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“I did ask him to educate me in the art of seduction to secure myself a husband.”
“Yes, I did get your note explaining your delicate subterfuge.”
“I…I never expected such intimacy, and I was the one who encouraged our embrace. Since then, I have been a ship tossed in the tempest without a captain or crew. I am at a loss for all I am feeling. I have no notion what to expect between us going forward. Has our friendship been indelibly changed? Will our easy banter still exist or will there be this awful uncertainty and tension? I saw him at our last ball, and though we spoke briefly and even danced outside…something was so very different.”
“Has he said he will make you an offer?”
“You know his distaste for marriage.” Then why are there rumors of an attachment with Lady Honoria? An awful and peculiar foreboding slithered through Evie. Could it be that his aversion was to her?
Adel sighed. “Oh, Evie. And if I allow this reckless plan of yours and you are compromised?”
Evie frowned. “You were caught in bed with Edmond, and you are deliriously happy. Rumors have been circulating that Lord Blade recently wed Miss Olivia Sherwood because of scandalous behavior at a house party. I daresay, perhaps Richard needs to compromise me, and Mamma and society be damned.”
“You do know Westfall would be the last man to bow to society’s expectations.”
“I speak so only because I am frustrated and unsure. Mamma and Papa would be terribly hurt if I embroiled the family in such a scandal, which is why I promise to be very careful.”
“You know how dastardly the marquess’s reputation is, don’t you, Evie? An alliance with him will be enough to send your mother into heart palpitations, and that is what you are trying to secure from him, isn’t it?”
“An offer?”
“Yes.”
Once again uncertainty rushed through Evie as desire and duty meshed painfully within her soul. “I think, Adel…I want freedom, I want happiness. I want a family, and I want a husband whom I love and who would cherish me. Since the start of the season, I have felt adrift…and uncertain. I cannot find the words to describe the discontent in my heart.”
Sympathy flickered in the depths of Adel’s eyes. “You are lonely.”
“What have I experienced of life to be lonely?” Evie asked with a wistful smile. Yet she felt so empty and frustrated.
“Do not discredit the ache in your heart, Evie. I never realized how alone I was until I found Edmond and the girls. The joy of having my own family, children, and a man I love beyond measure is incomparable. I want that for you,” Adel said softly.
Evie lowered her cup onto the table and clasped Adel’s hands. Anticipation curled inside her. “Then allow me the freedom to visit Richard while I am here without worrying.”
“Oh, Evie, I simply cannot bear the thought of you suffering a broken heart.”
She risked more than a broken heart. She gambled her reputation, pride, and her chances of securing a favorable match to aid her family. There was the possibility she was wrong to believe in the admiration and desire he had for her, and her connection with Richard would be destroyed, causing her to lose a most cherished friendship. She was being reckless, and not a dutiful daughter at all, but how could she continue to exist without trying to seize her heart’s desire? “If I succeed in seducing his heart, my reward will be lifelong happiness with the man I love and admire.”
Adel clasped her hand gently. “And if you fail?”
“Ruination of all I hold dear.” Such a dangerous game she played, to capture the heart of one so cold and jaded like Richard, knowing with such a prey the chances of success were dismal. And even if she won his heart, complete ruination still hovered.
Evie ruthlessly suppressed that voice of doubt. I am willing to risk everything for love and a chance at happiness.
Chapter Nine
Kencot Manor, Hampshire
“The repairs on the third house in Derbyshire have been completed, my lord. Mr. James reports that nine women and eleven children have been moved from the rookeries near Ratcliffe Highway and are now comfortably situated,” Mr. Harrison Turner, his most trusted man of affairs, reported, pushing a sheaf of papers in Richard’s direction. “All fifteen rooms i
n the house are occupied, with some of the younger children sharing a room. The house has been staffed with a cook, a housekeeper, three maids, two footmen, and a gardener. As you requested, the stables are being repaired and the kennels cleaned.”
Richard reached for a few of the papers, scanning the immaculate and detailed report of the most recent houses that had been purchased and staffed. “I am not seeing the names and references of the governess and tutors that will take the children under their wings.”
The report detailed the children’s background, eight girls, and three boys, all ranging between three and ten. A few were fortunate to have their mothers with them, and the others had been living in an abandoned orphanage in Camden, trying to scrape for themselves after the institution had been recently closed due to lack of funding from their former donors. He’d bought the building and the grounds, but it would take several months for it to be transformed from the dark and oppressive place it had been to a warm and inviting haven with caring staff for homeless children.
“Mr. Pickering came highly recommended as a tutor. Interviews are being conducted for a suitable governess to work alongside him. The selection was narrowed down to two women, and the young lady I found most suitable was rejected by Mr. Dobson.”
Mr. Dobson was one of Richard’s solicitors. He employed a team of people and paid them well to ensure the smooth execution of his goals. There were several people of varying backgrounds on his payroll—solicitors, barristers, stewards, investigators, some who had formerly been Bow Street runners, and a number of agents who had contacts within the criminal echelon. He commanded their loyalty and dedication in the absolute, and though he rewarded them handsomely for their relentless work, he was ruthless with those who betrayed him, especially if their defection harmed the vulnerable under his protection.
