Chapter 59

It wasn't until they were settled in a private room at the Royal Oak, when the maid had closed the door behind her, that Iris abandoned her polite smile and spoke up.

“Ian was invited to spend a few days with the Framlinghams, " she explained. But he had to decline, because Ivan died.

“Is that why Lady Framlingham looks at me with such disapproval? Surely she couldn't have imagined that Ian would accept her invitation when he was mourning his brother's death?”

“No, of course not. But the Countess did hope that Ian would take advantage of this short stay to ask for her daughter's hand in marriage. There were a lot of rumors about him and Freddie. What we all didn't know, of course, was that in the meantime, he and you..”

Eden felt as if her heart had stopped beating.

“Was Ian in a relationship with her?”

"He'd told him there was no one. He told him..." Eden’s heartbeat quickened.

“No, I'm sure he didn't. But it was becoming clear that Ian wanted to