By ten o’clock it was arranged. They’d meet in his office in the coffee house at two. Luckily Lord Musgrove had not yet returned to London and agreed to come to Lane’s office for the brief meeting. Since Lyonsdale had just offered to loan them some money to help with the construction, there was no need to include him in this discussion. He would not be involved in the day-to-day responsibilities of running the spa and hopefully soon they would be giving him back the money he’d loaned them with interest.
* * *
At ten before the hour, Lane met Clara outside the back door to the coffee house and smuggled her inside, probably in a similar fashion to the way Hart’s wife had entered the establishment not long ago. They agreed that he would meet with Hart and Lord Musgrove first and then, when the plan was explained to them, Lane would bring her in. For the time being, she would wait for him in the stockroom opposite his office. It all felt rather clandestine and not at all like the way he was normally accustomed to doing business.
* * *
By ten minutes after two, he was sitting behind his desk, trying to convince Lord Musgrove that having Clara as an additional partner would be a good idea. The man wanted none of it. Thank God Clara was still in the stockroom so she was not subject to his hostile dismissal of going into business with her.
‘In all my sixty-two years, I have never once listened to the advice of a woman...about anything,’ he stated and slammed his fist on the table. ‘When I agreed to this idea of yours, I agreed that you would be the one to handle the details of this spa and I would be regularly receiving my share of the profits. Hart told me of the successes you have had in the past. Our agreement did not include a woman. Our agreement did not include splitting the profits from this spa four ways.’
Hart held up his palm to Lord Musgrove in a placating gesture. ‘If this is the only way that we can make this enterprise possible, then I think it is worth exploring. Lane is presenting us with an alternative arrangement based on unforeseen circumstances. I think it is in our best interest to consider it.’
‘The hell I will!’ Lord Musgrove’s face was starting to turn red. ‘I will not be in partnership with a woman. I gave you plenty of money. Buy her off.’
‘I can’t,’ Lane said. ‘She does not want to sell.’
‘Offer her more money.’
‘I have. Money is not the issue.’
‘Then what is? If this woman is foolish enough not to accept your offer to buy the hotel, then she is too foolish to do business with.’
The urge to plant the man a facer was getting stronger with each word he spoke and now Lane was standing over his desk with his face close to Lord Musgrove’s. ‘She is not a foolish woman.’
‘All women are foolish. The sooner you realise that the sooner you’ll become good at what you do.’
Hart jumped up just in time to move between Lord Musgrove and Lane. ‘Perhaps we should take a moment to sit back down and behave like civilised gentlemen.’
‘I am a civilised gentleman,’ Lord Musgrove spat. ‘I don’t know what you would call him. This is what I get for trying to do business with a man of no consequence.’
The vein that ran along Lane’s temple began to throb and a warm rush of anger heated his face. He went to move around his desk to throttle the man, but once more Hart stepped in the way.
With his back to Lane, he pointed his finger at Lord Musgrove. ‘Sir, I will not stand here and allow you to disparage my friend.’
‘Well, you won’t have to,’ Lord Musgrove shouted. ‘I am leaving. Our contract stipulates there are three parties involved, not four. It does not include a woman. I will have my secretary contact your solicitor. I am backing out of our contract!’
‘You don’t need to contact anyone. I’ll take care of it for you!’ Lane grabbed their contract off his desk and ripped it up.
Lord Musgrove’s body stiffened and there was rage in his eyes. He jerked his hat on to his head. ‘Barbarian,’ he said through his teeth before he stormed to the door and flung it open.
Through the doorway, Lane could see Clara out in the hallway, standing against the wall opposite his door, with a startled expression on her face. Lord Musgrove took one look at her, rolled his eyes at Lane and stormed off to the front door in a huff. Lane would have done anything to go back in time and somehow save Clara from hearing Lord Musgrove’s comments.
‘Well, that went well,’ Hart said, dropping himself into his leather chair and throwing his head back. ‘If it wasn’t clear before, it is painfully clear now why I am much better at getting investors than you are.’
Lane’s eyes were still on Clara. ‘You couldn’t have done any better with him and you know it.’
‘You’re right. The man is an ass.’ He rubbed his hand across his brow. ‘What do we do now?’
From where he stood, Lane saw Clara raise her chin. She marched across the hall and into his office, closing the door behind her. The sound made Hart turn around and he got his first look at who their potential partner would have been. It took a lot to surprise Hart. In fact, Lane had only seen him truly surprised less than five times in all the years he had known the man. There was no doubt that Clara had taken him completely by surprise. In true Hart fashion, he recovered quickly.
He stood and offered her a bow. ‘Mrs Sommersby, this truly is a surprise. Either you have a sense of uncanny timing or there is a facet to the diamond you are that I somehow missed years ago.’
Taking a step further into the room, she bobbed a quick, efficient curtsy to him. ‘Lord Hartwick, you have always appeared to be the soul of discretion—however, some facets are best not brought into the light.’
