Page 111 of Why Do Rogues Fall in Love?

They were only a few feet from the door when the handle turned. Cordelia stopped. The door swung inward, and Lady Giles entered, accompanied by several other ladies whose animated conversation died the instant they beheld the scene before them.

One woman gasped. Another pressed her gloved fingers to her mouth. Lady Giles stared in astonishment at George's disheveled appearance, the viscountess standing beside the chaise with her gown still imperfectly arranged, and Cordelia supporting the unsteady gentleman near the doorway.

Behind her, Katherine gave a soft, distressed exclamation.

Cordelia felt a terrible chill settle over her.

The trap had been sprung.

And her sister, in her foolish, selfish determination to save Cordelia from a heartbreak that had not yet occurred, had helped set every part of it in motion.

CHAPTER 24

Cordelia sat upon the sofa in her parents’ drawing room, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, while a terrible tension seemed to press upon everyone gathered there. It was scarcely ten o’clock in the morning, yet she felt as though she had already endured an entire day of misery. She had not slept more than an hour the previous night, and even that brief respite had been troubled by dreams of George struggling to stand, his face pale and his eyes clouded with confusion.

She had wanted to remain with him until she was certain he was well. Indeed, it had taken considerable persuasion from one of George’s closest friends, the Earl of Grantham, whom she had never met before that evening, to convince her that George would be better served by being taken home and attended by his physician. The earl had helped her escort George from Lady Giles’s residence, and although she had reluctantly agreed with his reasoning, leaving George in such a condition had been terribly difficult.

Now, as she sat listening to her sister's muffled sobs, Cordelia wondered whether she ought to have ignored everyone and insisted upon remaining at his bedside. At least then she would not have to endure this dreadful conversation. Though her nerves had been greatly calmed by the letter she received from George this morning expressing he was well and the results of his investigation into the matter.

Katherine occupied the armchair opposite her, clutching a damp handkerchief between her fingers. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and every so often her shoulders shook with another helpless sob.

Their mother stood near the windows, reading the morning scandal sheet with her lips pinched into a thin, disapproving line.

Their father stood beside the fireplace, his expression grave.

"Please forgive me," Katherine whispered.

Cordelia said nothing.

"Cori, please." Katherine pressed the handkerchief against her mouth before lowering it again. "I never imagined matters would turn out this way."

Still, Cordelia remained silent.

Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she made no effort to wipe them away.

"I...when I probed Victoria about her intentions toward Lord Templeton, she mentioned how certain she was that she would be able to secure him. She claimed he had been pursuing her, and I became convinced he was doing so while also pursuing you."

Cordelia stared at her sister.

Katherine's voice trembled.

"I know now that I should have spoken to you, but I was so afraid you would refuse to listen. You were so happy, Cori, and I feared you were allowing yourself to be deceived. For some reason, showing you what I believed to be his true nature seemed the only way I could make you understand."

Her shoulders shook with another sob.

"I thought if you saw him with Victoria, you would finally believe me."

Cordelia slowly lowered her gaze to her clasped hands. She could scarcely comprehend the enormity of what her sister was saying. Katherine had deliberately helped another woman arrange a compromising scene involving the man Cordelia loved, all because she had decided that her own judgment mattered more than Cordelia's happiness.

And now she expected forgiveness.

As though a few tears and a heartfelt apology could undo the dreadful consequences of her actions.

Their mother made a small, distressed sound.

"Oh, heavens."

Cordelia glanced toward her.