“I didn’t make you do anything,” he pointed out, irritated at this intrusion. Hadn’t she learned anything from their near miss the last time? “It’s too dangerous for you to be here.”
Luckily for her, Clarkson was discreet enough not to come out to inspect the voices in the hall, but there was nothing to stop Wood from returning to find them at any moment.
“Please, Ashton.” Della rested a gloved hand upon his forearm. “I won’t stay long. Only I can’t bear the idea that I’ll never see you again, and the last time we spoke ended in a quarrel. I hate making people angry with me.”
There was genuine remorse in her voice. Her wide brown eyes were liquid in the darkening room. It was well past sundown already.
Lyman felt his resolve waver. He hadn’t felt easy with the way they’d parted either, though he wouldn’t apologize for trying to spare Peter the same fate he’d endured. But being right wasn’t as much comfort as he’d hoped.
“Very well,” he relented. “But only a minute. I don’t know when Mr. Wood might return. He’s probably only stopped for supper somewhere.”
“Thank you,” Della said softly. She slipped inside and shut the door, bringing a faint hint of her lemon-tart scent with her. She didn’t remove her cloak or gloves, but drew a long breath and looked around the entryway, as if unsure how to begin. Lyman didn’t invite her to come to his rooms. Better to avoid the temptation.
“I do feel badly about Peter,” she began, her eyes downcast. “Maybe you’re right about him, and we shouldn’t have meddled. But I promise you, we were only trying to find a solution to a larger problem.”
Lyman must have looked skeptical, for she flushed pink as she added, “Wewere.”
“I don’t see what problem could be worth trading your brother’s future.”
Della sighed. “Can you promise never to breathe a word of this to a soul?”
“Very well,” Lyman replied, a little uneasily. He would have preferred it if the explanation didn’t involve dire secrets.
“I can’t go into all the details without betraying a confidence, but Miss Greenwoodneedsto marry.”
There were only a few reasons that could provoke that particular sense of urgency, and he didn’t think poverty was the cause, given how finely dressed the woman had been the other night.
“So she’s in a family way,” he guessed. Thatdidchange things. If Peter had been careless enough to ruin the girl, he owed it to her to provide for their child.
“No, no, no!” Della clapped a hand over her mouth, as if she wished she could seal the words back inside. “That’s not what I meant to say at all. Oh dear, this is so difficult. Let’s just say that her father believes Peter compromised her, even though the truth is a bit more complicated than that. Regardless, you see why he can’t just walk away from the engagement now, don’t you?” Her warm brown eyes pleaded with him for understanding, but Lyman couldn’t grant it.
“What do you mean, ‘hebelievesPeter compromised her’? Did he, or didn’t he?”
Della looked as if this were the last question she wanted to answer. “He didn’t, but he’s already confessed to the deed, so it’s as good as if he had.”
“Why would he confess to something he didn’t do?”
“Please, let’s not go into all that. I’ve already told you more than I should have.”
Very well. Maybe he didn’t need to know all of the details. Peter Danby’s engagement would have been of no concern to him if the young man hadn’t pulled him into his confidence. He rather wished he could turn back time and never have been drawn into a conflict that would sour his last days with Della.
“I’ll take you at your word that the situation is quite desperate for Miss Greenwood,” he conceded. “But I still don’t see why your brother should have to sacrifice himself over it. If he isn’t responsible for her current situation, then it isn’t for him to set things right.”
“I wish it were so simple.” Della bit her lower lip. “We thought he would come out well by it. He could have used the dowry money to settle up some debts, and she’d be a perfectly good match for any man.”
“It takes more than that to ensure a happy union.” Ellen had been a “perfectly good match” by any objective standard. They should have been happy together. But even knowing what she did about his experience, Della didn’t see the danger that awaited her brother. How could she be so naive as to think that she could simply push two near-strangers together and expect the rest to work itself out?
Lyman’s thoughts must have shown plainly on his face, for Della spoke in a careful tone. “I know that your marriage caused you a great deal of suffering, but surely you can’t think that it will end that way for everyone?” Her voice rose with doubt on the last words.
Lyman held his tongue, unable to find an answer that would satisfy Della. He suspected she wasn’t only asking for her brother’s sake.
“The first time we met, you joked that no sane person should ever seek to marry,” Della continued. “At least, I’d assumed that it was a joke. But now I wonder, did you really mean it?” She seemed suddenly vulnerable as she looked up at him, and Lyman suffered that familiar, maddening fear that he might hurt her with his answer.Surely she couldn’t hold out any hope for him in that respect. Why couldn’t she have a care to guard her own heart?
Lyman’s throat was dry. He couldn’t find the right words to walk the line between honesty and kindness.
“I wouldn’t presume to judge that for anyone else,” he finally said. “But it seemed to me that in your brother’s case, the match would be a mistake.”
Della winced. “There’s no chance of persuading you to talk to him then. Even if it were the only way to help Miss Greenwood.”
