Page 48 of The Governess’ Unlikely Suitor (The Dashworth Brothers #2)
H er heart was pounding as she stepped out into the brisk winter’s air.
Edward had lost weight in the ten days since she had last seen him, his cheekbones were more pronounced and his clothes looked looser about the shoulders. But he was smiling as he held something out to her, wrapped in a cloth.
‘I thought about bringing you flowers, but I did not want to be like everyone else, so instead I brought something I am sure you will like.’
She gasped as she saw what he had inside. ‘Fruit cake! Thank you. I love it so much.’
He grinned and her heart turned over. ‘I know you do.’
‘I would take it inside, but I do not want the boys to get hold of it and devour it before I have a chance. I will take it with us and we can eat some after we have finished with Chorley.’
His laughter dimmed. ‘Are you sure we need to confront him? Can I not just have him killed and buried in one of Freddie’s gardens?’
‘As much as I appreciate the offer, I still think the warning has to come from me.’
‘So you will kill him and bury him in one of Freddie’s gardens.’
She laughed as she took his hand and climbed into the carriage. ‘If what I say fails, then we will go with your plan.’
She’d forgotten how small carriages were, or perhaps it was that, despite the weight loss, Edward was still large.
As they rumbled off she was very aware of his body taking up most of the space.
For all Jane’s talk of how he was her man, he did not seem similarly affected by the proximity; his legs were crossed, his hands idle on his lap.
‘Do you have time to join me for a short expedition after we have seen to Chorley?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I do.’ She had all the time in the world for him.
‘I read your plan for your Home for Disadvantaged Children and I have found a potential place. Would you like to see it?’
‘Oh, I would love to. Thank you.’
For the rest of the journey, they talked about her idea.
The duke had read her plans and offered her a sum of money to help set it up.
It was a very generous offer and with the amount that Edward was willing to put forward, too, she could see her having it up and running sooner than she had hoped.
In no time at all, she would be living the life she wanted, and if Edward was planning to invest…
well, she would still be able to see him now and then.
At least until he started with a family of his own; after that it would be too painful.
That could be years from now, however. Men didn’t like to settle down until they were in their thirties.
She probably had a good ten years of seeing him and talking with him before that and she intended to enjoy every moment of it.
All happy thoughts for the future faded as they pulled up outside Chorley’s London residence far quicker than she would have liked.
Her knees trembled as she climbed down from the carriage, ice flooding through her veins.
She thought Edward might try to persuade her to leave it, but he took her fingers in his and squeezed, giving her the courage to knock.
They were shown into a sitting room by a butler she remembered. The man smiled kindly at her, but seemed to pretend Edward did not exist. ‘I will tell Mr Chorley you are here to see him, Miss Hornel.’
Something passed between Edward and the butler, a slight nod of understanding.
‘What was that?’ Kate asked when they were left alone. ‘Did you plan it beforehand?’
‘No. I have never met the man, but I am guessing his servants like him as much as you do. The butler does not want to warn him you are accompanied. I think he would probably approve of my garden plan.’ Edward winked at her, taking up a position by her side.
Edward was right; when Chorley stepped into the room, he deflated somewhat at the sight of Edward standing beside her. ‘My Lord,’ he said. ‘I was not informed of your arrival.’
‘It is irrelevant,’ Edward answered. ‘It is Miss Hornel who wishes to speak to you.’
It was perhaps not the most auspicious moment to realise it, but it suddenly hit Kate that she loved Edward, quite desperately.
He did not want to be here, did not approve of her plan, and yet in front of the man who had tormented her for months and had tried to destroy her, Edward was going to stand by her silently, allow her to talk but be the solid presence she needed. He really was the very best of men.
‘Mr Chorley,’ she began, ‘you have been sending me flowers and messages. That has to stop.’
His top lip curled in a gesture that used to make her whole body want to fold into a tight ball. ‘I would never send flowers to a whore like you.’
Beside her, Edward flinched. She placed a reassuring hand on his arm.
‘You have. But I am not going to argue with you. You are the type of man who would argue the sky is brown despite all the evidence pointing otherwise. I realised, too late, that you would not respond to pleas to stop, so I did a little research of my own. Someone told me you have lots of debts and that got me to pondering why. It really was not very hard to discover your dealings are not above board.’
The colour slowly drained out of Chorley’s face.
‘Now, I am going to ask you never to contact me or my brother or anyone associated with me again. If that remains the case, the knowledge I have uncovered stays with my lawyer. Should anything happen to me or anyone close to me, my discoveries will be revealed to the world.’ She smiled, even as tremors ran through her whole body. ‘Are we clear?’
Chorley nodded once.
‘Excellent. We shall take our leave.’
She made to sail out of there, as gracefully as she could considering her legs were not quite working properly. They had almost made it to the door when Chorley muttered, ‘Whore.’
Edward took several steps back into the room. Kate didn’t see what he did but when they left, Chorley was lying on the ground groaning in pain. She took Edward’s hand again and they departed without another word.