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Sighing, Lydia shook her head. “No, he did not. And unlike Captain Peckham, George Wickham had no intention of marrying me. I was just a young woman to be used and discarded. My brother-in-law and uncle found us in London, patched it all up, and made us marry. I didn’t think that I had any other choice since I was ruined —but I wish that I had been given one.

They both knew the bad character of my husband, and still, they paid him a small fortune to marry me and wrap it all up in clean linen.

Ironically, the person I had wanted to impress by eloping with Wickham was my father.

I wanted him to see me as an adult and not just a silly , young girl.

So please be gentle with your daughter, Lord Kingston.

I know that as her father your opinion of her means everything. ”

Lord Kingston frowned, and Lydia worried that she might have been too bold with the viscount.

Certainly, she had no right to give him parenting advice, for she had no child of her own.

When she’d first married, she’d been a child herself, so Lydia didn’t mind that no baby came.

And by the time she was old enough to wish for a child of her own, she was wise enough to know that she could not provide a suitable home for a baby.

The closest thing that she had to children were the young officers in her late husband’s regiment.

They often came to her for advice and to sew on their buttons.

And after skirmishes, she’d sewn up their skin.

“Your father thought you were silly?”

Sighing, Lydia relived a painful, old memory. “Oh yes. He loved to tell anyone that would listen that my sister and I were two of the silliest girls in the country . And I suppose that I proved him right after all.”

“And your sister?”

Kitty.

Lydia felt the familiar pang of loss. “Kitty was two years my elder, but my personality was stronger, and she followed my foolish lead. After my marriage, my sister was not allowed to visit me. Kitty was taken under my elder sister’s influence and made a fine match.

Alas, we are not close anymore. I have not heard from any of my sisters since my mother’s funeral last year. ”

“And why is that?”

She supposed that it was because he was a lord, but Lydia couldn’t help but think this man beside her, who smelled of lemon soap, was a bit prying to ask her such personal questions.

“My late husband died in the same month, and he was an inveterate gambler who was always in dun territory. I was constantly asking for assistance in paying off debts, and I believe that I wore them out with my many petitions.”

He stopped walking, and Lydia looked up at his strong jaw. “Then, your family has abandoned you?”

Despite the goosebumps forming on her arms from the cold, Lydia felt her face grow hot.

“I inherited one thousand pounds from my mother, and I believe that my sisters thought I could live off the money. What they did not know was that my entire inheritance would be swallowed by Wickham’s gambling debts.

And I was tired of being a burden on them. So I provide for my own living now.”

“How, ma’am?”

There were not many respectable positions for a woman of good birth and little fortune.

Most were governesses or teachers, but since Lydia’s education had been relatively neglected as a child, she was not qualified for such a position.

A few women were lucky enough to be companions to an elderly relative, but Lydia lacked such connections. “Mending and sewing, my lord.”

“I do not think that it pays much.”

Lydia shrugged her shoulders. “It does not. But I am able to pay for my one room, and I am no longer dependent on my family.”

Lord Kingston continued to walk, and Lydia kept pace beside him until they reached the shabby lodging house. Even in the moonlight, Lydia saw his eyes take in the peeling white paint and poor condition of the windows. If she wasn’t already damp, she would have been dripping with embarrassment.

Lydia released his arm and took out the key from her reticule. She held it up in the air. “I believe I am safely returned to my lodgings, my lord. Thank you so much for accompanying me, and I wish both you and your daughter all the very best.”

His eyes pierced into her own. “My daughter’s reputation is in your hands.”

“Then, it is very safe,” Lydia said, leaning slightly toward his lordship. “My late husband had many affairs with married ladies, and I have suffered under the harsh gossip of others. I would never inflict such pain and anguish upon anyone.”

“How did your husband die?”

It was a rather abrupt question and Lydia found herself stepping back and breaking their eye contact. “He was shot in a duel of honor. His sixth.”

“And did he have any honor?”

She gave a little, humorless laugh. “None at all.”

“It would appear that your family lacks honor. For they have abandoned you as well.”

Lydia’s face was on fire and even her ears felt hot.

She stepped back toward the viscount and placed her hand on his arm.

“Oh no! I have been a sore trial for them all. Any one of my four sisters would have let me live with them—it is just that I overheard them speaking at my mother’s funeral about it and realized that no one wanted me to stay with them.

And I am so tired of forcing myself where I am not wanted.

And I like living by the ocean. It allows me to walk on the beach every evening—there is no freedom like there is in the water. ”

His nostrils flared, and she dropped her hand. “Mrs. Wickham, I am a widower, and my daughter needs a woman to watch over her—to chaperone her—to be her friend and companion. Someone kind and understanding. I believe that someone could be you.”

Lydia’s jaw dropped. Usually when people learned about her past, they grew cold and distanced themselves from her.

Lord Kingston knew all the worst things about her, and he was giving her a second chance in Society.

To be part of a home and family. Yet she didn’t know this man or his daughter.

Lydia glanced at the dilapidated lodging house that she couldn’t even afford to pay for her room next week.

It was completely unlike the fancy rented town house that she’d climbed into.

Her hunger gnawed at her. She had no choice but to accept. “Yes, please.”

Lord Kingston’s lips curved upward. “But I haven’t even told you the salary.”

“As long as there is a roof over my head and proper food, I am not particular about the wages.”

Lydia’s empty stomach rumbled in agreement.

He held out his hand to her. “Twenty pounds per annum, and I’ll send my carriage around at ten o’clock in the morning to collect you and your things.”

Lydia eagerly took his hand and shook it. “Thank you, my lord. I promise that neither you nor Chloe will regret it.”

The viscount released her hand and touched his hat.

Lydia gave one last curtsy before unlocking the exterior door and entering the lodgings.

Her rented room was in the attic, up two flights of stairs.

Once inside her cramped quarters, Lydia slumped to the floor with a sigh of pure relief.

She didn’t need to worry about where to find the coin for next week’s rent.

And tomorrow she would have her first proper meal this month.