Clara blushed again, wishing that were the case. “He isn’t infatuated with me. From what I understand he may have a new friend.”
Addie snorted. “The scandal sheet stories only ever have a sliver of truth; the rest is speculation. Trust me, he is infatuated with you.”
Clara shook her head, and Addie laughed again. Perhaps her laugh wasn’t so bad. Still, Clara didn’t understand why she was being kind to her.
“Why are you spending time with me?” Clara asked quietly.
Addie’s normal mischievous smile disappeared. “I know what it is like to be gossiped about, to have lords and ladies judge you. It happens so much now that I rarely think about it.”
Her face twisted with distaste and sadness. “Still, in the early days of my marriage before I was used to the relationship my husband and I have, I remember distinctly how lonely it was. I always wished I had a friend to help me.”
Clara was struck by how truly kind such a thought was. She also felt immense shame at how much she had mocked this woman. She blushed and said, “I have never shown you such kindness.”
Addie winked and smiled at her. “No, you have not. Mocking my laugh.”
Clara turned the shade of a tomato. “I am so sorry—”
Addie let out a bellowing laugh. “I just had to say it. I am poking fun at you.”
Clara frowned and could tell everyone in their vicinity was watching them. Suddenly she herself had the urge to laugh, and a giggle escaped her. Addie's eyes widened in surprise, and she let out another laugh as well. They both dissolved into a fit of laughter. Clara was unsure about what, only that it felt nice to have someone to laugh with, regardless of how many people were watching them.
After they recovered from their fit of laughter, Addie said excitedly, “So, Sam has given you freedom to do as you please. What shall we do?”
~
Sam sat at his office at the docks going through the books for Kincaide Travel. Their newest ship had just left for New York, fully booked. He looked around his worn office. The place was a mess, littered with papers and dust. He would have Abigail clean it up as one of her tasks. When he left for Liverpool, he brought her along to get her far away from Dolan and London. He and Lila had asked her if she wanted them to convince a constable to question Dolan, but she had been horrified at the thought, insisting that she wanted to put her time with the gentleman behind her.
She pleaded with Sam and Lila that a new life in Liverpool was all she wanted. It enraged Sam that Dolan would not be held accountable for his actions. Still, he wanted Abigail to have her fresh start. He glanced around again looking at the layers of dust and thought he may have to give her a raise before she even started.
For the time being, Abigail was staying at the family townhouse. Eventually she would have to find another place to stay but first he needed to make sure it was safe. Dolan seemed to have moved on, but initially he had been searching for her. A quiet knock took him away from his thoughts.
“Come in.”
Abigail entered. Sam smiled at her reassuringly. She was still understandably skittish around men, but all of her physical wounds seemed to have healed. The only thing left was a scar located along one eye, but it was only visible if you were looking for it.
“Hello, Mr. Kincaide,” Abigail said, holding a newspaper under her arm.
“Hello, Abigail. You have your work cut out for you. I didn’t realize how messy this place was. I can get you help if you’d like.”
Abigail frowned at him and sat in a chair across from his desk, placing the paper on the surface between them.
“Is something wrong?” Sam asked.
She flushed and tears welled up into her eyes. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kincaide. I can’t be your mistress. I won’t ever go back to that.”
Sam’s mouth fell open in shock before he snapped it shut. “What are you talking about?”
She opened the paper on his desk, pointing at an article. Sam spun it around and read.
A rogue will always be a rogue. It seems even the most charming common scoundrel cannot thaw the heart of the Ice Princess. Rumor has it he has found a much more fiery lady to spend his time with in Liverpool. I dare say many bets were placed on how soon the Ice Princess would be abandoned for someone much warmer.
He scowled at the words. The writer took an ounce of truth and distorted it into something else entirely. He wanted to tear up the paper but knew it would only make Abigail more nervous around him.
He took a deep breath, to calm himself. “Abigail, I didn’t bring you here to become my mistress.”
Relief washed over her face. Then she burst into tears. “I am sorry to make such an assumption. I saw the paper and assumed that they were speaking of me.”
Rage boiled within Sam that someone like Dolan had so broken this young woman. She stared at the floor, unwilling to look at him.
