Page 18 of A Raven Repents

Christina huffed a laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. He despises me. He brought me to a home he very clearly never visits, and left me as quickly as possible. He didn’t even say goodbye before leaving.” She took another bite of her tart. “I was hoping you could help me understand why. What could he possibly have to gain by paying the debt?”

“If he said he did it for you, why are you so adamant that he didn’t?”

Christina’s thoughts on the matter were interrupted by the butler. “Mrs. Henderson, a Mr. Anderson is here to see you.”

“I don’t know a Mr. Anderson.”

“He’s a solicitor, delivering something at the behest of Mr. Henderson.”

“Very well. Send him in.”

“What does that mean?” Lavinia whispered.

“I haven’t the faintest idea.” Although, the word annulment flashed through her mind. Would he really do that to her? Had he not bothered to consummate their marriage for a reason? Nothing made any sense with him.

Mr. Anderson smiled when he walked into the room, carrying a brown leather case. “Mrs. Henderson, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

His eyes flicked to Lavinia, so she introduced her. “This is my friend, Miss Taylor.”

He greeted her politely, but then turned his attention back to Christina. “I had hoped we might have a moment of privacy.”

Lavinia moved to leave, but Christina stopped her. “We have no secrets.” She didn’t want any more dishonesty with her friend. “You may share whatever you’ve come for in her presence.”

“Very well,” he said with a nod. From his case, he pulled a thick envelope. “I’ve been asked to deliver this to you.” He handed her the packet. It was filled with banknotes.

“What is this?”

“It’s one hundred pounds. I took the liberty of having it broken into small denominations to make it more easily usable for you.”

Nausea soured her stomach. One hundred pounds. It was a reminder. He wouldn’t want her to forget what she’d done. “You can tell him to keep it.” She held out the envelope, and when the man didn’t take it, she threw it down onto the table and strode from the room. Her husband was a wretched beast. That was why he’d paid her father’s debts. One more thing he could hold over her to make her feel guilty.

“Christina!” Lavinia’s quick footsteps followed her down the corridor. “What are you doing?”

She turned around, folding her arms. “Even from afar he’s taunting me.”

“Don’t let your pride ruin this, Christina. It’s one hundred pounds.”

“Yes. The exact amount my father tried to extort from him.”

“Regardless, it’s a lot of money. Don’t be a fool.” A slow, mischievous smile turned up Lavinia’s lips. “We can use it to redecorate.”

Chapter

Five

Giles stared at Michael’s front door, taking a deep breath to shore himself up. Beside him, his valet looked much as he felt. “What’s made you so miserable? I thought you’d be thrilled to be leaving London for a while.”

“I would be, if we were going home. But my older sister is the housekeeper here.”

“Mrs. Thistle is your sister? But your name is Thistlefield.”

He nodded. “So is hers. She dropped the end when she came to work here.”

“Is that why you hate that I call you Thistle? Do you not get along with her?”

He shrugged. “You don’t have an older sister, so you won’t really understand. Even at forty-five, and a butler and valet, my work won’t be good enough.”

“I do understand, actually. I’ll be lucky if I make it out of here without sustaining another beating from Michael.” With a sigh, he looked at his valet. “Perhaps this evening, we can lick our wounds together.”