him through her tears, love glowing on her face. Michael felt as if a knife had just sliced through his vital organs. He turned and walked away, struggling to compose himself. Rachel had never looked at him with even a third of that emotion, and he saw clearly now that he had no hope of becoming the man she loved. He walked over to the sideboard, staring blindly down at the rough wood surface, seeing only the bleakness that lay over the rest of his life. A life without Rachel. Without love.
âOverwhelming!â Ravenscar barked. âYou are a fool. Between the two of you, you have ruined her life. Elopingâspending the night on the road with a man who is not her husbandâgood God, man, the entire world will know she is a wanton. Her good name is destroyed. Are you such a mooncalf you donât see that? No man would marry her now.â
â I will marry her!â Birkshaw declaimed dramatically.
âOver my dead body,â Ravenscar snarled. âYou have ruined us with your silly posing! Do you understand me? Ruined us! Do you honestly think that after what you have done I would allow you to marry my daughter? And how do you propose to take care of her? Did you think of that before you swayed her to run away with you? Eh? What will you do, take her back to your bachelorâs rooms? Live on some paltry allowance you get from your father?â
âI will find employment, my lord,â the younger man replied stiffly.
âOh, yes, of course! Secretary to some lord, no doubt. Hah! You couldnât live on the pittance they pay, and even if you could, what man would hire you? Secretaries are responsible men, not the sort who run off with another manâs fiancée in the middle of the night. The same is true for any government job. If you had the sense God gave a kitten, you would know it. No one in the Ton would have anything to do with either one of you after this. You will be lucky if youâre able to find a job clerking. I know your situation. You have to marry money. Iâll wager youâre living on borrowed funds now. Did you think she had money? Did you think, if you blackened her name, I would have no choice but to allow you to marry her, and you would batten onto me for the rest of your life?â
âIt was not like that, my lord.â Birkshawâs jaw clenched. âI realize that my prospects are not very goodâ¦.â
âNot good? They are miserable!â Ravenscar roared. âAnd you intend to drag my daughter into that? You propose to house her in some tenement in the East End? How will you feed her? How will you provide for the luckless children you will have?â
âIâI donât know,â Birkshaw faltered.
âYou donât know,â Ravenscar repeated with heavy sarcasm. âAnd for that you have ruined my family.â
A little sob escaped Rachel at her fatherâs words. He turned his harsh gaze on her. âWell, miss, I never expected this of you,â he said bitterly. âI always thought that Dev would be the one who destroyed our good name. It was his licentious ways I feared. What a fool I was not to see that you were cut from the same cloth. You are a wanton! A trollop!â
âFather, no, please!â Tears streamed from Rachelâs eyes, and her entire body shook with sobs. âI have done nothing wrong!â
âRavenscar!â Michael swung back around. âThatâs hardly necessary.â
âIt is the truth!â Ravenscar thundered, his eyes flashing with the fire of a biblical prophet. He pointed an accusing finger at his daughter. âFor the sake of your fleshly desires, you have trampled the good name of your family. It is not only that you will never be received in decent company again. Neither will your mother. I will be too ashamed to set foot in Whiteâs again. You are a stain upon the name of Aincourt.â
âI am sorry. I am sorry!â Rachel cried,
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