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It was imperative she do this now while Manchester was away. There was no way she could face him. She’d pen a brief letter explaining her decision and leave the keys with it on his desk. By the time he read it, she would be well on her way to Berkshire.
“Wait for me,” she instructed the driver. “I may be a while.” She wanted to be sure next month’s supply order had been drawn up properly and check on a few of the children.
Her stomach clenched on entering the building; his office door was open a crack, and a light shone from within. No one else was about. Gathering her courage, she approached with purpose, determined to get this over with as quickly and cleanly as possible.
; “What are you staring at, you damned fool?”
His rough, slurred voice brought her to an abrupt halt. There was a clinking of glass, followed by the faint sound of splashing liquid.
“You should have lived, you sorry bastard. Then I wouldn’t be stuck here. With her.”
The words stung like hot knife points all over. So this was how he really felt! It was a damned good thing she’d refused him. Thanking heaven he hadn’t heard her enter, she turned to leave—quietly.
“You should have married her and made her happy!” came another outburst from within the office. “Why did you have to take her heart with you to the grave, you miserable, sorry sod?”
Harriett turned back, unable to help herself.
“She deserved better,” he said, his voice thick. “She’s so beautiful, so damned...” Words degraded into incoherent mumbling. Glass clinked again. “I know I’m nowhere near good enough for her. I’ll never be you. It doesn’t matter how hard I try to be better, she doesn’t want me. She’d rather be with bloody Russell than even consider me. I’ve failed. Miserably.” Another clink. “Here’s to failure—my oldest friend.”
In the space that followed, Harriett realized she’d stopped breathing. Her heart threatened to crack in two from the pressure inside it.
Another clink and a loud slosh. “She bloody hates me!” The shout was punctuated by a violent crash and the shattering of glass.
Jumping, Harriett clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a yelp. In doing so, the keys she’d been holding slipped from her hand and dropped with a clatter to the polished parquet floor. Horrified panic filled her all at once as utter silence fell in the wake of the noise. Before she could turn and run, however, the door to the office swung wide. She stood, rooted to the spot as Manchester, jacketless and wild-eyed, stared at her.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, squinting at her. He swayed on his feet.
“I—I came t—to...” Her blood returned to her face in a painful rush. Bending, she retrieved the keys and held them up like a shield. “I was just—I—I wanted to come and see how the new building was progressing and—and to fetch some contracts that were still pending.”
His eyes narrowed further. “Why did you not come yesterday?”
“I was ill,” she again lied.
He released the door frame supporting him and drifted toward her on unsteady feet. “Why did you not come earlier? The hour is late.”
“Yes, I know,” she said with a nervous laugh, inching back. “I began to feel better this morning, but Papa would not let me come until now.” It was a thin excuse, but perhaps he was soaked enough in brandy to buy it. “I won’t stay long. I promised him I would come right back—that I would be back in time for dinner.”
Amber eyes glittered as he moved closer. “I suppose you think me a complete fool, don’t you?”
Her pulse jumped. “W—why should I think that, Your Grace?”
“Don’t ‘Your Grace’ me, Harriett. We are far beyond that, you and I. You didn’t come here to fetch anything. You came here to cut ties.”
There was no use denying it. “It is time, don’t you think?”
“You refused me in favor of marrying Russell,” he spat, ignoring the question. “You think I don’t know why?”
She swallowed and backed away again. “I understand you were offended, and I regret having to—”
“You don’t love him,” he said, cutting off her pathetic apology. “You don’t even want him. Your desire is for someone else, only you’re too cowardly to admit it and see where it might lead.”
Her skin heated beneath his gaze. Unfortunately, so did her temper. “How can you say that when I’ve remained here all this time, in spite of—of—everything!”
“Do you think it’s been easy for me?” he shot back with a bark of laughter. “Seeing you, hearing your voice, working beside you every day? It’s driven me mad.” He leaned toward her and in a cracked voice muttered, “Everything about you drives me mad, Harriett. It always has.”
Her stomach tightened. “I didn’t know. You never said anything after we agreed to our truce. You’ve hardly even looked at me!” But he was looking at her now, and his eyes were ablaze with naked lust. “I thought you’d lost interest in...” Words failed her as he came closer, close enough that the heat of him penetrated the material of her gown. Unbidden, she swayed toward him.
