Page 98
How hearing them before his disastrous proposal might have changed how she answered, because how could she say no to that?
“I… he… No.” Mei shook her head. “He… cannot.”
“I assure you, Mei, he can.” Tiffany squeezed her fingers again. “I know my brother. He would not have asked you to marry him unless he loves you. And I do believe he will ask you again. I hope you take some time to think about what answer you truly want to give.”
Sebastian
Hovering at the end of the hall, Sebastian went ramrod straight when he heard a door close and then footsteps. It was an interminable wait until Tiffany turned the corner and he could see her again, trying to get a read on her expression. As soon as she saw him, she paused for a moment, then continued onward, shaking her head in exasperation.
“Sebastian, you are not supposed to be here,” she scolded.
“I did not go into the hall,” he protested, gesturing at the expanse of space that kept him from seeing the actual doors of the bedrooms where the ladies were staying.
Truthfully, it was better that he did not know which was Mei’s. He was uncertain he would be able to keep a respectful distance if he did. This way, the only way to find out where she was staying would be to check every room, which he obviously could not do.
Rolling her eyes, Tiffany grabbed him by the arm, turning him forcibly about to have him escort her away from that wing.
“What did she say?” Sebastian asked.
“Why did you not tell her that you love her when you proposed?” Tiffany demanded to know in response.
“I…” Sebastian’s voice trailed off, then he gave himself a shake. “What does that matter?”
“Men!” The exasperation in Tiffany’s voice dripped with derision. “Of course, it matters! You are asking her to change her entire life, to step into a position she was never trained for and considers herself completely unsuited for, to put herself in the eye of the ton in a manner she has never experienced. Why would she do that?”
“To be a duchess?” Even as he said the words, Sebastian knew they were the wrong answer.
Many young ladies of the ton aspired to be a duchess, but Mei was not of the ton. In many ways, she was very much like the other ladies, but in that way, she’d clearly had no expectations. Even when she’d agreed to become his lover.
He’d made assumptions. Assumptions that were clearly incorrect.
“You nincompoop.” Tiffany swatted his arm with her free hand. “As if you are some great prize.”
Sebastian certainly did not feel like one at the moment.
“So, what do I do?” he asked his sister, allowing his pleading to enter his voice. “How do I fix this?”
Sighing, Tiffany shook her head. “Unfortunately, because of her unique position in Society, dramatic scenes in libraries will get you nowhere. No one would insist you marry her, and I do not think Mei would allow herself to be pushed around like that even if they did. It’s more likely that she and her grandmother would leave London and start anew somewhere else.”
A pang struck Sebastian’s heart at the thought, making it hard for him to breathe. He would go after her, of course, but he had a feeling that such maneuvers would only make things more difficult. How would she be able to trust him after that? The answer was that, of course, she would not.
“I would not want to dishonor her. Not like your husband.” He gave Tiffany a droll look, and she glared back at him.
“Do you want me to help you or not?” she asked.
“Yes, please.”
40
Mei
It was the final night of the house party, and Mei was back in her green-and-gold aoqun because she could not miss the last supper and the subsequent dancing. She’d made a promise to Tiffany in the morning that as long as she was allowed to hide away all day, she would come out for the evening.
While it only postponed the inevitable, Tiffany had also promised to keep the others away from Mei’s room. In the morning, Mei had felt that promise worth its weight in gold. In the end, actually being left alone for hours was not as much a relief as she’d thought.
She was trapped with her own thoughts.
For hours.
