Chapter Eleven

S terling scribbled the final words of the last verse and set the quill down. He raked his fingers through his hair, emitting a long sigh.

It was done.

He glanced to the top of the parchment and re-read the words which he had penned. Words of love on a page to the woman he held dear. They read well to him, but then again, he was so exhausted, his brain would probably tell him anything sounded perfect just to get a bit of sleep. He decided to leave it as it was for now and review it again when he awakened. He could make any adjustments needed when he was feeling more refreshed. As it was, midnight had come and gone a long time ago.

Rising from the chair, he hadn't even the strength to extinguish the candle, which sputtered on its last legs. Instead, he stumbled to the bed, collapsing upon it, falling into a deep sleep.

He awoke with a start, his eyes still gritty from lack of sleep. He had not bothered to summon his valet last night, and the curtains were still open. The faint light of the morning dawn, which would come shortly, already seeped through the windows. The candle had long gone out.

There it was again. A light tap. He had not rung for his valet, so he had no idea why the servant would be knocking upon his door at such an ungodly hour. Irritated, Sterling pushed himself off the bed and strode to the door, opening it.

Lyric Strong stood before him, wearing her dressing gown and holding a candle. Her eyes went wide at the sight of him, and he realized he was stripped to the waist, wearing only his breeches. Even his feet were bare.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"I needed to speak to you in private, with no prying eyes or ears around, my lord. Are you going to ask me in?"

Before he could close the door in her face, she pushed past him, giving him no choice. He quickly closed the door to the bedchamber and spun, hurrying to the bed, slipping into his banyan and belting it.

"I am not going to be trapped into marriage—and that is exactly what will happen if someone sees you leaving this bedchamber, especially dressed the way you are. They will believe we have spent the night together, no matter how much we protest."

Horror filled her eyes, and he saw she realized how foolish her actions had been. Then her jaw set, steely determination filling those cornflower blue eyes. He recalled what Blankenship had said about her and decided Miss Lyric Strong had the same stubborn core as her more outgoing twin.

"I am not asking—I am telling—you to leave Shadowcrest this morning, Lord Carroll," she began. "You stole my sister's heart, and then you shattered it almost beyond repair."

Sterling liked how protective this woman was of her twin. He even wondered if Allegra might be bold enough to have the same heart-to-heart talk with Blankenship.

"I know Allegra can heal, but it is going to take some time. That healing process cannot begin with you at Shadowcrest. I see no reason for you to stay, my lord. I learned you left the hunt early yesterday. You did not bother to show for tea, nor did you send an excuse. You barely arrived in the drawing room before dinner was announced, and then you were silent throughout the entire meal. Then once more, you slipped away, not coming to the drawing room after dinner for charades. If you are not going to participate in the activities my aunt has planned, you should return to town."

"I can't," he said flatly. "I love Allegra too much to do so."

That got her attention. Those lovely Strong eyes widened. "What? What did you just say?"

Then her eyes fell to the ground, and Sterling knew what she saw. The far half of the bedchamber was littered with balled-up pieces of parchment. She pushed past him and walked to that side, turning her head as she took in his numerous failed attempts. Bending, she picked up one and unfurled it, her eyes skimming the page.

Her gaze met his. "You are writing... love poetry to Allegra?"

Frustration filled him. "Yes. I have written poetry—even a few plays—for years. It is one of those secret activities I harbor. No one knows. I am trying to put my feelings for your sister on the page."

Confusion clouded her eyes. "Why don't you simply tell her that you love her?"

He sighed. "It isn't that easy. You, of all people, should know that."

She drew in a quick breath. "What are you saying?"

Gazing at her steadily, Sterling said, "I know of what happened between you and Blankenship. He offered for you, and you accepted him. Then you told him that you loved him, and he could not say the same in return. It caused you to cry off. The same happened to Allegra and me."

He began pacing the room. "I did not come to this house party looking for a wife, and yet Allegra is everything I want in one. Yes, I love her. No, I could not bring myself to tell her that for some reason I cannot even explain to myself. She wants a declaration of love from me, yet if I gave one to her now? She would question it. Doubt that I meant the words. Allegra would believe I only said them in order to persuade her to wed me."

Lyric nodded sadly. "Yes, I do understand, my lord. If Lord Blankenship were to tell me now that he loved me, I know he wouldn't mean it. That he simply was trying to convince me to marry him."

Sterling knew just how much his friend did love this woman, but it was not for him to solve their problems when he had ones of his own.

"The only way I thought I could tell Allegra of my feelings was to write her a love poem." He waved his arms about the room. "You see how many times I started and failed to convey that message. But I believe that I finally have done it."

He went to the table where he had worked so diligently and picked up the poem.

"I finished this in the wee hours of the morning. I was so bleary-eyed, I hoped I had finally captured my feelings. I think my heart is on the page, however. If this does not allow Allegra to understand the depth of my feelings for her, then it is hopeless. I will leave Shadowcrest."

