“I can agree to that.”
As she stepped through the rear door, a flicker of uncertainty tugged at her thoughts. She didn’t know what to anticipate from this unexpected call. But she knew one thing: she would not turn away Lady Sarah, who had always shown her courtesy, even if her daughter had not.
When she entered the drawing room, she saw both ladies were seated on the settee, their backs straight, expressions somber. Arabella’s lips were pinched in a pout, while Lady Sarah sat with her gloved hands folded neatly over the silver handle of her cane.
Dorothea cleared her throat lightly to announce her presence. “Good morning,” she said, keeping her tone polite.
Arabella scoffed. “What is good about it?”
Lady Sarah reached over and nudged her daughter’s arm with a sharp look. “Behave, Child.”
Arabella huffed and crossed her arms. “We should never have come here,” she muttered, her voice just loud enough to be heard.
Lady Sarah ignored her and lifted her gaze to Dorothea’s. “Thank you for agreeing to receive us,” she said. “I know this visit is… unexpected.”
“I admit, I am curious,” Dorothea replied, stepping farther into the room. “To what do I owe this morning call?”
Lady Sarah offered a strained smile. “Arabella has something she wishes to ask of you.”
Arabella gave her mother a side-glare but reluctantly leaned forward. “Do you actually plan to take all our money?”
Lady Sarah sighed. “No, no. That’s not the question we rehearsed. Do try again, darling.”
With a roll of her eyes and a begrudging tone, Arabella finally asked, “Would you allow us to remain in the townhouse… for a short while? At least until we can make other arrangements?”
“Was that so difficult?” Lady Sarah murmured.
Before Dorothea could respond, the door opened and a maid stepped in, balancing a silver tea tray in her hands.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of requesting tea,” Lady Sarah said. “I thought it might soothe everyone’s nerves.”
The maid moved briskly, setting the tray down on the carved table between the settee and armchairs.
“Would you care for me to pour, my lady?” the maid asked, turning to Dorothea.
“No, thank you,” Dorothea responded. “I shall attend to it myself.”
With another curtsy, the maid slipped quietly from the room.
Lady Sarah tapped her fingertips lightly against the top of her cane. “Now… where were we?” she asked, glancing around as if to gather the room’s attention. “Ah, yes—Arabella made her request, and we were just about to discuss it over a much-needed cup of tea.”
20
Dominic stood outside in the gardens, watching as Tristan ran through the grass with his kite trailing high above. The boy’s laughter echoed across the lawn, easing the tension in Dominic’s shoulders for the first time in days. There was something profoundly grounding in this moment—the innocence of a child, the steadiness of the wind, and the rare sense of peace that wrapped around him like a balm.
This,he realized,is what I want.
He needed to be the kind of man Tristan could look up to—one who could be trusted, who could protect, who could lead. And for the first time in a long while, he felt confident that he could become that man.
But only if Dorothea was beside him.
Because in the silence of the night, and in the noise of the day, she filled his thoughts. Every breath, every step—his world was beginning to revolve around her. He had been so close to telling her how he felt, but they had been interrupted.
The back door creaked open.
“My lord,” came Wright’s voice. The butler stepped out, composed but purposeful. “Pardon the intrusion, but Constable Prentice has arrived. He requests a moment of your time.”
“Very well,” Dominic said. “I’ll meet with him in my study.”
