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Authors: Jenni James
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days.
"Are you pleased, then?" he asked. Those worried eyes of his tugged a bit at her heartstrings.
Her heart flipped and then began to beat strangely fast. "Yes, though you did not have to do such a thing."
"Oh, you are wrong, Lady Catherine. I most definitely needed to do just this. I have wounded you with my immaturity and pride, and for that, I shall never forgive myself. I thought for a long time about what gift I should present to you. Do you not remember those nights when you revealed how much you have always longed for a cat of your own? How your father despised the things and found them only useful to keep mice out of the barn, and how you used to—"
"How I used to sneak out at night and feed the barn cats the table scraps before my father or cook found out."
He chuckled. "Yes." Then his gaze connected to hers once more. "Have I ever told you how fond of that girl I was?"
Her racing heart nearly tripled in speed. "Nonsense. You never knew me then—only later, when I was much more dignified."
His serious expression belied the teasing tone of moments before. "Nay, you were the liveliest and passionate girl I had ever known. So gay and full of life, and truly endearing. You sparkled, my dear. How could I not have fallen in love with such a cheerful sprite?"
Oh, how her cheeks reddened. Why had he never spoken such words to her before? "Lord Hamson?"
"George, my dear. It was George all those years ago—let us not have parted ways so much that it is never to be George again. I know I do not deserve such familiarity, especially with how I treated you earlier, but I wish it. I yearn for that time again, that time before I made a blunder of everything."
Her breathing stopped altogether. In fact, every part of her refused to move an inch. What in the world was he saying?
"Please forgive me, Miss Catherine Poleton, the ever-beautiful Dowager Countess, Lady Romney. Please understand that we men are mere mortals to the angels who live amongst us. There are days when we wish ourselves buried meters beneath the dirt for our foolish, insensitive ways. My heart had been stupidly hardened for a brief moment, believing the worst of what society bespoke. Since then, my foolhardy actions have only come to haunt me day after day until I could come up with the courage—nay, the boldness, the levity, the rightness—to apologize for being the disgraceful monster you have come to know."
He took a deep breath and then continued, "I am not that man you were acquainted with a fortnight ago. I am not the man you were forbidden to know more of four years ago." He shook his head. "I do not know what man I am as of yet. However, I know who I am not, and I know desperately who I wish to become."
She rested her cheek on the warm, fuzzy body she cuddled. "And who is that?"
"The man who deserves you."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
George watched as Lady Romney processed all he had revealed. He did not rehearse his speech, though with such vulnerability displayed on his part, he wished that he might have. Truthfully, he had no need to. As he told himself before he came, he must speak from the heart or he was not worthy to ask for any form of forgiveness.
"George?"
She spoke his name. He inhaled slowly, relishing the chance for them to move forward as dear friends. "Yes?"
"What of Miss Hemming? Are you not to be engaged soon?"
"As I said before, I cannot conceive of it. Not when you are here. Not when I finally have a second chance to truly apprehend my mind and to begin again."
She worried her lip, her teeth tugging on the bottom one until he felt pulled to kiss it better. "I am not the same girl, either. I am not sure how much of her exists any longer. My marriage, while simple, was not easy on me." She stopped then. He could tell she desired to say more, yet he did not want to press her.
"Forgive me. I understand that the years have been hard for each of us. We have gone our separate ways, and no doubt each learned and
"Are you pleased, then?" he asked. Those worried eyes of his tugged a bit at her heartstrings.
Her heart flipped and then began to beat strangely fast. "Yes, though you did not have to do such a thing."
"Oh, you are wrong, Lady Catherine. I most definitely needed to do just this. I have wounded you with my immaturity and pride, and for that, I shall never forgive myself. I thought for a long time about what gift I should present to you. Do you not remember those nights when you revealed how much you have always longed for a cat of your own? How your father despised the things and found them only useful to keep mice out of the barn, and how you used to—"
"How I used to sneak out at night and feed the barn cats the table scraps before my father or cook found out."
He chuckled. "Yes." Then his gaze connected to hers once more. "Have I ever told you how fond of that girl I was?"
Her racing heart nearly tripled in speed. "Nonsense. You never knew me then—only later, when I was much more dignified."
His serious expression belied the teasing tone of moments before. "Nay, you were the liveliest and passionate girl I had ever known. So gay and full of life, and truly endearing. You sparkled, my dear. How could I not have fallen in love with such a cheerful sprite?"
Oh, how her cheeks reddened. Why had he never spoken such words to her before? "Lord Hamson?"
"George, my dear. It was George all those years ago—let us not have parted ways so much that it is never to be George again. I know I do not deserve such familiarity, especially with how I treated you earlier, but I wish it. I yearn for that time again, that time before I made a blunder of everything."
Her breathing stopped altogether. In fact, every part of her refused to move an inch. What in the world was he saying?
"Please forgive me, Miss Catherine Poleton, the ever-beautiful Dowager Countess, Lady Romney. Please understand that we men are mere mortals to the angels who live amongst us. There are days when we wish ourselves buried meters beneath the dirt for our foolish, insensitive ways. My heart had been stupidly hardened for a brief moment, believing the worst of what society bespoke. Since then, my foolhardy actions have only come to haunt me day after day until I could come up with the courage—nay, the boldness, the levity, the rightness—to apologize for being the disgraceful monster you have come to know."
He took a deep breath and then continued, "I am not that man you were acquainted with a fortnight ago. I am not the man you were forbidden to know more of four years ago." He shook his head. "I do not know what man I am as of yet. However, I know who I am not, and I know desperately who I wish to become."
She rested her cheek on the warm, fuzzy body she cuddled. "And who is that?"
"The man who deserves you."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
George watched as Lady Romney processed all he had revealed. He did not rehearse his speech, though with such vulnerability displayed on his part, he wished that he might have. Truthfully, he had no need to. As he told himself before he came, he must speak from the heart or he was not worthy to ask for any form of forgiveness.
"George?"
She spoke his name. He inhaled slowly, relishing the chance for them to move forward as dear friends. "Yes?"
"What of Miss Hemming? Are you not to be engaged soon?"
"As I said before, I cannot conceive of it. Not when you are here. Not when I finally have a second chance to truly apprehend my mind and to begin again."
She worried her lip, her teeth tugging on the bottom one until he felt pulled to kiss it better. "I am not the same girl, either. I am not sure how much of her exists any longer. My marriage, while simple, was not easy on me." She stopped then. He could tell she desired to say more, yet he did not want to press her.
"Forgive me. I understand that the years have been hard for each of us. We have gone our separate ways, and no doubt each learned and
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