by Cheryl Holt
“I wouldn’t consider that,” he murmured, but she knew he wasn’t serious.
“Yes, you would. You’d pay any price to have Henrietta back in your life. Don’t deny it.”
“I won’t, but I don’t want it to transpire like this. I don’t want charlatans to burst into my home and improperly gain my sympathy.”
“Precisely, Charles! So this is how you should proceed.”
“Yes, you have to apprise me. For I must admit, I am bewildered by this revelation.”
“We shall immediately remove her from the manor.”
“I had already planned on that. You were correct that there’s an issue with her and Luke, and I decided it would be best if she left. It’s not wise to have her around and tempting him when he should be focused on Penny.”
“I’m glad you’re taking action, but you must be very firm with her. You can’t let her run to London and start telling tales. You can’t let her cousin open his mouth either. Think of the gossip that would spread. The entire kingdom would be agog, and people would demand you claim her—even if she isn’t Henrietta. The masses would love that ending.”
“Yes, I suppose they would.”
“You have to nip this in the bud. You have to scare her so she is too afraid to disseminate her lies. I mean, what if she went to the newspapers? Can you imagine?”
The butler knocked and peeked in. “Miss Carstairs is here, my lord.”
“I’ll be with her in a minute,” Charles replied, and the butler slithered out.
Millicent stared at him, a thousand unaddressed comments flitting between them. She felt as if she was competing in a race and falling farther and farther behind.
“You’ll never stand up to her, will you?” she fumed.
“Yes, I will. I promise.”
“I’ll stay with you. She’s adept at batting her lashes, and I’ll prevent any manipulation.”
“I can handle one young girl.”
Millicent scoffed. “You’ve never been able to handle any female.”
“I won’t argue the point with you. Why don’t you leave so I can talk to her? I’d like to finish this.”
“Why don’t you delay for a bit? This is a dangerous circumstance, and we should review the ramifications more thoroughly. We should develop a response. We must counter her lies, and you should have your threats ready to unload.”
“I’m not about to threaten her, and I’m sure you’re wrong about this. I predict there’s a perfectly valid explanation for what your maid overheard. Now please depart and allow me to conclude this as quickly and quietly as possible.”
“You’ll never convince her to be silent.”
“I’ll try my best. It’s all I can do.”
“She must understand the power you can wield. She must fear that you could ruin her. It’s the only way you’ll shut her up.”
“I will deal with it as I see fit.”
Millicent glared at him across the polished oak desk, and her temper soared. She thought of all the years she’d wasted on him, all the effort and energy. And for what?
That very moment, a harlot was loafing in his bedchamber. If he would blithely consort with such a disreputable doxy—right in the house where Millicent and Penny resided!—then it was clear he was reverting to his old habits. How could Millicent, who was a moralistic, decent Christian woman, ignore the sordid scenario?
There was a loud voice in her head, goading her to speak up for once. But there was a softer voice too, and it was urging caution.
How many times had she bitten her tongue and pretended to be happy? How many times had she acted like the contented partner, the contented wife—who wasn’t a wife? Her pathetic situation was too wretched to abide.
The louder voice won. “Before I came downstairs, I stopped by your bedchamber to check if you were there. I was searching for you so I could share this terrible news.”
“I’m sorry you were searching, but you found me, and you’ve imparted your information. I’ll take it from here.”
His impatience was evident, but she forged on. “To my enormous surprise, Miss Fishburn was loafing in your bedroom, and she appeared to be quite comfortable.”
“Oh.”
“Is that the sole remark you can muster? Oh? Initially, I worried that she might be a thief, but she insisted she’d tarried with your permission.”
She studied him caustically, and finally, he said, “Yes, I seem to remember asking her to wait.”
“Would you like to clarify why she was there?”
He sighed. “No, Millicent, I wouldn’t, and you shouldn’t be concerned over it.”
“Not be concerned!” Her fury wafted out. “Am I to have no opinion about it? There is a scandal brewing under my very own roof, and you expect me to tolerate it without complaint.”
He crushed her by saying, “It’s not your roof. It’s mine, and whatever deed I decide to perpetrate under it, it’s my business. Not yours.”
“All these years, I’ve stayed for you.”
“And I’ve been grateful.”
“I raised your children. I ran your home.”
“Yes, and you were a great help to me.”
“I thought we would . . . would . . .”
She couldn’t spit out what she’d thought: that he’d notice her devotion and reward her with marriage.
“What did you think?” His tone was gentle, but galling. “I’m inquiring because it’s recently dawned on me that you might have misconstrued your position here.”
It was the scariest statement he could have uttered, and she didn’t dare respond, for it might force them to dicker over topics she was too cowardly to confront.
Instead, she said the only thing she could say, the only thing she truly wanted to know. “Are you in love with Miss Fishburn? Is that it?”
He chuckled. “No, I’m not in love with her.”
“What’s happening then? You’re simply having a . . . a . . . fling?” She hurled the word fling as if it were an epithet.
