the lump in his throat. This was for the best. She’d never want to have anything to do with him. Nobody did. He picked up his pace. She was too fine, too smart for someone like him. It was best to forget about her.
He was to Shrewsbury before he knew it and as he’d predicted, he’d gotten a deal on a horse. Not a good one, mind you. He might be slow, but even he realized he’d overpaid for the horse. Unfortunately, the realization didn’t happen until an hour after he’d left. He shrugged and rode on. He hadn’t really been taken advantage of. He’d have paid just about anything for a mount. The other fellow knew it and just took the opportunity to help himself. Giles couldn’t blame him for that.
Shrewsbury was less than a day’s ride from London and just as it was time to take his evening meal, he was on the steps of his townhouse, perfectly safe from the demeaning attitude of his brother and the spell of the woman who’d so easily captured him completely. He closed his eyes. No. He wouldn’t think of her again. He couldn’t. Not if he wanted to keep what little sanity he possessed, that is.
***
Lucy was dumbfounded by the exchange between the two brothers. To be honest, though, she had to admit that she didn’t understand about half of it. There certainly had to be more to their disagreement than what she’d just witnessed.
Unsure what to say to break the suffocating silence that had come over them, Lucy eased down into the chair Mr. Appleton had earlier pulled out for her. She should go to town, she reasoned in her mind. She needed to find a new post. But for a reason she couldn’t place, she felt pulled to stay and wait for Lord Norcourt to come back.
But he didn’t come back.
“ He must have walked to the village,” Mr. Appleton, or Simon as he’d asked her to call him, deduced with a shrug that made him grimace in pain.
Lucy nodded slowly. “For the best,” she said under her breath.
Simon raked his hand through his hair and cast a quick glance over his shoulder to where the coachman stood by the open door to the Norcourt coach. “Have you reconsidered my earlier offer?”
“ No. I’ll find work here.”
“ And if you don’t?”
She didn’t want to contemplate that. “I will.”
He pressed his lips together and gave a terse nod. “Well, if you don’t, my mother would be happy for the help.” He patted his chest and frowned. “I wish I had one of my calling cards to give you, but they were in my coat.”
“ That’s not necessary,” she said honestly at the same time that Seth said, “No need for a calling card, sir. I gots a good memory. What’s the name and direction?”
Grinning at Seth, Simon spouted off the name and address to the lending library.
Lucy didn’t bother to take note of his words.
A short time later their uninvited guest climbed up into his brother’s coach. As the coach made its way down the lane, Seth surprised her by running after it.
Her heart squeezed at the gesture. She couldn’t really say if Simon had been just as taken with Seth as Seth was with him, but she doubted it. A man might tolerate a lady’s family if it was beneficial to him in some way. Frowning, she went inside her house and readied herself to go to town to find a new post.
Unfortunately, it was futile.
Though nobody would give her a full answer, nor look her in the eye, it was quite obvious she wouldn’t find employment. At least not the respectable kind. She shivered and returned home deflated. They’d have to move—which would devastate Seth since he’d become so comfortable since they’d moved there three years prior.
Or perhaps it wouldn’t devastate him as much as she’d thought.
“That settles it, then,” Seth said with a wide grin. “We’ll have to move to London where you can work for Mrs. Appleton until Simon is ready to marry you.”
Lucy would have laughed at the absurdity of his statement if she weren’t so distraught about the whispers
He was to Shrewsbury before he knew it and as he’d predicted, he’d gotten a deal on a horse. Not a good one, mind you. He might be slow, but even he realized he’d overpaid for the horse. Unfortunately, the realization didn’t happen until an hour after he’d left. He shrugged and rode on. He hadn’t really been taken advantage of. He’d have paid just about anything for a mount. The other fellow knew it and just took the opportunity to help himself. Giles couldn’t blame him for that.
Shrewsbury was less than a day’s ride from London and just as it was time to take his evening meal, he was on the steps of his townhouse, perfectly safe from the demeaning attitude of his brother and the spell of the woman who’d so easily captured him completely. He closed his eyes. No. He wouldn’t think of her again. He couldn’t. Not if he wanted to keep what little sanity he possessed, that is.
***
Lucy was dumbfounded by the exchange between the two brothers. To be honest, though, she had to admit that she didn’t understand about half of it. There certainly had to be more to their disagreement than what she’d just witnessed.
Unsure what to say to break the suffocating silence that had come over them, Lucy eased down into the chair Mr. Appleton had earlier pulled out for her. She should go to town, she reasoned in her mind. She needed to find a new post. But for a reason she couldn’t place, she felt pulled to stay and wait for Lord Norcourt to come back.
But he didn’t come back.
“ He must have walked to the village,” Mr. Appleton, or Simon as he’d asked her to call him, deduced with a shrug that made him grimace in pain.
Lucy nodded slowly. “For the best,” she said under her breath.
Simon raked his hand through his hair and cast a quick glance over his shoulder to where the coachman stood by the open door to the Norcourt coach. “Have you reconsidered my earlier offer?”
“ No. I’ll find work here.”
“ And if you don’t?”
She didn’t want to contemplate that. “I will.”
He pressed his lips together and gave a terse nod. “Well, if you don’t, my mother would be happy for the help.” He patted his chest and frowned. “I wish I had one of my calling cards to give you, but they were in my coat.”
“ That’s not necessary,” she said honestly at the same time that Seth said, “No need for a calling card, sir. I gots a good memory. What’s the name and direction?”
Grinning at Seth, Simon spouted off the name and address to the lending library.
Lucy didn’t bother to take note of his words.
A short time later their uninvited guest climbed up into his brother’s coach. As the coach made its way down the lane, Seth surprised her by running after it.
Her heart squeezed at the gesture. She couldn’t really say if Simon had been just as taken with Seth as Seth was with him, but she doubted it. A man might tolerate a lady’s family if it was beneficial to him in some way. Frowning, she went inside her house and readied herself to go to town to find a new post.
Unfortunately, it was futile.
Though nobody would give her a full answer, nor look her in the eye, it was quite obvious she wouldn’t find employment. At least not the respectable kind. She shivered and returned home deflated. They’d have to move—which would devastate Seth since he’d become so comfortable since they’d moved there three years prior.
Or perhaps it wouldn’t devastate him as much as she’d thought.
“That settles it, then,” Seth said with a wide grin. “We’ll have to move to London where you can work for Mrs. Appleton until Simon is ready to marry you.”
Lucy would have laughed at the absurdity of his statement if she weren’t so distraught about the whispers
Similar Books
