Althea’s jaw dropped. “Hewhat?”
“I should have known. He never brags about his charitable work.” Beth shook her head. “I only found out recently. I recognized some of the servants, so I knew he was aware of it, but I did not know the extent of his involvement. Cuz, I told you because that should give you some reassurance that he supports women’s independence. Lud, even in other ventures he backs, he prefers to remain behind the scenes. He only invests in ventures where he believes there is strong leadership.”
Althea’s lips twisted. “What if that was the reason he did not choose to invest in mine?”
Beth sighed. “Don’t be obtuse. He did not invest in yours because it would muddy the waters with your personal relationship. And frankly, because you would not allow him an equity stake. You did not trust him. That has been the issue all along.”
Althea stared at her cousin, eyes suddenly brimming. “Are you saying ’twas all my fault?”
“No, of course not.” Beth rushed to sit by Althea and gave her an awkward hug where she sat. “Rarely is an issue in a relationship one person’s fault. Except maybe when it comes to Robert.” She winked.
Althea smiled wanly.
“I should have said that has beenoneof your issues,” Beth corrected her earlier statement. “Others include his wariness of allowing people close and his propensity to walk away when he feels defensive.”
“So, what do I do now?”
“I do not know, cuz. I am sorry. If I knew, I’d have shared my wisdom with you sooner. My guess is you both have to decide whether to trust and risk further pain or whether ’tis smarter to walk away.”
His hurt reaction to her wanting secrecy was his ego being bruised, just as Charlotte said. Wasn’t it?
Both Charlotte and Beth acknowledged the risks in a public relationship, even though they both believed there was an equal possibility of gains. Was there an alternative path to being with him? She did not see one, but she was miserable without him. She knew her request had been less than fair to him, but she desperately wanted her cake and to eat him, too.
Now I can taste his mouth, his skin, his essence. I miss that flavor, that soft lush hair to curl my fingers into. Beyond the physical, I wish he could see my success. And he could, if he wasn’t so stubborn. Damnable man. Damnable beautiful man, so supportive and encouraging, until he isn’t.
She contemplated consenting to a public relationship, but she did not feel she could afford that. Conservative by nature, she was loathe to risk business losses, particularly now she was leveraged with debt to Charlotte.
She considered marriage. But even if she was open to the idea, he was not.
Was she willing to marry Evan? He invested in women’s enterprises. He helped found the School of Enlightenment, to offer independence to many more women. There was still society’s perception of a woman-owned shop needing a man behind it. On the other hand, she had come so far already.Sheknew she could do it, no matter what society believed. Wedding Evan would give her the best of both worlds.
Her lips twisted. Even if her concerns were fading, he had no interest in marriage, not only because she hadn’t trusted him, but also his mother’s illness.
Then there was his horrible habit of lashing out when he felt vulnerable. He had some bowing and scraping to do before she was ready to forgive and forget.
Nonetheless, Althea suddenly could not help wondering how she’d respond if he asked for her hand.
****
Evan straightened his cravat, checked the drape of his jacket, and shot his cuffs. He could not remember the last time he’d been nervous to call on a lady. But here he was, not even having knocked yet. He raised his hand, finally rapped on the door, and heard footsteps across the front hall in response.
The butler opened the door, stepped back to allow him to enter, and took his hat and gloves before going to announce him.
As the servant returned to direct him, Evan found his hands fidgeting again, wanting to recheck his cravat once more. He fisted them and entered the library.
Althea and Beth were both seated, one behind and one in front of the desk as usual. Neither rose to greet him.
He ignored the obvious slight, understanding from whence it came, and bowed. “My ladies. Thank you for seeing me without an appointment.”
He received silence accompanied by raised eyebrows.Right. I suppose groveling should not be made easy, after all.
“Lady Althea, might I have a private word?”
“Anything you have to say to me can be said in my cousin’s presence, Lord Cheltenham. Do sit down, I don’t like you hovering over me.”
As though he’d been invited to sit. He gave a mental shrug. He’d been in worse situations and managed to smooth them over.This, too, shall pass if I can finesse it. Mayhap she preferred to have her cousin present to protect her from being hurt again. Hopefully, that would not be an issue.
He sat. “Althea, I must beg your forgiveness. I was exceedingly rude the last time we spoke.” He shot a glance at Beth, who smirked at him, waiting for the rest just as Althea was. “I should not have said what I did.”
