Page 29

"A re you off to find more investors for your little school?"

Meredith stopped in the midst of tying the ribbon on her bonnet as Caroline stepped in front of her.

Lady Hurst's voice was low, but her tone was cold enough to make Meredith pause in her tracks.

They stood in the entrance hall where several guests were gathering for a planned excursion to the nearest village, the morning light streaming through the tall windows casting both women in sharp relief.

"I beg your pardon?" Meredith said, although she had heard Caroline's words clearly enough.

"You're going to need investors if you are determined to open this school of yours.

Chilton cannot support you. You need to forget about him.

" Caroline moved closer, her expensive morning dress rustling with each step, the lavish trim and perfect tailoring a pointed contrast to Meredith's simpler attire.

Meredith took a step back, uncomfortably aware of the other guests nearby who might overhear.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, my lady," she said carefully. "Your brother has been kind enough to offer some words of support about my endeavours, but that is it. I believe you're reading far too much into it."

"You are unfit for someone of Chilton's rank," Caroline continued in a harsh tone, careful to keep her voice low so as not to be overheard by the others who were gathering for the excursion.

"A baron needs a wife who understands her place in Society, not one who seeks to upend the natural order of things. "

Meredith finished tying her ribbons with fingers that trembled slightly, then stood tall, pulling her shoulders back and confronting Caroline.

"There is nothing wrong with my standing in Society," she began carefully. "I don't recall propositioning your brother in any way, so I think you might have misinterpreted something in your imagination."

She was careful to keep her fury out of her voice.

This woman was connected to her friend Faith, or at least to Jasper's family.

Meredith still hadn't gotten a straight answer as to how Lady Caroline had come to be present at the house party, but in either case, she wasn't about to cause a scene.

She needed to mask her anger and the hurt over the woman's words.

Caroline's lips curved into a smile that held no warmth. "Your standing in Society is precisely the problem, my dear. You may be gently born, but your... enthusiasms make you quite unsuitable. A baron's wife must know her place."

"I haven't asked to be anyone's wife," Meredith replied, though she felt a sharp pain in her chest at the thought of Chilton. "And I certainly haven't asked for your opinion on my suitability."

"No, but as Chilton's sister, I feel obligated to make the situation clear.

" Caroline moved closer, her voice dropping even lower, though the venom in it only intensified.

"My brother may appear to support your little project, but you must understand—he has responsibilities.

Duties. The estate cannot afford to waste resources on educating common children when there are more pressing concerns. "

Meredith's fingers curled into her palms, her nails biting into the flesh. "Is that what Lord Sutcliffe believes? That education is a waste of resources?"

"What Chilton believes is irrelevant. He will do what is necessary for Sutcliffe, as he always has." Caroline's eyes narrowed as she adjusted her elegant gloves with precise movements. "Surely you've noticed how he defers to proper guidance in important matters?"

The words struck home, reminding Meredith of how Chilton had always seemed to waver in his support, one day encouraging her plans, the next questioning their practicality. Even his recent show of understanding seemed less significant now, viewed through the lens of Caroline's cold assessment.

"I see," Meredith said, proud that her voice remained steady. "Well, you needn't concern yourself, Lady Caroline. I assure you, my focus is entirely on establishing my school, not on securing a titled husband."

"Indeed?" Caroline's eyebrow arched delicately. "Then perhaps you should demonstrate that by keeping your distance from my brother. For both your sakes."

Movement at the end of the hall caught Meredith's attention. Chilton stood there, watching them, his expression growing darker with each passing moment. He strode toward them with purpose in his step, his normally casual elegance replaced by rigid formality that spoke of barely contained anger.

"Caroline," he said, his voice carrying clearly across the hall, drawing the attention of several nearby guests. "I wasn't aware you had appointed yourself guardian of my acquaintances."

Caroline turned, her eyes widening slightly at his approach. "Chilton, dearest, I was merely having a friendly conversation with Miss Martin about her educational endeavours."

"Were you indeed?" His tone made it clear he hadn't believed a word of it. "How peculiar, then, that Miss Martin looks as though she's been subjected to an inquisition rather than friendly discourse."

A hush fell over the entrance hall as the assembled guests realized they were witnessing something beyond ordinary drawing-room conversation. Meredith felt heat rise to her cheeks as she became the focus of curious gazes and whispered comments.

Caroline's smile remained fixed, though her eyes hardened.

"Brother, perhaps we might continue this discussion in private?" She placed a gloved hand on his arm, attempting to guide him away.

Chilton didn't move. "I think not. You chose a public setting for your remarks to Miss Martin; you can endure my response in the same venue."

He turned to Meredith, his expression softening momentarily. "Miss Martin, I hope my sister hasn't distressed you with her, how did she call it, observations."

Before Meredith could respond, Caroline interjected, her composure slipping slightly. "I merely expressed concern about how certain associations might reflect on the Sutcliffe name. As your sister, I have every right—"

"You have no right whatsoever," Chilton interrupted, his voice low but resolute. "Not to dictate my associations, nor to make Miss Martin uncomfortable with your implications. She has done nothing to deserve your censure except pursue a cause I happen to find increasingly worthy of support."

Several of the guests exchanged glances. Lord Beaverbrook, standing near the door with his wife, wore an expression of amused interest, while Jasper and Faith, just entering the hall, looked alarmed at the tableau before them.

