CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND SIX – NOBLE RELATIONS

"Because she found me," Charlotte said, her voice trembling with the effort to stay calm. "Last night, at the pub. She burst in, raving about your engagement, your betrayal. She said..." Charlotte swallowed hard. "She said you were intimate, that you gave her my ring." Richard stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "Charlotte, I can explain-" "Then explain!" she cried. "Explain how you looked me in the eye and said Arabella was your only engagement. Explain how you gave me this ring" - she held up her hand, the pearl glinting accusingly - "and told me it was for a woman who loved you for yourself. Was that all a lie, Richard?" He crossed the room to her, reaching for her hands, but she stepped back. His face fell. "It wasn't a lie, Charlotte. Not entirely. Yes, I was engaged to Eliza. But it wasn't as she portrayed it. There was no affair, no... intimacy." Charlotte shook her head. "She knew details, Richard. About your promises, about sneaking into her bedchamber at