Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Collette’s heels clicked sharply on the marble floor as she trailed behind Georgiana, who drifted toward the grand staircase with her clutch pressed tightly under one arm. The night air still drifted in through the recently closed front door, carrying the last echo of Hope and Noah’s footsteps.
Collette stopped at the base of the stairs, her chest heaving. She glanced up, took a breath, and then turned back to Georgiana. “Did you see it?” she hissed, her voice taut.
Georgiana paused mid-step, arching an eyebrow. “See what?”
Collette ran a hand through her hair, smoothing an invisible wrinkle from her skirt. “Noah’s face. The way he looked at her.” She took a step closer, her eyes bright with urgency. “That wasn’t brotherly concern. It was—something else.”
Georgiana cocked her head, as if listening for an echo of their conversation. Then she sighed and crossed her arms. “Collette, he’s her brother. He cares about her, yes—but that doesn’t mean he’s in love with her.”
“Brotherly love doesn’t make your heart pound against your ribs like a war drum.” Collette’s hands flew to her sides. “It doesn’t make your breath hitch when she steps into the moonlight.”
Georgiana exhaled, turning her back to Collette as she began ascending the stairs. “You’re overreacting.”
Collette strode forward to block her path. “Am I?” she demanded. Her voice echoed in the silent foyer. “Can you explain the way he pressed her back against the wall?”
Georgiana’s footsteps faltered. She looked down at Collette, expression cool. “He was protecting her, that’s all,” she insisted.
“Protecting her?” Collette scoffed, folding her arms. “He cornered her like a predator, whispered that she was beautiful… kissed her.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, though the accusation was loud in the hush of the house. “And if that isn’t love, what is?”
Georgiana’s veneer cracked. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes darting up the staircase. “They were… carried away by emotion.”
Collette pressed both palms to her temples. “Emotion? This is beyond emotion.” She paced a small circle, her heels clicking. “I saw the way he hesitated before he kissed her, the confusion in his eyes afterward. He’s torn—between wanting to protect her and wanting to possess her.”
Georgiana shook her head, but her voice wavered. “Stop dramatizing every little look between them.”
Collette strode forward until Georgiana backed against the banister. The moonlight slanted through the windows, illuminating Collette’s grim expression. “I’m not dramatizing,” she said, calmer but firmer. “I’m observing. And I’m telling you: he’s in love with her.”
Georgiana closed her eyes for a moment, taking a steadying breath. When she opened them, her gaze was sharper. “Suppose you’re right,” she said. “What then?”
Collette’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile. She leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Then we watch. We keep them apart if we have to. Hope can’t marry Raphael—”
Georgiana’s head snapped up. “We agreed to the engagement!”
“Engagement can be called off.” Collette flicked her gaze upward, toward the drawing-room door. “I’ll talk to Noah. I’ll find out exactly how he feels.”
Georgiana’s eyes widened. “You can’t confront him!”
“I’ll do whatever it takes.” Collette turned her back to Georgiana and walked a few paces toward the hallway. Then she paused and looked over her shoulder. “If he truly loves her, then he’ll listen. And if he doesn’t?”
Georgiana’s shoulders dropped, a defeated slump. She grimaced. “Then we’ll deal with it.”
Collette descended the first step of the staircase, her hand trailing along the carved railing.
Georgiana drew in a steadying breath and set her jaw. Without another word to Collette, she turned on her heel and began the climb to the servants’ wing, her skirts whispering against the marble steps. Each footfall carried her farther from Collette’s frantic warnings—and closer to the truth she had been trying to ignore.
At the half-landing, she hesitated only a moment before veering down the dimly lit corridor that led to Noah’s room. Tapestries muffled her approach, but when she reached his door, she threw it open in a single swift motion.
Noah stood with his back to her, head bowed until it touched the cool plaster wall. His arms hung loose at his sides, as though he were draining the last of his strength just to remain upright. Georgiana’s breath caught in her throat.
He turned slowly, eyes shadowed and hooded. “Why are you marrying Hope off to another man without her consent?” he asked, voice low but trembling with something—anger, hurt, confusion. Georgiana barely recognized the tension behind his calm façade.
She shot back, indignation spiking her words. “Is that sisterly concern, as well?”
Noah squared his shoulders, lifting his chin. “Mom,” he said. “Yet you hide the truth from Hope, bind her to a contract she never agreed to.” His dark gaze bore into her. “Why have you done this?”
Georgiana’s pulse thundered as she closed the distance between them. “Because it’s what our family needs. You—” She clenched and unclenched her fists. “You don’t get to stand in Hope’s path. Not when there’s a proper match waiting.”
Noah flinched at the words, and Georgiana pressed on, voice rising. “Have you lost your senses? I don’t want to believe you’re in love with her!”
Silence fell thick as velvet. Noah’s eyes glistened with unshed emotion. For a heartbeat, Georgiana thought he might turn away, run, or break. Instead, he lifted his head, his gaze steady and unflinching.
“If I am,” he whispered, “what’s wrong with it?”
Georgiana recoiled as though struck. She opened her mouth, closed it again. His question hung between them, too simple, too devastating. “Wrong?” she echoed hollowly. “Everything about it is forbidden.”