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Derrick didn’t know what to say to that. He was still staring as Gillingham gestured at the bellpull by the fireplace.
“Ring that for me, will you? We can have a drink before we retire. I’ll have your belongings taken to your room.” He paused, giving Derrick a devilish look. “It will be right next to Ellie’s.”
Derrick didn’t think it was possible to choke on air, but he found that it was. Gillingham laughed.
“I think you do need a drink after that comment. Be quick about it, unless you want me to make your heart stop in shock.”
Derrick didn’t need to be told twice.
#
Ellie heard the bell for the front door on the cusp of her sleep. It drew her out, and she woke up, lying in bed as she wondered if she had actually heard the bell going. A moment later, she heard voices coming up the stairs. She couldn’t make out who it was coming to the house at this time of night, but whomever it was seemed to think it was important enough to disturb them.
Who on earth was bothering her father at this time of night? Ellie was tempted to go back to sleep and leave it be, but her father said he was going to stay awake for a while. Even though he was better, he didn’t need to be interrupted. Especially not at such a late hour.
Slipping out of bed, Ellie found her robe and shrugged it on. She doubted that she would get much sleep, anyway. It had taken a while to drift into the state she had been woken up from, and she was probably going to struggle later.
So much for having time away from Derrick to think about things.
Ellie missed him. A lot. She wanted to see him and tell him that she loved him, that she didn’t care what Catherine Saxton was doing or trying to do. It was about them, and she trusted him.
Trust. Ellie had wobbled on that when Lady Catherine had told her to begin with. But now she had walked away and been given some space, there had been plenty of time to reflect, even in just a few short hours.
It was surprising how easily she came to a conclusion, particularly after talking to her father and listening to him reminisce about his time as a married man. Hearing about her mother did make Ellie smile. Lady Gillingham had been a stunning woman, both in appearance and personality. She was strong, and she always knew which foot to put forward in any given situation.
Ellie wished she was here now; she would know what to do. And Ellie had to admit she would love to see her mother give Lady Catherine a verbal tongue-lashing. That would have been satisfying.
Lighting a candle and fixing it into the candlestick, Ellie made her way downstairs. The house was quiet, most of the servants having retired for the night. But there were voices coming from the drawing room. Gillingham had stayed in there after Ellie retired. It sounded like he hadn’t gone upstairs yet.
She was about to open the door when she heard a familiar voice. It made her pause. Derrick was here? How on earth was he here? It took pretty much all day to get to Kent from Northampton. He must have grown wings.
Ellie found herself wanting to run back upstairs. But instead, she grasped the handle and turned it. Gillingham was sitting in his favourite chair when she entered, while Derrick stood by the fireplace, his hand on the bellpull. Sure enough, she could hear a distant bell ringing. But Ellie was more interested in Derrick’s presence.
He looked exhausted, his jaw dusted by the start of a beard. It seemed as though he had all the weight of the world on his shoulders.
They stared at each other, and it felt like everything had stilled. Nothing seemed to move. Then Gillingham cleared his throat, which made both of them jump.
“I thought you were asleep, Ellie.”
“I… I heard someone arriving.” Ellie wished her words weren’t tripping over each other. “What’s going on?”
“Your husband is here to have a conversation with you. I don’t think he wanted to wait until you returned.” Gillingham stood up slowly. “I’ll leave you to it.”
“You don’t need to leave, Father,” Ellie said quickly, but her father held up a hand.
“I do. You two have a lot to talk about. I’ll take my drink in the kitchen, and then I’ll head up to bed.” He made his way to the door, slowing as he passed his daughter and giving her a gentle smile. “Go easy on him, Ellie.”
He squeezed her shoulder and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Derrick cleared his throat. “He seems better.”
“He’s still weak. I’m hoping he’ll recover soon.”
“He’s young enough. I’m sure he’ll recover eventually.”
Ellie hoped so, even if it had been several years since her father fell ill. She put the candlestick on the nearby table and checked that her robe was in place. She didn’t want it falling open while she was talking to her husband. Now was not the time for them to do anything remotely romantic.
“What are you doing here?”
