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“This came for you just now. I thought you would want it as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Parsons.”
Parsons nodded and gave her a smile that warmed his eyes before walking away. The valet, now butler, had been relaxing a little over the last few days since Nathan had stepped into the house. It was like he was becoming optimistic about the future himself. He had good reason to; once this wedding happened, her father Edward Heavenly’s debts would be cleared, and they could start afresh.
Although Eleanor was beginning to wonder what would happen when the money needed to be paid back. Creditors always came back for their money. Edward Heavenly was sure it wouldn’t happen, he had been promised, but Eleanor did believe that it would come back to bite them.
“It’s a bit late to be receiving letters.” Marion looked over Eleanor’s shoulder. “Perhaps it’s from Captain Reynolds.”
“I don’t think so.” Eleanor looked at her name scribbled on the front. “It’s not his handwriting. That doesn’t look like his seal.”
“Has he been sending you letters in between meetings?”
“Marion…”
“All right, I’ll stop.” Marion laughed. Then she nudged Eleanor’s arm. “Go on, open it.”
Eleanor shook her head, but she opened the envelope and slid out the letter.
“Honestly, Marion, it’s like living with a child at times when you’re around.”
“I’m not commenting on that.”
“Don’t. Because we’ll be here all night arguing about it.” Eleanor opened the letter and scanned it. It was only half a page, and the letter writer’s signature was a surprise. “It’s from Lady Chapman.”
“What?” Marion rose up on tiptoes to look over Eleanor’s shoulder. “Why on earth would that woman be writing to you?”
“Possibly because she knows I’ll have her kicked out so fast that she won’t know what hit her if she comes here.” Eleanor frowned as she read the letter again. “She wants to meet me in Wandsworth Common. At two.”
“You’re actually going to meet her?”
“I shouldn’t.” Eleanor folded the letter, putting it back in the envelope. “But I want her to know this is the last time I will entertain her. She can say her piece, and then she’s gone, and that’s it.”
Besides, the letter looked like it had been written in a bit of a panic. The writing was more erratic than Eleanor expected for a poised woman like Lorraine Chapman. Unless that was just her normal writing.
“Anyway, I’ll be able to put myself at rest knowing I’ve faced her and seen her walk away for the last time. And I could do with a walk.”
“Do you want me to get one of the footmen?” Marion asked.
“No, just you and me. That’ll be fine.” Eleanor linked her arm with Marion’s as they headed back to the house. “Lady Chapman isn’t the type of person who’s going to physically cause a scene.”
“Yet,” Marion muttered.
Yet was the operative word. But Nathan was coming to visit for tea, and Eleanor wanted to get this dealt with before he arrived. Then she would be able to concentrate on his visit without wondering what Lady Chapman wanted with her.
* * *
Eric wasn’t impressed. He had been out of London for a few days to sort out business in Birmingham - the death of another brat who had vanished was not good for him and he needed distance - and now he seemed to have come back to even more mayhem.
What the hell was Leyton up to? Eric had given him the necessary ammunition to disrupt Nathan and Eleanor’s marriage, but he had been pushing Leyton towards the desire to kill Nathan before he got to walk down the aisle with his bride, before Eric would slip into his place.
But Leyton seemed to be working on a different agenda and working very rapidly at it, too. Eric heard it through the grapevine that Eleanor had been attacked in her own home. The servants had been gossiping and it spread everywhere that a baron’s daughter had been attacked in her own bedchamber. Eric didn’t need to guess that it was Leyton. He was unstable and arrogant enough to break into a house to go after Eleanor.
He may claim to love her, but Eric was sure that Leyton would tip over the edge if pushed too much. Eleanor’s rejections were becoming too much. Eleanor would get hurt or even killed. She wasn’t meant to be the one who ended up dead. Not yet, anyway.
Eric wanted to do that himself if Eleanor carried on her charity work at the orphanage. But first he had to deal with Leyton. The timeline had been shifted a little too much, and now he would have to think on his feet. If this failed, they would have to start all over again.
Perhaps using a man who had been committed for his obsessions wasn’t such a good idea, after all.
