Thinking about it now, she wondered why he had been in the marquis' bedchamber. Surely there were other rooms he would have been assigned to. His presence here was also a mystery, for if he had accompanied the marquis on his trip as she had originally thought, he would not show up in the drawing room without him. She watched as he turned from her and made his way to Lady Stonemede.
"Richard! Finally, I was beginning to believe you were never going to present yourself," Lady Stonemede exclaimed, then kissed him on his cheek.
Brianna observed the exchange in confusion, wondering why Richard would warrant such a greeting.
"I'm sorry, Mother. I had some matters that required my immediate attention," he replied.
Although they had the room and chatting guests separating them, Brianna heard the words that shattered her happy illusion. She froze. It was as though her entire body had gone into shock and was no longer under her control. Mother?
As the realization hit her, her knees went weak. Oh, Lord, she was such a fool. He was not plain Richard; he was Lord Richard Carrack, Marquis of Stonemede. As if under a trance, she headed to the nearest chair and sank down in an unladylike fashion. She was barely aware of her mother's cry of outrage.
Brianna could feel her world spinning, and tears sprang into her eyes. Her perfect vision of her and Richard living their lives out in a small cottage in the country vanished. She could not understand why he would do this to her. Her ignorance of his true identity had been bad enough in London, but now, after what they had shared, it was hopeless.
She wanted to cover her face in embarrassment or fall asleep until this nightmare ended. Unfortunately, she was denied the slight respite as there were too many witnesses, and she felt positive a number of them already noticed her odd behavior.
Trying to regain her composure, she watched as Richard made his way around the room greeting various guests. He periodically glanced her way, and anger flooded her at the thought of him witnessing her discomposure. Dragging herself from the chair, she refused to allow him to see her fall to pieces now that the shock had worn off.
"Brianna, what is wrong? Answer me at once." The concern in her mother's voice betrayed her stern words.
"I'm sorry, Mother. I felt faint for a moment, but I'm feeling slightly better now," she whispered, offering her mother a weak smile.
"Good, for Lord Stonemede and Adora are coming this way, and I wish for you to make a good impression on him. From the look of it, we are the only ones who have not been previously acquainted."
"Good afternoon, ladies," Richard said as he and his mother approached them.
"Lady Ransley, Lady Brianna," Lady Stonemede began. "Please allow me to introduce my son, Richard Carrack, the Marquis of Stonemede." Then she turned to her son. "Richard, this is Rachel Denton, Countess of Ransley, and her daughter, Lady Brianna Denton."
"It's wonderful to finally meet you, my lord," her mother said, obviously pleased.
"I'm quite honored to meet you both," he replied.
"I'll leave you now to become better acquainted." Lady Stonemede then left them alone with Richard.
"I apologize that we have not gained an introduction sooner." His pleading eyes didn't leave hers, but Brianna did not feel in a forgiving mood. The truth of his name was coming much too late to save him from her wrath.
"Why is that, my lord?" Brianna failed to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "There have been ample opportunities."
"Not when I first arrived in London, for my attention was captured by various ladies," he explained, and she resisted the urge to react to his reminder of how she captured his attention. "After that, when the situation changed, it was much too late."
"That is no excuse. You still could have found a time and avoided all this evasiveness." Brianna felt her temper rising. He was right that she had not given him an opportunity at first. However, he could have told her before today.
"I planned to, but unfortunately the timing was taken from my control."
"When were you-" Brianna started, but was cut off by her mother.
"My lord, what my daughter is trying to say is that we have been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time. But now it's past us, and we can spend some time getting to know you better." Her mother was apparently unaware of the tension sizzling between the two of them.
"I would like that very much. Lady Brianna, perhaps you will allow me to give you a tour of the gardens later? Stonemede is known for its beautiful grounds."
"She would be delighted, my lord," her mother quickly answered for her. Brianna was slightly grateful for the opportunity, as the things she wished to say were not appropriate for her mother to hear.
"I will look forward to it. Now, if you will excuse me, I must welcome the other guests." His smile was uneasy as he bowed and left them.
"Brianna, I don't know what possessed you to behave in such a way, but thankfully you didn't give him much cause for concern. I would scold you for your improper behavior, though I believe it somehow led to his invitation, so I'll ignore it this once."
As she stood there listening to her mother prattle on about Richard and other nonsense, she could feel the weight of manacles placed upon her ankles. She felt trapped, as if the oxygen supply to her body had been abruptly cut off. There were too many people here, too many witnesses able to observe the attack of panic threatening to overwhelm her. Desperately needing an escape, she turned to her mother.
"I'm beginning to feel unwell. Do you think Lady Stonemede would mind if I excused myself?" Seeing her mother's reluctance, she added, "Perhaps if I rest now, I will feel well enough to enjoy the tour with Lord Stonemede later." Brianna saw the change in her mother's face, and she praised her quick thinking on bringing up Richard's invitation. She knew her mother would do whatever was necessary for Brianna to spend the maximum amount of time with a marquis.
"Go ahead, my dear. I'll speak with Adora. She will understand and encourage you to get your rest."
Brianna nodded weakly, then turned and walked from the room, grateful she didn't have to fake the appearance of being unwell. She felt peculiar. As if the events of the day had happened to another person altogether, and she simply watched them unfold. The entire world had shifted and distorted reality, leaving her stumbling along without options.
After closing the door to her bedchamber, she lay down on the bed and once again went over every moment with Richard. Now that she knew the truth, everything about him made sense. His demeanor, his apparent wealth, and his willingness to keep their interludes a secret should have been enough for her to discover his identity, but she had not wanted to believe it.
She thought over everything for a long time before she got up and sat down at the dressing table. Studying her reflection, she hardly recognized the hurt and confused girl staring back at her. It was not her. She was confident, intelligent, and had always been able to handle anything thrown in her direction. She'd never lacked for a plan, until now. Richard had done this. He'd turned her into this pathetic shell of herself, and she would not stand for it.
Feeling anger return with full force, she welcomed the emotion, allowing it to fuel her body. So furious, she wanted to hurt him back. Knowing her strength was not equal to his, she decided to settle for breaking something of value. Although she had lost track of the time, everyone was most likely still in the drawing room, so no one would notice if she once again made her way to the marquis' bedchamber.
It felt much better to have a plan. Full of purpose, Brianna left the room and quietly darted down the hallway to the place where only moments before she had been so ignorantly blissful. Closing the door behind her, she groaned to see how sparsely the room was decorated. The most valuable piece was a vase, but she had doubts as to whether she would be able to lift it.
The big bed stood before her, and she felt awash in memories. Although she had no desire to see the exact location of her downfall, she could not force herself to back away. The sheets were still askew as they had been when she had exited the bed earlier. Gently running her fingers along the soft fabric, she marveled at how something that had taken place so recently could feel so far away. She closed her eyes. Seeing the evidence before her and feeling it within her body brought heat to her cheeks.
"You are the last person I expected to find in my bedchamber," Richard said.
Startled, she swung around to face him. She had been so absorbed she failed to notice the sounds of his arrival.
"Yes, well I'm not accustomed to doing things other people expect," she retorted, her words laced with acid.