“As I mentioned, Millicent, it’s not any of your business.”
He stared her down, his expression stern and implacable, and she had so many emotions bubbling just under the surface. It occurred to her that she’d never really been angry in the past. For once, she grasped how a person could be driven to commit murder. She was close to launching herself across the desk and physically attacking him.
Then what . . . ?
The question echoed in her mind, and she had no answer to it. Women were mostly impotent. They had no money or power, no authority or control. She was no exception.
She lived at his mercy, and he’d been generous—because he’d needed her assistance. She’d gladly offered it, but she had to accept that he’d never planned to give her the benefit she’d desired in return, that being a ring on her finger.
She swallowed down the bile that was choking her, and she pushed back her chair and stood.
“Enjoy your chat with Miss Carstairs,” she nastily said. “I hope you get just what you deserve from her.”
She whipped away and marched out, viewing it as quite a dramatic exit.
“Millicent, wait!” he snapped, but she didn’t halt.
She yanked the door open and stormed out. The hussy, Miss Carstairs, was standing there, and she smiled and said, “Hello, Miss Pendleton. It’s nice to see you today.”
Millicent’s rage boiled over. She was much taller than Miss Carstairs, and she loomed in. “You can play games with your precious cousin, Mr. Falcon, but hear me and hear me well! If you harm me or mine, I’ll make you pay forever.”
As a parting comment, it wasn’t bad, and it completely captured her foul mood. Miss Carstairs blanched, and Millicent continued on, leaving the other woman slack-jawed with astonishment.
“Come in, Miss Carstai
rs.” Charles rose and waved her into the room. “You’d previously given me permission to call you Libby. Is that still all right with you?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
After bumping into Millicent out in the hall, she was wary, as if unsure whether she should enter or not. If she’d spun and dashed back to her bedchamber, he wouldn’t have blamed her.
He could have told her that Millicent’s vitriol wasn’t actually aimed at her. Millicent had been annoyed with him, but too gutless to vent her fury in the proper direction.
Obviously, she’d been harboring feelings Charles didn’t share. How long had she suffered in silence? Fish had warned him that he’d misconstrued his relationship with Millicent, but he’d scoffed at the notion. Fish had proved yet again that she understood people better than he ever had.
Libby hesitated in the doorway, and he said, “Don’t mind Millicent. She’s upset with me, and she took it out on you. I apologize for her outburst.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve often been shouted at. I’ve survived in the past, and I expect I’ll survive this time too.”
She walked over and sat down, and he studied her, pondering Millicent’s story. It was fantastical and improbable, but he had to admit it was very gripping. He and Libby were barely acquainted, but he liked her very much. If she was about to drag him into a swindle, she’d figured out the precise method to torment him.
How had she managed to identify his weakest spot so perfectly?
He perceived an interesting connection to her, one that could have developed into a genuine friendship. He thought she could use a loyal friend. She was constantly surrounded by crowds, but he suspected that she was very much alone.
He wished he could advise her as she maneuvered through her very public life. And gad, if he’d been twenty years younger, he’d have been half in love with her already. No wonder Luke couldn’t resist.
She exuded a forlorn air that made him want to take care of her. She oozed vulnerability, a damsel in distress who should have a strong shoulder to lean on. There wasn’t a man in the kingdom who could ignore that kind of pull.
“You look tired,” he said. “Have our many events fatigued you?”
“No. I’ve been quarreling with Fish and my cousin. It exhausts me.”
“I hope the subject wasn’t too intense.”
“It’s never too intense with us. They’re my only family, and we squabble occasionally—like affectionate siblings.”
He was curious as to what they’d been fighting about. Had it been the ploy Millicent claimed they were fomenting? He truly yearned for Millicent to be wrong and that Libby would never have agreed to conspire in such an awful scheme. If she was immersed in it, he’d be crushed.
“You sent for me,” she said. “What is it you need?”
“I had to talk to you about one issue, but another has suddenly arisen, and they’re both difficult. I can’t decide where to start.”
“I’m so grateful to have been your guest, and I sincerely pray I haven’t offended you somehow.”
“No, no, it’s not that. It’s . . . it’s . . .”
He stumbled, unable to begin. Her eyes were wide, her expression innocent, and he sensed that harsh words would deeply wound her, and he couldn’t bear to.
His cheeks heated. “I guess this will be harder than I imagined.”
“I realize I look like a wilting violet, but I’m really quite sturdy. Whatever the topic, I’m certain we’ll muddle through.”
“All right. Here goes.”
But still, he hesitated. Once he spoke up, they’d be marching down the road to their separating. After she left, there would be no reason to socialize with her ever again. The prospect depressed him, as if there was a weight on his back, as if he was about to assume a burden that would be very heavy.
When he liked her so much, when they had such a potent bond, why kick her out? He was never cruel, and he didn’t want to be cruel to her, so why proceed? So far, she hadn’t done anything but befriend his daughter and grace his home with her lovely presence. As a reward, Charles would order her to pack her bags.
