A melia had preceded Diana and Robert’s trip to London by several days and she greeted them warmly when they arrived at the London house. She was as charming and gracious as could be expected. Diana, however, had finally decided to engage in a small falsehood and had not told Robert of her strange encounter with Amelia the morning of the announcement of their engagement .
But on this morning, Diana was very nervous. She had sent Adam a note saying she was in town and wanted to have tea with him this afternoon at Fortnum’s . She thought it best to meet in public in hopes of suppressing any embarrassing displays of emotion. Or was that cowardly? Might it not be best to break off the engagement in private where he could vent his grief? In any case, it had been decided, and she needed to prepare herself for the meeting .
After breakfast, Diana found Robert in his study .
“Robert, I shall be leaving at ten-thirty for my meeting with Adam .”
Robert got up from his desk and went over to her and put his arms around her. “Do not be nervous .”
“I cannot help it, Robert. I have to admit I feel horribly guilty .”
“Engagements get broken all the time. Certainly, a little heartache now is better than a lifetime of misery in a miss-matched marriage .”
Diana disengaged from his embrace. “Put like that, it does indeed make a great deal of sense. Thank you for letting me see that .”
Robert returned to his desk and picked up an envelope. “I have here a bank draught for the amount of the loan plus a generous amount of interest. I have also included a document to be signed when Adam accepts the cheque. It will legally end the engagement and signify acceptance of the repayment of the loan .”
Diana was troubled. “Oh, Robert, it all seems so cold and impersonal .”
“And legal. You do not want any repercussions from ending the engagement.” He handed her the envelope and put his hands on her shoulders. “Use your sensitivity and charm to ease his disappointment and all will be well .”
“I will do my best. Wish me well .”
“More than that, I will send you with all my love .”
*
D iana was very nervous as she entered the Fortnum and Mason tea room. She immediately spotted Adam already seated at a table and went over as she took off her gloves .
“Adam, thank you for meeting me,” she said as she took her place at the table? “Have you ordered yet ?”
Adam sat ramrod straight and frowning. “You want to break off the engagement .”
Diana was stunned. “Oh, Adam …”
“It is true, is it not?” he said leaning forward across the table and confronting her .
Diana took a deep breath. “Yes, Adam, it is true. I cannot marry you. It has become clear over time, that as much as I honor and respect you, I do not love you .”
“I thought as much,” he said dejectedly as he collapsed back into his chair, deflated .
“Certainly you must see it too, Adam. We disagree on so much. And our interests are vastly different .”
“But it is really the Earl who has won your heart, is it not? I have known for some time .”
“He has asked me to marry him and I have accepted. Yes .”
“Of course, how could I possibly compete with an Earl? That will make you… what? A countess or something ?”
Diana could see the hurt little boy lashing out. “But it is not just that, Adam. I have struggled for some time …”
He cut her off. “You just agreed to marry me because you wanted to borrow the money for the leasehold .”
Diana could not refute that. It was true. “Oh, Adam, I am so sorry .”
It was then the waiter appeared with menus. “Sir, Madam, I will return to take your order shortly .”
Diana looked at Adam to see if he really wanted to stay here and order tea. He shook his head .
Diana turned to the waiter. “Excuse me. I am very sorry, but we will not be needing service this morning. Something has come up and we must leave .”
The waiter had obviously seen everything in his career and he nodded nonchalantly. “As you wish .”
Diana took out a pound note and left it on the table, and said to Adam, “Let us go. The park is nearby. Would you feel more comfortable if we strolled? I feel we need more time to discuss this .”
Adam stood up. “I checked my coat. I will meet you at the entrance,” he said and left the tea room .
This was not going as she had expected. She had hoped to control the conversation, but instead, Adam had taken the lead and she had ended up needing to defend herself .
She met Adam in the lobby and they headed silently toward Green Park . When they finally reached the park, they found a bench under a tree that was dropping its golden leaves. The location mirrored a melancholy feeling that seemed to fit their current mood .
After they sat, Diana took Adam’s hand in her gloved hands and said, “Adam, I know this is terribly unsettling for you. But I truly hope you can see why our marriage would not work .”
“Does it matter? You have made up your mind .”
Diana was, once again, faced with the stubborn and hurt little boy. She sighed, and let go of his hand. She reached into her bag and pulled out Robert’s envelope .
She opened it and took out the document that needed signing .
“Adam, I wish we could discuss this more fully, but you do not seem interested. But we must conclude this fairly. I have a bank draught for you for the full amount of your father’s loan plus interest. And if you would be so kind as to sign this document we can conclude our engagement .
“What is this?” he asked as he took the document .
“It stipulates that the loan has been repaid and the engagement ended. It is simple and straightforward .”
Adam read through the paper and Diana handed him a fountain pen. He signed the paper and gave it back to her as she handed him the cheque .
“Now I must cancel all the honeymoon arrangements,” he said glumly .
“Why not find someone to go with you? Why waste all the work you did organizing the trip ?”
Adam smiled. “What a splendid idea. I like that. There is this really capital young lady who works in my department at work. We chat all the time and she tells me how much she wants to travel and see the world. What a jolly good idea .”
Diana was shocked that he could be considering such a thing right after they broke up, but she also understood that she had been right about Adam. He was too immature to be ready for marriage. But she smiled, and also understood Adam would land on his feet and be just fine .
*
“I do not understand. What kind of a surprise is this? Where are we? This seems a rather dubious place,” Diana said as she and Robert took the stairs to the third floor of a shabby old building in a less than savory part of London .
When they reached the top floor, Robert knocked at a door which was shortly answered by a rather dapper older gentleman in a painting smock and a rakish cloth hat .