Read Online The Lady’s Torn Heart (Faces of Love Series #2) by Jessie Bennett - Free Book Online Page A

Mother, Rebecca, Willamina and I, I had the desire to broach the subject of returning with Mary.
    Before I had a chance, Mary spoke first. “Julia, I wanted to tell you. Colonel Fitzwilliam wrote to Gaffton a while back. He plans to have a holiday again. We thought maybe you would like to come and stay with us for a spell while he was home?”
    “I know about the holiday,” I replied. “Henry told me that he plans to be in town by the end of the month. He asked if he could call on me.”
    Mary’s eyebrows raised in shock.
    “Fitzwilliam?” Mother interjected. “Is that the one you get all those letters from, Julia?”
    I turned back to Mary, who waited for my explanation. “Well,” I said to the both of them. “He asked me last year if he could have permission to write to me.”
    “And now he wants to call on you?” Mary asked.
    “Only as a friend, I assure you.”
    Mother turned to Mary, apparently her matchmaking spark reignited. “Tell me more about this Colonel Henry Fitzwilliam? I am not familiar with the name, does he have good family?”
    “Yes, great family,” Mary replied. “His older brother is the Duke of Bellingham.”
    “You have also met Scarlett, Mother,” I added. “She is his sister from his mother’s second marriage.”
    Mother seemed to mull over all of this. “Well, he isn’t titled, which is a bit of a disappointment. I doubt you could do better in your condition, Julia. I suppose a colonel will have to do.”
    Anger rose to my cheeks as Mother carelessly whittled him down to facts and figures.
    “He is a wonderfully kind hearted man. He has no ill words to speak of others and will be first to defend someone in need. He has lived through sorrows none here could imagine and has become a better man despite it. Not to mention the fact that he is willing to sacrifice himself for the betterment of this country,” I said, probably a little harsher than I meant.
    “Well, I hope you are talking about me,” a man’s voice said to our party.
    We all turned to look at the door. There standing was Henry, dressed in his finest uniform. Amidst my speech, I hadn’t heard the servant let him into the room.
    “Actually, Julia was talking about you,” Mary said as she stood to welcome Henry.
    We all stood and politely curtsied to him. Introductions were made. I could hear Rebecca and Willa giggling and whispering to each other.
    “I hope you can pardon my intrusion. I arrived earlier than expected, and Julia did give me permission to call on her. It was just my fortune that I could call on all the lovely ladies of this house at once.”
    My mother blushed and waved off his apology. I could have defended Henry to her until I was blue in the face and it would all have been for naught. One charming word out of his mouth and she was completely enraptured by him.
    He spent the next several weeks visiting us often as the season ended. We had fallen back into our relationship as if no time had passed between us. I had such a deep love and admiration for this man, but knew I could never ask for more than friendship in return.
    I didn’t think my sodden reputation would hinder him. It was more because I had personally wounded him, choosing James over him. It was unforgivable that he had opened his heart to me, and instead, I had chosen another. I was therefore merely satisfied with his friendship and the light he brought into my otherwise dreary life.
    I was surprised when one day he asked if he could have a private audience with me. Of course, Mary and Mother had both been talking incessantly about an impending vocalization of his feelings, but the thought had never even been allowed to enter my mind.
    Happily, the other women scurried out of our small townhouse drawing room, leaving behind Henry and me. He nervously seemed to pace the floor.
    I sat on the small sofa, watching him go back and forth as he collected his thoughts. Finally, he came to stand in front of me. He knelt before me and took