to give him an icy look for being so
vulgar in her presence. But the truth was, she
was
about to spew and if she didn't
find a receptacle quickly enough— No. She wouldn't even entertain
the thought.

“
Truly, it isn't the worst fate in the world to be in love
with one's husband.”

“
What?” she choked out. Surely she hadn't heard him right over
the roar of her blood pounding in her ears.

Henry reached over and slid a chamber
pot out from behind a tall potted plant, then handed it to her. “I
never thought you were one for theatrics.”

“
I'm not. It's just...well, what exactly did you
hear?”

“
That Weenie is still blaming you for her nickname all these
years later; and still trying to use it to her advantage, I might
add.”

Amelia scowled. “Anything
else?”

“
No.”

Amelia's grip tightened on the side of
the porcelain she held. Was he telling her the truth or was this
the way he kept people's secrets safe, such as Elijah's? She
released her death grip on the chamberpot. It didn't matter. If he
was willing to keep her secret, then it was as good as if he hadn't
heard it. And that was one thing to be said about Henry. He might
come across as distant and boorish sometimes, but he always kept
his word.

She placed the chamberpot on the floor
beside her and stood up. Brushing out her skirt, she said, “Very
well. I shall speak with Elijah tonight.”

“
Good. It's about time.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “What is
that to mean?”

His lips tipped up in the same
lopsided smile Elijah had—except his didn't make her heart race and
her blood boil. “Just that it's time the two of you talked. You
both might learn something.”

Chapter Twenty-One

“
You need to go find your wife. Now.”

Elijah snapped his head up to face his
brother. “What the devil took you so long?”

Henry found a seat on the leather
divan. “I was having the most fascinating conversation.”

Elijah scowled. “With
whom?”

“
Your wife.”

Elijah's scowl deepened. “And what did
the two of you discuss?”

“
You.”

Elijah jabbed a finger at his chest.
“Me? What the devil for?”

Henry grabbed a pillow and set it at
the far end of the divan, then rested his head on it as if he were
truly about to take a nap right here and now.

“
Well?”

Henry clasped his hands behind his
head. “Why don't you go ask her yourself?”

“
Because I'm asking you,” he bit off. Amelia and Henry had
never gotten along as well as he and Amelia had, and while he knew
Henry didn't have any ill feelings for Amelia, he'd often wondered
if perhaps the same might not be true regarding Amelia. Considering
how coldly Henry had always come off where she was concerned, it
wouldn't be without warrant that one might think so. “What did you
and my wife talk about? You didn't upset her, did you?”

“
I
didn't.”

“
Are you implying that I did?”

Henry crossed his ankles and shifted
to get more comfortable. “Perhaps inadvertently.” He sighed. “You
really need to do your duty, Elijah. If not for her sake, then at
least for everyone else's.”