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Alexander swallowed hard. He had to admit to himself that he didn't know how she would react. It was already very impolite of him to have listened to her conversation with her friend. But he couldn't have done anything else, so outraged by Miss Lambe's fate and so overwhelmed by Charlotte's energy and friendship. He had only one thought: to go and find Samuel. For once, his heart and his mind were working together, and he had no doubt what to do, even if it wouldn't change Charlotte's anger towards him. He only wanted her to be happy, with or without him... Although he had a lot to reproach Samuel for (and himself), he had never doubted his talent and could only see him in this situation. But what if he was wrong? How would she react when she saw him? He closed his eyes and returned to Samuel's long monologue, which did not seem at all moved by his lack of response. Alexander cut him off curtly to tell him that they had arrived at Trafalgar House. He announced himself to the valet and took one last look at Samuel before entering the house, silently imploring him to be the providential man for this challenge.
The two men entered the sitting room, and Alexander felt nauseous with all the painful memories that were associated with this room. Charlotte, Mrs Parker and Georgiana stood up, exchanging questioning glances. Charlotte, her eyebrows furrowed, looked at the two men who were so similar and yet so different at the same time. The first was unknown to her, very pleasant-looking, charming and self-confident, surely at ease anywhere and with anyone. He bore a striking resemblance to Alexander Colbourne, although his eyes were blue grey. The sight of the second man triggered a generalized sharp pain in her: Alexander was tense and haggard but as attractive and magnetic as ever. He felt immediately shaken by her gaze. She seemed surprised and furious at the same time, without knowing which emotion was getting the better of her.
Alexander cleared his throat and explained briefly in a soft voice the reason for their visit and introduced his brother. He could feel his piercing gaze burning his skin, he knew he was being spied on: Samuel listened to every word he said, their intonation and rhythm, his posture, his breathing. Samuel could feel his inner storm, he had always read him like an open book, and that wasn't helping him at all right now, his discomfort was all the more pressing. He had to concentrate to control every word and gesture, so he chose to limit his interactions. Try as he might, he couldn't keep his eyes off Charlotte and pay more attention to Mrs Parker and Miss Lambe. It was a good thing his brother had taken the lead in their exchanges, because his throat was so tight from being so close to her when he no longer had the right to do so that he couldn't even get two coherent words out.
Charlotte stood erect, rigid, her breath coming in sharp gasps. She could feel her ears ringing and her heart pounding like yesterday in the tearoom. How she managed to stay on her feet remains a mystery. She didn't know what to make of what she was feeling. Anger? Yes, surely, their last meeting here having left a deep impression on her heart. But not only that. Her heart was screaming his name loud and clear in her head and she couldn't suppress her feelings. She wanted to slap him and caress him at the same time. His dishevelled, haggard expression upset her. He looked as if he hadn't slept for thousands of years, and his eyes were tired and sad. He didn't speak and hardly dared to look at her. He was as handsome and magnetic as ever. She wanted both to scream at him for the pain he had caused her and to curl up in his arms and let him kiss her once more. Would this pain of seeing him never end? Why was he here? Why now? And that man with him ... Mr Samuel Colbourne. The estranged brother who turned down the eldership with the near ruin of Heyrick Park. He is now a lawyer. He offers to help Georgiana. Why would he do that?
Samuel proposed to Miss Lambe that she come to Heyrick Park in the afternoon to have a serious talk about what he could do for her, which she agreed to on condition that she was accompanied by Charlotte, and he left immediately after greeting the ladies. Mary Parker and Miss Lambe looked at each other in astonishment at what had just happened, Alexander stayed a few moments longer and finally dared to look longer at Charlotte than propriety allowed. She tilted her head briefly, her lips pursed, as a sign of assent, a slight encouragement, like a thaw that was beginning. He bowed and left the cursed salon, left Trafalgar House. He joined Samuel, who was already riding his horse Zephyr, and quickly mounted Hannibal. Samuel stared at him, smiling, and waited for Alexander to speak. When he didn't, he asked how he was and Alexander shrugged and replied that he had to hurry and prepare for the afternoon meeting.
Charlotte was surprisingly silent, staring into space. Mary approached her gently and asked if everything was all right. Charlotte lifted her head and smiled, shaking her head. Yes, she was fine, she decided. She knelt down beside Georgiana on the settee, moved by the turn of events. Had Charlotte asked Mr Colbourne to hire her brother? She refuted, she didn't know that her brother was a lawyer, but she could only praise the opportunity that had been offered to her friend. She took her hands in his and tried to reassure her that she would have a fairer trial than they had expected. Mary tilted her head blessed Mr Colbourne's initiative. Their only chance of winning against Lockhart now lay with the mysterious Samuel Colbourne.
Georgiana was so upset that she couldn't eat a single meal that day. She didn't notice that Charlotte herself wasn't eating anything substantial and was practically mute during the meal. Charlotte couldn't concentrate for more than 5 minutes on the animated conversations around her. She kept seeing Alexander's handsome, sad face repeatedly in her mind, and felt the pangs of her heart, which seemed to have no intention of settling down. Mr Colbourne had never spoken much about his brother, but she knew that he lived in London and that they hadn't seen each other for years. Perhaps they were even angry. They had had to ride all night to be at Trafalgar House this morning. Alexander had made a considerable effort to get to London and back in such a short time. She didn't know that he had taken an interest in Georgiana's fate; they hardly knew each other. The only link between them was... herself. He was a gentleman and well-connected, and it wasn't all that unusual for him to help his neighbors, but Alexander didn't know the Parkers and he wasn't the sort to interfere in other people's lives. She was haunted by his last look, as if he were whispering ‘You have to know, I did it for you’. Could it be true? She sighed suddenly at the implication. A recluse and a miser Mr Colbourne? What a mistake, Tom! In less than an hour, she was going to see the object of all her thoughts again and she had to regain control of her emotions quickly. Which would be no easy task, as her racing heart seemed to have chosen sides.