“Just tell me, Lord Roland,” she said, and she smiled.
Her smile was his downfall. She resembled Penny so much that he had to tamp down a shiver. Could Millicent’s tale be true? Could Libby be Little Henrietta? Was it possible?
The wild questions wedged into his head, and he shoved them away. He wouldn’t and couldn’t give them any credence. Millicent had been correct about one blatant, indisputable fact: If he learned that Henrietta might be alive, if there was even the slightest chance of it, he’d work to make it a reality—even if it wasn’t.
“I was chatting with Lord Barrett a bit earlier,” he said.
“And . . . ?” She was very composed, not providing the least hint that she’d misbehaved with him.
“I’m aware that you spent the night with him at Barrett.”
“Oh.”
He was glad she didn’t deny it. It saved them an awkward flurry of prevarication, and he could get straight to the point. “I’m aware too that he’s very fond of you.”
She winced with dismay. “He told you that?”
“Yes, and he’s admitted that you’re very fond of him too.”
“I’m trying not to be, but I’m not having much luck.”
“Luke is on a different path than you are. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“He’s thirty, and he has to wed this year.”
“Yes, he’s been very blunt about it.”
“I hate to be blunt as well, but he desperately needs the money in Penny’s dowry. When you’re in residence and distracting him, he forgets what matters.”
“I see.” She fiddled with her skirt, her fingers tracing over and over the fabric. “Did he ask you to talk to me about this?”
“No. I noticed what was bubbling up, and after I heard about your sojourn at Barrett, I had to intervene. By inviting you to our party, I’ve placed you in a horrendous situation. You’re both suffering from an incredible attraction, and it’s creating problems we simply can’t stir at the moment.”
“I understand,” she said again.
“I’m afraid too that it will wind up causing issues with the betrothal. What if Penny found out about your affair? What if she refused the engagement? It’s difficult for a bachelor to find an heiress. What would Luke do then? I think you care for him. Could you bear to put him in such an untenable position?”
She studied him for an eternity, and he received the distinct impression that she wanted to share a secret about Penny and Luke, but she swallowed it down, choosing instead, “What are you telling me? Are you asking me to leave?”
His shoulders slumped with regret. “I’m sorry, but yes, I am.”
“I’ll go immediately. I just need a few minutes to pack.”
She stood as if she’d race off that very instant, and he felt awful. “Please, Libby, sit down.”
“I’d rather not. I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life, and I heartily apologize. I appreciate your hospitality, and I’m mortified to the marrow of my bones that you had to mention any of this to me.”
“Sit, please!” he said more sternly, and he waved to her chair. She dithered, then sank down, and he warned himself to ignore the guilt that was swamping him. “Don’t be embarrassed. I was young once, and I discovered how hotly passion can burn, so I’m not judging you.”
“I must clarify that I’ve struggled valiantly to avoid a relationship with Lord Barrett. It’s why I was arguing with Fish and my cousin. I’m anxious to return to the city, then vanish before Luke can follow me. I’ve been trying to save him from himself.”
“I’m delighted to hear it, and it makes me like you even more.” He forced a smile. “It’s my goal to help
him too. I comprehend how amour can overwhelm a person’s common sense. I’m certain, if the two of you part for a while, his ardor will wane.”
“I’m certain of it too.”
“So you don’t have to run upstairs and pack. It will be fine with me if you depart in the morning.”
“You’re being very kind,” she told him, “much kinder than I deserve.”
“You’re the type of girl who has men eager to assist you, but it doesn’t appear you have many people to give you sound advice.”
“No, I don’t. There was just my Uncle Harry, but he wasn’t good at anything, particularly dispensing advice.”
“I hope you can view me as a friend, Libby. If you ever need guidance, you can always write to me. I’d be happy to correspond. Promise you’ll contact me.”
“Again, you’re being very kind, and I can assure you that I won’t ever pester you in the future. You shouldn’t worry about that.”
“I wouldn’t consider it pestering. I would consider myself aiding a young lady who very much requires shrewd counsel.”
Tears flooded her eyes, and he cringed, hating that he’d pushed her to such an emotional ledge. It occurred to him that she was even prettier when she was distraught.
“Could I categorically state that I’m not loose?” she said. “I’m ashamed to have you believe I am. I’ve never been in love before. I’ve never even had a beau. I’m surrounded by men, but Lord Barrett is the only one who’s ever enticed me into misconduct.”
“I’ve known Luke since he was a baby, so you don’t have to explain to me how he’s beguiled you. Don’t forget that I picked him to be Penny’s husband. That’s an indication of the level of my regard for him.”
“I shouldn’t have misbehaved with him though, and I’m begging you not to think badly of me for it. I try to be honorable and decent. Up until I met him, I’d never disgraced myself.”
“When I was your age, I engaged in many scandalous activities, so I can’t condemn you for it.”
He was suffering from a strident urge to walk around the desk and hug her. She looked bewildered, lost, and alone, like a tiny child who’d fallen and skinned her knee.