Her comment made him laugh and Lane wondered how his friend could feel any humour after enduring the storm that had just destroyed their plans. They both waited for her to take a seat beside Hart before sitting down. Lane sat forward and rested his forearms on his desk, clasping his hands together to stop himself from reaching out to her in Hart’s presence.
‘I take it you own The Fountain Head?’ Hart asked, tipping his head to the side and watching her.
She cleared her throat and nodded. ‘I do.’
‘I see. Well, for the longest time I pictured you as a balding man approaching fifty, so this is a pleasant improvement. I understand why you would not want your association known. I will not tell your tale.’
‘I am through with hiding this. My nieces are all married now and no longer have a need for me to chaperone them in Society. They have assured me that it is of no consequence to them what people think of their eccentric aunt.’
‘The Sommersby sisters are wise women. They take after their aunt—’
‘I am sorry,’ Lane broke in. ‘I had no idea Lord Musgrove would react as he did. Had I known, I wouldn’t have suggested any of this to you.’
‘Do not blame yourself for other people’s actions. This is not your fault.’
From the corner of his eye, Lane could see that Hart was studying them and he recalled how his friend had once fancied Clara.
‘Lane informed us you’re a shrewd businesswoman, responsible for the success of that hotel. Seeing the reputation it has, I would heartily agree.’
‘It was kind of him to say so.’
Hart rubbed his hands together. ‘So, we are back in search of a partner. One who has deep pockets and an open mind to investments. Let me talk with Sarah tonight. She might have some ideas.’
‘There is no need,’ Clara replied, shaking her head. ‘I will not be able to go forward with this. I will not sell my hotel or go into any agreement with you gentlemen.’
Instinctively, Lane clasped his hands tighter. ‘But we do not have a problem with partnering with you. We will let you make decisions and have a say in what is done.’
‘I know you believe that and that might be what happens, but some day something might happen and all that
could change. I am not willing to take that risk.’
‘Clara, please. Do not let Lord Musgrove have you believing that every gentleman agrees with his ideas.’
‘He just reminded me that enough do—and sometimes, it’s not horrid men like him that do.’
There was a shimmer in her eyes. It was brief, but it was there. She knew what this meant. She knew that, without her hotel, there was no reason for Lane to stay in Bath. She knew that in making this decision, she would be ending whatever this was between them. Although she was the one who would be staying, she was leaving him.
When Hart stood up, it served as a distraction from the pain Lane was feeling in his heart.
‘Well, I am sorry we will not be working together on this, Mrs Sommersby, but you have to follow your gut. It’s what Lane likes to remind me from time to time. We need to trust our instincts. If we do that, things will work out for the best.’ He tipped his head at her and a lock of his black hair slipped close to his eye. Then he turned to Lane, pulling Lane’s attention away from Clara. ‘Send word when you return to London. I will be there with brandy and a good meal waiting for you.’ As they shook hands, Hart held Lane’s a moment longer than necessary and patted him on the shoulder before he walked out of the office and closed the door quietly behind him.
They were alone—and deep down Lane knew that this would be for the last time.
‘Is there anything that I can say that will change your mind about this?’ He would say anything, if she would just let him know that she wanted him.
She shook her head and it felt as if his heart was ripped in two. She didn’t want him. Once again, he wasn’t wanted.
Having to look at the top of her head as she stared at her lap was painful. He wanted to work on trying to forget her as quickly as possible, because he knew it was bound to take him years. However, he was grateful that he was not forced to stand just yet while she walked out on him, because his legs felt too weak to support him.
When she did look up, she swallowed before she spoke. ‘Thank you for believing that this could have worked. For giving me the chance to see if this would have been something that I could have wanted. Knowing that you believed in me means more to me than you will ever know.’
He knew why she was walking away from this. He understood what owning that hotel meant to her. He cared for her with every fibre of his being and never wanted her to fear for her future. She deserved peace and security.
‘If I had the money and this place was mine, I would create the finest spa Bath has ever seen with you. But I am not the sole owner and I don’t have the money on my own to make all of that happen. I wish I did. You don’t know how much I wish I did.’
She didn’t say anything back. She just nodded.
‘I’ll be returning to London in a few days. I’m not needed here at the White Bear. Mr Sanderson is competent and trustworthy. He will send me regular reports at the Albany. He doesn’t need me looking over his shoulder. I would need another reason to stay.’ Their eyes met and he waited. He waited for her to tell him that she wanted him. That she was his reason for staying and that she wanted to have a life with him.
He waited.
And then she looked down.
‘I understand,’ she said softly as she ran her thumb over the rose embroidered on her reticule.
Who knew that two words could hurt so much?
‘Will you come by the house to say goodbye to Humphrey before you leave? I’m sure he will miss you when you are gone.’
‘I won’t have time, but I’m sure he has already forgotten all about me.’
She looked up at him then and in her eyes he saw a sadness. ‘He will never forget you.’
Abruptly, she stood and shook out her skirts and Lane managed somehow to stand. This was it. His time with her was over. Somehow, he would need to find a way to forget her which wouldn’t be easy since he was certain a ghost of her would always remain with his soul.
‘I will leave you to your work. I know you are a busy man.’