Offering the page to her, he added, "Read it. See if you believe this will be the answer to my unspoken prayers."

She accepted the poem from him and held her candle close to it. He watched the expressions on her face as she read it, his heart beating fast.

Lifting her eyes, she met his gaze. Tears swam in them. "You will win Allegra over with your heartfelt words," Lyric declared. "And you are correct. If you had merely told her that you loved her, I doubt she would have believed you. She will believe this, my lord."

Swallowing, she added, "I have misjudged you. I thought you were nothing but a shallow rake, trying to add another lady's heart to your vast collection, but your words convey the depth of your love for my twin."

She handed the page to him. "Forgive me for not attempting to get to know the true Lord Carroll. I will help you in any way I can to bring you and Allegra together."

"Thank you, Lyric," he said fervently. "I know she wants nothing to do with me. Just as you feel about Blankenship." He paused, not wanting to meddle, but added, "I believe that you, too, should give the good viscount a second chance."

That was all he would say. The rest would be up to his friend to figure out how to let this lovely creature know just how much he loved her.

"We are to have a picnic by the lake today," she told him. "I will do my best to steer Allegra in your direction, my lord. I hope you meet with success."

They hatched a brief scheme, which he hoped would grant him uninterrupted time with Allegra. Then Lyric surprised him, coming toward him and kissing his cheek. He escorted her to the door and opened it. Stepping out, he saw no one in the corridor.

"Hurry back to your bedchamber. And thank you."

"I only want my sister's happiness. I believe she will find it with you."

Lyric Strong exited the room, and Sterling felt hope swell within him.

*

Allegra stirred, coming awake. She felt Lyric's warmth next to her and was grateful for her sister's presence because the raw hurt engulfed Allegra again.

How was she to get over Sterling if he dominated her every waking thought?

She thought about pretending to be ill but decided that would be unfair to Aunt Dinah and their guests. The bulk of entertaining had been placed upon her aunt since Sophie was dealing with business matters, especially now that Captain Andrews had arrived. She also was trying to rest as much as she could. The fact Sophie even allowed this house party to take place when she was due to give birth in a month was so decent of her. Sophie had wanted to give Allegra and Lyric a chance to find their own love matches.

They had—but it was one-sided in both instances.

She lay awake, her thoughts drifting, until Lyric stretched.

"Ready to face another bleak day?" she asked her twin.

"I think the bleak days are behind you," Lyric replied. "You are a very strong woman, Allegra. I see only good things in your future."

She slipped her hand around her sister's. "Whatever the future holds, we will face it together."

They rang for a maid, and both were soon dressed for the morning.

"What is the activity today again?" she asked Lyric.

"Aunt Dinah took our suggestion and has planned a picnic by the lake. We will be dining there and then taking rowboats out."

She swallowed the pain. "It will be a good way for some of the couples to have time alone. Have you written to Georgie yet about Miss Bancroft and Lord Tillings?"

"I have not had a free moment to do so, and you know it," Lyric said, laughing. "Besides, I will not write of their budding romance until Lord Tillings makes it official."

Lyric went on to tell Allegra about her conversation with both Miss Bancroft and Miss Markle in the sitting room yesterday. How furiously Miss Bancroft blushed when speaking of Lord Tillings and how Miss Markle was drawn to Lord Lamkin.

"They are both very nice ladies," Lyric finished. "Although Miss Markle frightened me a bit when she spoke of the Season."

"Why so?" Allegra asked.

"She said it was quite hard to form friendships with the others making their come-outs. That the Marriage Mart was more a competition."

"I can see that occurring," she agreed. Reaching for Lyric's hand, she squeezed it. "But we will have one another, won't we?"

"You have decided to partake in the Season next spring?"

"I believe it will be the best way to get over the heartache Lord Carroll has brought to me. I doubt rakes such as himself attend many events of the Season. Even if they do, it would not be often. With so many people in a crowded ballroom, I think I could easily avoid him. I have told myself that I am not going to let this incident stain the rest of my life. Will I find love again? That is yet to be determined. But I am going to go to town next spring and dance and laugh and be open to the possibility."

Her sister's brow furrowed, and Allegra wondered if she had been too bold in speaking of her plans. She had to remember that Lyric's heart was broken, the same as hers, and her twin might not yet be at a point where she was ready to commit to a Season.

"It is a long way off. Next spring. You have plenty of time to decide if it is something you wish to do or not, Lyric."

"I am hungry this morning," her sister said brightly, changing the topic. "I did not think I would be, but I am."

"You do not wish to wait until later and try to avoid Lord Blankenship?"

Lyric linked her hand through Allegra's arm. "As you said, why let those two rogues color our actions, both at this house party and down the line? I have you by my side. That is all I need to face the world."

They headed downstairs to the dining room, and Allegra decided to adopt her twin's positive attitude. If she saw Lord Carroll or Lord Blankenship, she would take the high road and be gracious. After all, it was only for another few days, and then she would hopefully never see either of them again.