Caroline's face flushed with an emotion that might have been anger or embarrassment—perhaps both. "Chilton, you cannot be serious. This... this bluestocking with her revolutionary ideas about educating the lower orders? Father would be appalled."

"Father is no longer here to express an opinion, Caroline," Chilton replied with surprising gentleness.

"And in his absence, I must make my own judgments about what constitutes worthy endeavour.

Miss Martin's school may not align with your notions of propriety, but I find her commitment to improving others' lives admirable. "

Meredith stared at him, astonished by the force of his defence. This was not the vacillating, uncertain Chilton who had proposed his tepid compromise the day before. This man stood firm, his conviction evident in every line of his body.

Caroline seemed equally startled by his stance.

"You've changed, brother," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper that nonetheless carried in the silent hall. "And not for the better, I fear."

"On the contrary," he replied. "I believe I'm finally becoming the man our father would have wanted me to be—one who thinks for himself rather than merely echoing others' expectations."

He offered his arm to Meredith with formal courtesy. "Miss Martin, I believe the carriages are waiting. Would you allow me to escort you?"

Meredith hesitated, acutely aware of the drama unfolding around them and her unexpected role at its centre.

To accept his arm now, after such a display, would fuel speculation and possibly worsen the rift he had just opened with his sister.

Yet to refuse might undermine the very principles he had just defended.

"Thank you, Lord Sutcliffe," she said finally, placing her hand lightly on his offered arm. As they moved toward the door, she could feel Caroline's gaze burning into her back, and the weight of two dozen curious stares following their progress.

Faith hurried to join them, her face a picture of concern. "Meredith, are you well? What has happened?"

"A minor disagreement over educational philosophy," Chilton answered smoothly before Meredith could speak. "Nothing to disturb your wedding preparations, I assure you."

Faith looked unconvinced but allowed the explanation to stand for the moment. "Well, let us be off then. The village awaits, and I for one am eager to see what treasures the local shops might hold."

As they exited into the bright morning sunlight, Meredith found herself seated in a carriage opposite Chilton, with Faith beside her and Jasper completing their quartet. The tension from the hall seemed to follow them, hanging in the air despite Faith's valiant attempts at light conversation.

When they reached a particularly scenic stretch of road, Faith exclaimed over the view, drawing Jasper's attention to the landscape outside. In that brief moment of privacy, Meredith leaned forward slightly to address Chilton.

"You didn't need to defend me," she said quietly.

"I disagree," he replied, his voice equally low. "My sister overstepped badly. Her behaviour was unconscionable."

"Nevertheless, you have created a rift with your family on my account. That was not my intention."

A smile touched his lips, though it held little humour. "The rift has been forming for some time, Miss Martin. Perhaps it needed to happen."

"Even so..."

She hesitated, uncertain how to express the tumult of emotions his defence had stirred within her. Gratitude warred with concern, and beneath both lay a deeper question: had he defended her out of genuine alignment with her cause, or merely out of gentlemanly obligation?

The previous day's disagreement was still fresh in her mind. They had established that their fundamental views on education and social order remained at odds. Had that changed overnight, or was his defence of her person separate from his disagreement with her principles?

"You're wondering if I've had a sudden conversion to your way of thinking," Chilton observed, his perceptiveness catching her off guard.

"The thought had crossed my mind," she admitted. "Yesterday you were advocating for limited education that maintained social boundaries. Today you defend me against accusations of revolutionary tendencies. One might be forgiven for wondering which represents your true beliefs."

He considered this for a moment, his gaze turning to the passing countryside.

"Perhaps both do, in their way. I still believe in the importance of social stability, but I'm increasingly uncertain that the current order is the only way to achieve it.

And regardless of our philosophical differences, my sister had no right to make you uncomfortable. "

"So it was chivalry, then," Meredith concluded, a hint of disappointment colouring her voice despite her best efforts.

Chilton's eyes returned to her face, his expression serious. "Not merely that. I meant what I said about finding your commitment admirable. We may disagree on methods, but never doubt that I respect your convictions, Miss Martin. More than I can properly express in current company."

The carriage jolted over a rough patch in the road, momentarily throwing them forward. When they settled back, Meredith found Faith watching them with undisguised interest.

"I do hope you two are resolving whatever disagreement sparked that scene with Lady Hurst," Faith said, her tone light but her eyes sharp with concern. "I should hate to see my dearest friend and one of my husband's oldest companions at odds during our celebration."

"I believe we understand each other better now," Chilton replied with diplomatic vagueness.

Meredith nodded in agreement, though she wasn't entirely certain it was true. Chilton had defended her against his sister's accusations, yes, but did that mean he truly supported her cause? Or merely that he objected to Caroline's methods of opposition?

As the carriage continued toward the village, Meredith found herself studying Chilton's profile when he wasn't looking.

The man was a puzzle—contradictory, complex, capable of surprising her just when she thought she had taken his measure.

His defence of her had been unexpected and, she had to admit, deeply touching.

Yet the fundamental differences in their worldviews remained unresolved.

Could respect and attraction overcome such profound disagreement? And even if they could, was she prepared to compromise her principles for a man who might be defending her out of mere chivalry rather than true understanding?

The questions followed her like shadows as they arrived at the village, the morning's confrontation casting a pall over what should have been a pleasant outing.

Whatever was developing between her and Chilton had grown far more complicated than either of them could have anticipated when first they met.

The thought was both thrilling and terrifying. Because if she had misjudged him so completely in this, what else might she have been wrong about?