He couldn’t let her go without kissing her one last time. He wished he could tell her how much she meant to him, but even if he worked out how to express his feelings, it wouldn’t change the fact that she didn’t want him enough to ask him to stay.
When he stepped around his desk, she stood, frozen. He watched her as her gaze travelled slowly over his face before settling on his lips. She lifted her face up and he brushed a gentle kiss on her forehead, before lowering his mouth for one last kiss. He drew her closer to him, savouring the warmth of her body one last time, and a lump formed in his throat when her hand caressed his cheek as she deepened the kiss. He couldn’t imagine ever wanting to kiss another woman again. She pulled her head slowly away and it was impossible for him to speak.
‘Godspeed, Lane. I will never forget you.’ She spun around and rushed out the door, not stopping to close it.
For the first time since he was a child, Lane felt a soul-crushing loss that he knew would take him years to get over.
Chapter Twenty-Six
For three days Clara had stayed in her room. For three days, her nieces had tried to get her to talk to them, but it was much too painful. For Lane to have the life he deserved, she had to let the man she loved go. She had to give him the chance to find a woman to bear him the family he’d never had—a family that, at her age, she could never give him.
More than anything Clara wanted him to be happy, but knowing that meant that he would fall in love with someone else was breaking her heart. As if sensing the magnitude of her grief, Humphrey remained by her side, snuggled against her in bed, giving her much-needed kisses. She knew that Lane would not have approved and would have told her that Humphrey belonged on the floor. The only time Humphrey left her side was when Juliet would take him for his walk. Clara would watch from her window as her niece took him on his leash to the wooded area at the end of the large expanse of grass where Lane had freed her from where she had been stuck, weeks ago. How was it possible to lose your heart so quickly?
* * *
On the fourth morning after she kissed Lane for the last time, she knew she needed to leave her room. Her nieces would be gone in a few days and she knew she would regret it if she didn’t spend time with them before they left. It was time to face the world again and doing so surrounded by Charlotte, Lizzy, and Juliet would help ease her pain.
Maria, her maid, was in the best of spirits seeing that her mistress actually wanted to get dressed and might consume more than tea. She had styled Clara’s hair with perfect ringlets near her face and suggested her new pink gown which would add colour to her pale complexion. In all, she did a miraculous job hiding Clara’s heartache behind a fashionable artifice. At least Clara thought so until she walked into the parlour which was set for breakfast.
All activity at the table stopped and her three nieces stared at her. Humphrey let out a series of excited barks as if to inform them that, yes, their aunt had finally emerged from her solitary confinement and was rejoining Society and they should thank him because it was all his doing. Life was about to go back to the way it was before Mr William Lane appeared in her life.
‘You look terrible,’ Lizzy said, then shrugged at Charlotte when her sister eyed her sharply.
‘I thought Maria had managed very well with my hair today.’
‘Your hair is lovely—however, you have dark circles under your eyes.’ There was true concern in Lizzy’s expression. ‘I am worried about you.’
‘I haven’t been sleeping.’
Juliet held out a chair for her and kissed her cheek when Clara sat down. ‘Don’t listen to Lizzy, you look beautiful.’
She knew she didn’t look anywhere near beautiful and that Lizzy with her honest statements was expressing her concern for her. Sitting at the table, she settled in and studied the breads that were offered. Each one made her throat close up.
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‘I think I’ll just have tea.’
Humphrey laid down beside her and rested his chin on her slipper.
‘You have to eat something. I don’t think you’ve eaten anything in three days.’
‘Four,’ she replied, correcting Lizzy.
‘At least have some bread.’ Lizzy cut a Sally Lunn bun in half and reached for the butter.
Clara’s stomach rolled over and instead she accepted the tea that Juliet had poured for her. It was her favourite oolong blend and she smiled her thanks to her niece, knowing that Juliet would know that.
‘Are you cold?’ Charlotte asked her. ‘It feels like rain today and there is a chill in the air. I was going to go and write to Andrew, but I would be happy to go upstairs and get your blue cashmere shawl for you instead. It will look so pretty with that dress.’
Before she was able to reply, Charlotte was already out of her chair and heading to the doorway.
‘Girls, please stop fussing over me. I have a broken heart, but I am fully capable of managing myself. In time, this melancholy will lift and I will find I miss him a little less. I will be fine.’ Her gaze landed on Lizzy and she saw tears in her niece’s eyes. ‘Do not feel sorry for me. I am stronger than I look today.’
‘We just thought he loved you.’
‘Maybe he does.’ She toyed with her cup in its saucer. ‘Maybe he came to realise what I already knew...that a woman my age cannot give him the family he wants.’
‘Did he tell you that?’ Juliet asked.
‘No, but you all know about his life. You know that he has never had a family to love and cherish him the way we have. Everyone deserves to experience that. Everyone needs that kind of unconditional love. He needs children. I can never give him that.’
Charlotte placed her hand over Clara’s. ‘You truly do love him, don’t you?’
‘I do. I just want him to find some peace with his past and be happy.’
‘He seemed happy when he was with you.’
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