She drew in a deep breath, trying to still her racing heart. She didn’t want to end up like her mother. She would find a way to save herself. Choosing the wrong man, the wrong life, and having it end all too soon. She wouldn’t let that happen.
“Miss Meredith?” A soft voice disrupted Meredith’s thoughts. She turned away from the bedroom and found Mrs. Todd, the housekeeper, standing beside her. She hadn’t even heard her approach.
“Good evening, Mrs. Todd,” she greeted wearily, and hoped she wouldn’t burst into tears again. The poor woman had been Meredith’s only shoulder to cry on since Uncle Ben’s health had taken such a steep turn for the worse.
Mrs. Todd sent a worried glance toward Uncle Ben’s closed door. “Is he…gone?”
“No, he is sleeping. I am to retrieve a letter from his study. Will you watch him for me?”
“Of course, dear.” Mrs. Todd entered the bedchamber and sat in the chair that Meredith had just vacated.
With the assurance that her uncle was not alone, Meredith went downstairs to her uncle’s study. The room smelled of tobacco and old books, two scents she’d come to cherish for the warm memories they created. Shelves full of so many wonderful stories made the room cozy despite its enormous size.
The desk was covered with a mess of papers, but Meredith ignored it and opened the drawers. After a bit of searching, she found what she was looking for. A letter bearing the Duke of Tiverton’s name and address in London. She tucked the letter into the pockets of her skirts before she exited the study. As she moved to close the door behind her, she bumped into someone.
“Oh! I’m terribly sorry I—” She gasped as a large hand closed around her waist as she turned around.
“What were you doing in my father’s study, Merry?” The nickname grated on her ears.
Harry St. John stood in front of her. He was dressed fashionably in striped trousers and an overflowing style of cravat that matched his carefully coiffed hairstyle. If she were honest, Meredith thought it all made him look very silly. He was a decently handsome man with dark hair and eyes, but it was those same eyes which reminded her to never trust him. They were locked on her with an upsetting intensity.
With a careful slide of her hips, she dislodged his hand from her body. “I was just seeing to something for Uncle Ben.” She didn’t mention the letter. She didn’t trust Harry.
“Oh? May I help?” He sounded sincere, but Meredith didn’t trust the sharp look in his dark eyes.
“No, no thank you, Harry. I’ve seen to it already. When did you arrive?”
“Just now. I received a letter from the butler a week ago saying my father was unwell.” Harry gave her a pointed look. She hadn’t written him with the news, but the butler had. Clearly, that fact displeased him. But Uncle Ben had not wished for Harry to be here and had told her not to write to him. Meredith wasn’t about to cower before Harry for doing what Uncle Ben had asked, no matter how much she bristled at his unspoken accusation.
“Have you seen him yet?” Meredith asked, knowing he had not, but she tried to distract Harry, who was moving his hand toward her hip again.
“I will, when I am ready,” Harry replied. “First, I believe we have things to discuss.”
“We do?” she asked, clueless as to what he thought they would need to talk about.
“Yes.” Harry opened his father’s study door and ushered her back into the room. He closed the door behind him and remained in front of it, blocking her way out.
“My father has paid for your upkeep since you were a child. First with your mother at that little cottage, and now here.”
Meredith didn’t argue, but wondered where this was going.
“Once my father is gone, you will become my responsibility.” Harry leaned back against the closed door. “I will be quite content to allow you to continue living here, of course. But I require something in return to justify the expense of your lodgings and meals.”
“Oh Harry, I couldn’t stay. I?—”
He cut her off. “I understand that you were a pleasant companion for my father. You could be a companion to me as well. Of course, I would require things from you that my father did not.” He caught her wrist, jerking her toward him. “I am so very lonely, you see.”
To her surprise and utter horror, Harry tried to kiss her. She only just managed to pull back enough to avoid his lunge. “Harry!” She almost shouted his name as she shoved against him with her free hand. “Let me go once. Please!”
Harry’s eyes darkened and his grip on her wrist tightened.
“Meredith, be reasonable. You are a very pretty girl with no name and no money. How else do you expect to survive? You will only be used by men, it is your fate. At least I am honest about my intentions. I am offering you a way to stay in your home, to keep your belongings and your life here. All you must do is welcome me into your bed.”
Meredith jerked her arm free. “I will not be used by you or anyone,” she warned. “Now get out of my way or I shall scream.” The footmen of the house would come to her defense, even if they might suffer consequences for it. Harry was not exactly a favorite among them.
Harry seemed to weigh his choices before he stepped away from the door. But as Meredith rushed past, he snatched her arm again, even harder than before.
“When he dies, you will be mine,” he hissed in her ear. “No other man will take you in without a payment of some kind. Think on that.” And with that, he released her.
