Ladies of Deception 02 - Misleading Lord Martineau by Ginny Hartman Page A

thinking going down to the docks? What in heavens were you hoping to accomplish, besides getting yourself killed?”
    Felicity looked away sheepishly. “It was foolish of me.”
    “Of course it was,” he barked. “We’ve already established that. What I want to know is why. Why did you do it?”
    Shaking her head she said, “The why’s not important,” she was much too embarrassed to admit to him why she had gone there that day. “Suffice it to say that I’ve learned my lesson and it won’t happen again.”
    “No Felicity,” he urged. “It is important. I don’t think you understand the danger you so willingly put yourself in. I don’t think you understand how completely messed up I would be if something would’ve happened to you, if I hadn’t been there to help.”
    His voice was thick with emotion as he spoke and she didn’t dare look into his eyes. “I said I’m sorry.”
    “It’s not enough.”
    That made her angry. She turned to him then, her chin tilted in defiance. “I’m a grown woman who doesn’t have to answer to anybody, not even you. I’ve admitted the foolishness of my actions and have apologized. Please instruct your driver to take me home.”
    He leaned in close, his face a mere inches from hers and growled, “I’ve already told you that I’m not taking you anywhere until I get the answers I seek. I want to know what’s going on Felicity, why the façade? One day you suddenly disappear from my life and four years later return in the same abrupt matter, only this time you’re pretending to be someone you’re not. Why?”
    “ You aren’t one to talk—you were pretty convincing in your little game four years ago,” she sneered.
    Elliot reeled back. “What do you mean?”
    “Pretending you were in love with me,” she spit out. “Pretending that you had planned to be with me forever, planned to marry me. All so you could get into my bed.”
    Elliot looked as if he had been slapped. “That was not an act, none of it.”
    “Sure. That’s why when my father found out about—when he found out that you had ruined me that you were so quick to make it right. So quick in fact that I never saw or heard from you again.” Her voice was dripping with anguish, her sorrow cutting him to the core.
    Elliot was speechless. He had so many thoughts running through his head he could barely sort them out. He watched Felicity slide away and pull his jacket tightly around her before sliding her hands into the pockets, all the while avoiding having to look at him.
    After a tense moment of silence she pulled her hand out of his pocket and held up a worn lavender ribbon, eyeing it curiously. “What is this?”
    Elliot looked sheepish. “Remember that day we had a picnic at Kensington Gardens?”
    “Yes.” She replied curtly, waiting for him to continue.
    “ It fell out of your bonnet.”
    She looked at him peculiarly, “This is my ribbon?” He only nodded. “Why do you have my ribbon in your pocket?”
    He reached over and snagged the ribbon out of her hand and stuffed it furiously into his waistcoat pocket next to his pocket watch.
    Seeing the discomfort the subject brought him she couldn’t help but pry. “Elliot, why do you have my ribbon?”
    “Maybe I needed it to pull my hair back.” He said flippantly.
    Felicity rolled her eyes. “Nonsense. Why do you have my ribbon?” she asked him once more.
    He didn’t answer her at first, instead sitting there mulling his thoughts around in his mind. Finally he decided to be honest with her. “Because it’s the only thing I had of you. I’ve carried that ribbon around for four years because it’s all that I had left, the only thing I had to remind me that you really existed outside of my imagination.”
    Felicity was oddly touched by his declaration but confused at the same time. Choking on a sob she asked, “Then why didn’t you come?”
    Elliot’s heart wanted to break at the pitiful picture she made. Her face looked tormented