Read into My Heart

Chapter Seventeen

After her walk with Cissy, Miranda departed to her room to get changed for dinner. But instead of picking out her evening attire, Miranda paced the length of the room, her mind racing with what she had just discovered. It seemed so utterly preposterous for a man like Alex to be plagued by word blindness. Yet in every angle she looked at it, it all fit together.

Alex had been hiding away at his estate for five years, until this season when Lady Evelyn made her debut. Everyone assumed he was simply avoiding society, but what if there was a deeper reason? What if he was avoiding people in general so that they would not find out his secret?

Although there was some merit to the theory, Miranda knew it was a slight stretch. It was what Alex had shared with her in the study that brought everything together. Books that were just for show. Not attending university. It was all very peculiar behavior. It wasn't until Cissy mentioned the hurdles that Henry would face with his cognitive impairment, that it tied it all together for Miranda.

If society had ever found out that Alex was illiterate, the social repercussions would be severe indeed. And with that knowledge, Miranda understood why Alex would distance himself not only from society, but from anyone who got too close to guessing his secret.

Pausing in her pacing, Miranda stood in the middle of the room, at a loss of what she should do next. Not being entirely convinced that it was illiteracy that Alex was hiding, Miranda needed to find out for sure. She needed to test him. But how was she to do that without his knowledge?

An idea began to form in her mind. Miranda walked over to her nightstand where she kept her own various books. Opening the drawer she pulled out a book of poems. Maybe if she could get Alex to read one that she had already memorized, she might be able to make a comparison to how Henry reads out loud.

At that moment, Cissy's maid entered to help get Miranda ready for dinner. Thankfully she didn't ask too many questions as Miranda's mind was too preoccupied to take part in idle chatter. After she had left, Miranda picked back up the small book. She knew in her heart that it didn't matter if Alex had word blindness or not. She loved him regardless. But if she wanted a true union between them, then Alex was going to have to learn to trust her.

Pocketing the book into the front of her dress, Miranda made her way downstairs.

The guests had convened in the parlor, waiting for dinner to be announced. Finding Cissy at the far end of the room by the hearth, Miranda decided to leave her be, as she was in deep conversation with her mother-in-law. Alex was conversing with another gentleman, and didn't appear to notice her.

Not feeling up to interjecting herself with the other lesser-known ladies, Miranda decided she would simply have to wait until dinner was served. Finding a chair in a quiet corner of the room, Miranda settled herself down, picking up a piece of embroidery that was left behind to quietly work on.

After a few stitches, a shadow fell over her. Glancing up in the hopes of seeing Alex's telltale smirk, Miranda's heart sank when her eyes connected with Miss Chism's. She did have a smirk on her face, but it was one of smugness and condescension.

"Miss Edwards," she said. "I never got a chance to ask you how your ride went the other day. Tell me, was Athena to your liking?"

Miranda judged that by the way Miss Chism was smiling, she knew all along that Athena was a horse that needed an experienced rider. And although Miranda did not appreciate almost being thrown and possibly breaking her neck, it did give her an excuse to ride with Alex. And that alone made the ordeal all worthwhile.

Returning Miss Chism's smile with one of her own, Miranda stood so they could be eye to eye. "Athena was spirited to be sure, but Lord Carlisle was such an excellent riding partner that I hardly noticed."