“Here you are,” Mac said handing his friend, who was still glaring at him, the large box. “I shall have the next set by Saturday.”
“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing, Meriweather?” Richmore’s voice was angry and full of accusation. “I didn’t take you for a fortune hunter. Yesterday evening it appeared as if you actually cared for Lady Leticia?—”
“I do care for her!” Mac shouted, his body shaking.
He cared more than he ever thought possible. After their first meeting, she was all he could think of. All he wanted in his dead life which was filled with work and obligation.
The horrors he saw and heard had changed him, seeing the effects of slavery firsthand, visiting countries with enslaved people and documenting their plight. He had traveled endlessly the first few years starting out. What Mac had seen and heard made him want to do anything and everything in his power to make a difference. At one time in his life, he was willing to do anything to keep his print shop open, but that ended now.
“I find that difficult to believe from the conversation I overheard between you and Cedemoor.” Richmore placed his hand on the worktable, his gaze intent on Mac. “Everyone knows how he feels about his sister. It is all he speaks of when in his cups at O’Brien’s. Is your situation so dire that you would make a deal with the devil?”
“It is, but I no longer care what happens to the print shop. I care about Letty?—”
She was all he cared about now, and he would make her his priority. He wouldn’t allow her brother to steal her inheritance because of some sick twisted vendetta against her.
“Then you need to make this right. Confess everything to her. That is the only way she may ever forgive you.” Richmore shifted the box in his arms, resting it on his hip. “If you need funds, you have friends, Meriweather. All you have to do is ask.”
“I cannot expect my friends to save me.” He’d been raised to be his own man, to handle his problems without any help from others. Unlike his eldest brother, Rafe, who was handed everything to his heart desired, Mac had to work for a living.
“Sometimes that is the true definition of a friend. You’re an honorable man, Mac, don’t forget who you are.” The use of his first name informed him just how severe their conversation was.
He had forgotten himself for a moment, so desperate was he to save his dying business. His maternal grandfather had raised him to be honorable, the cursed third son that no one wanted to be bothered with.
Mac and his second eldest brother, Gilbert, were both sent away at an early age. There was no time for second and third sons when there was a healthy heir. It was his grandfather who had first introduced him to the power of the written word.
“I thought I could do it. That accepting Cedemoor’s offer would save the paper and provide a more stable life for myself.” He lowered his head, feeling like a complete and utter fool. “Then I spent a fortnight in her presence, and it transformed me. She was the light I did not know I needed,” he whispered the last part, remembering what it felt like to have her in his arms. How soft and plush her lips were against his. The feel of her body as he’d pressed against her the previous night.
Mac wanted that for the rest of his existence, but how could they ever go forward after what he had planned to do?
“Then you have your answer. Trust me, I know what it’s like to be a fool in love, but it is up to us to prove ourselves to the women in our lives.” Richmore placed his free hand on Mac’s shoulder. “Tell her, before it’s too late.”
Bloody hell, he would have to confess everything and pray she would forgive him. He would figure out what to do with the print shop. Perhaps leaving his current building was the correct choice. Old Hutchinson had been increasing the rent on him for years, and it was time to stop that cycle once and for all.
“I will, when I feel the time is right.” Stilling his features, Mac tried not to show the fear that was running rampant inside of him. “It’s under control.”
The truth was, it wasn’t under control, but he didn’t want his friend knowing that his life was truly a disaster.
“I meant what I said. If you’re in need of help, I would be more than happy to assist you,” Richmore said, setting the box down on the worktable. “The movement could not survive without your work. I know Wilberforce, Aberdeen, and Montgomery all feel the same. So please do not hesitate to ask your friends for anything. It would not be a gift, but an investment to a noble cause.”
Mac swallowed a press-sized lump in his throat. He couldn’t dare ask for help, he was raised to be his own man, and asking for help would be a sign of weakness. His father always said that weakness was not tolerated in a Meriweather.
The front door to the shop opened again, and suddenly Mac thought he was dreaming. There in his small print shop was Letty. Somehow, she managed to look even more beautiful than she had the previous evening.
A red pelisse hugged her slight frame, her womanly curves teasing all who dared look at her. A matching bonnet barely contained her wild mane of curls as surprised brown eyes gazed from him to Richmore.
“Oh! I do hope I am not interrupting,” she said, her voice a breathy whisper.
Mac shook his head, hoping that he would have more time before he had to face her and admit his weakness.
“Lady Leticia, what a pleasant surprise. Are you unchaperoned?” Richmore asked, looking from Letty to Mac.
“No, my maid is just outside waiting for me in the carriage.” Letty waved toward the now closed door, her head held high as she stood in front of the formidable duke.
“Surely, Pinerose wouldn’t want you to be in Holywell without any protection but a maid.”
Letty waved a glove hand at Richmore. “Papa trusts me, and Holywell is not that terrible if a duke visits, is that not so?” She challenged him, a slight smirk on those plump, kissable lips of hers. “Besides, my driver is quite capable of defending me.”
Picking up the box of pamphlets, Richmore let out a heavy sigh that Mac knew had nothing to do with the weight of the box. “Meriweather, remember what we discussed. I will be expecting to hear from you soon.”
