She was at his office, unprompted, early in the morning. Her lips were chapped, like she’d been chewing on them, and the tips of the fingers of her gloves stretched out. Her mouth worked as though she couldn’t even get words out.
Marigold was overwhelmed,petrified.
Something moved in Archie’s chest, bellowingfix it fix it fix it,and he rushed forward, pulling Florence out of a curtsey so exaggerated her knees were nearly on the floor. “Lady Croydon, this is my eldest—”
“And wisest!” she cut in.
“—sister,” Archie finished through clenched teeth, “Mrs. Florence McAuley. Florence, Lady Marigold Torcross, Marchioness of Croydon.”
“Marchioness?Gracious, Archie,” Florence whispered, but since she was a Grant, she lacked the capacity to be quiet in awkward situations, and Marigold sucked in a breath.
“My apologies, my lady,” Archie said, his cheeks burning. “My sister was leaving.”
“Lady Croydon, I do hope you’ll enjoy a piece of the strawberry tart I brought Archie.”
Jasper’sbrows shot up, and Archie swore he heard the man make a territorial growl.
Florence never took her attention from Marigold. “I’m sure you’d love it, even though we’ve just met. It’s delightful. My mum and I made it from ingredients from our farm. Did you know Archie has a farm?”
Mari swallowed. “I d-d-did.”
Oh Christ,end this now!“Thank you, Florence, but you really should go.”
Florence gasped, pressed her hand to her chest. “I’ve just had the most marvelous idea. Lady Croydon,youshould visit the farm!”
“Florence,” Archie spat as he took her by the shoulders and walked her around Marigold, towards the exit. “Thank you for a delightful visit. It was over far too quickly, as usual.”
“You’d better be at the farm on Saturday,” she hissed under her breath as they reached the threshold. “Toodle-oo, Lady Croydon!” she called. “I look forward to meeting you again. Perhaps for tea?”
“A p-p-pleasure, Mrs. McAuley,” Mari said weakly from behind his back.
Archie gave her a strained smile, then glared at his sister. “Goodbye, dear sister. It’s been a delight, as always.”
He snapped the front door shut, trapping Florence on the street, then leaned against the surface to breathe. Marigold watched him, wide-eyed.
Then Jasper stabbed a fork into a slice of tart and ate.
Archie carded his fingers through his hair and exhaled in a rush. “Lady Croydon, may I speak with you in my office?”
She noddedand followed as he opened the door and gestured her through. By the time he was at his desk, he felt as though he’d run all the way to Rotherham and back.
“I’m so sorry for my sister,” he said, his words tumbling over each other. “She can be overwhelming—well, so can I, so I suppose it’s a family trait, but she only wants the best for me. She brought me pie, mostly to make me feel guilty, but also because I forget to eat.”Good lord, Archie, stop!“I’m so sorry. What’s happened? Is something amiss?”
She nodded as she clutched her hands, and tears formed along her lower lids.
Archie was by her side in a second, kneeling at her feet. The position felt oddly right, as though he were meant to worship her. But now he only wanted her comfort, to battle whatever had caused this strain.
And he had a feeling he knew exactly what it was. “Was it the marquess? Did he do something to you?”
She nodded again, the tip of her nose red, and he nearly burst through the wall to go wring the arse’s neck. “What did he do?” he growled.
“I went to Harrow Hall t-to see the b-b-bees,” she stammered, and he took her hand in his, squeezed it, even though he knew he had no right to do so. She pulled in a shuddering breath and released it. “The marquess was there. We argued and… I may have made a t-t-terrible mistake.”
His brows knit together. “What mistake?”
“He said I refused him from my b-b-bed after Matthew. That I encouraged him t-to t-t-take a mistress. The letters are meaningless now. You’ll lose the case.”
“Mari, it’sourcase, not mine or yours.” He took her other hand now. “And he said that?” When she nodded, he ground his back teeth until his jaw ached. “He’s lying. I’ll wager you weren’t well after Matthew was born.”
