“Perhaps not, but your reaction was certainly amusing,” he said, still being mischievous.
“You should be careful, I have a weapon in my hands remember,” she teased him, holding up the sword between the two of them.
“Consider me warned,” he said, backing off away from her. “Now, to serious matters for a minute.”
“Serious matters? I don’t remember agreeing to that,” Phoebe said as she moved to the side of the room and placed her foil back in the rack, before lifting her glass of water to her lips to quench her thirst.
“You want to suspend reality for a little longer?”
“Yes please,” she pleaded, watching as he smiled again and poured himself another glass of water from a jug that had been provided. “I like ignoring reality for a while.” She had to admit it was nice to forget the real world when she was here alone with Hayward.
Here with him, she didn’t have to think of the husband that was searching for her, neither did she have to think of Mr Preston who was sending his first letters to the Viscount today to request the separation. She rather feared how Graham would react when he read the letter.He’ll probably throw something. Perhaps one of my mother’s old vases and smash it to smithereens.
“One you have your separation –” Hayward began, but Phoebe cut him off.
“IfI have my separation.”
“Let’s take a glass half full attitude,” he said, gesturing down to his glass of water. “Onceyou have your separation, what will you do?”
Phoebe paused and looked away from Hayward, around the room, thinking on his words.
“I could do anything I wanted I suppose,” she said quietly, thinking of all the options that were laid out before her.
“Anything. What would you do first?”
“I…” she paused as an image popped into her head. It was of Louisa spinning round in the garden with her arms out wide, talking of freedom. “I want to take Louisa far away from here, to start life anew.”
“What?” Hayward looked full of surprise. “Why?”
Phoebe crossed the room slowly toward him and placed her empty glass back down on the table as she stood beside him.
“I am not the only one who has suffered at a cruel man’s hands,” she whispered the words, watching as Hayward’s lips parted in surprise. “I was able to help her once to get away from a man that haunted her, and I cannot bear the idea of it happening to her again. I want to take her away, to a life that need not have any fear in it.”
“That I was not expecting you to say,” Hayward said and turned a little, so that he was perching on the edge of the table beside them. With them closer to head height, Phoebe could look up and see he was staring at her intently. “You are about to be free of a man who has hurt you, and your first thought is for another. That has to be…one of the most selfless things I have ever heard.”
He was staring at her with an expression she could not understand.
“That is a rather intent stare, Your Grace,” she said softly.
“I am finding it harder and harder these days not to keep staring at you,” he whispered.
The meaning hit home, yet Phoebe didn’t step away from Hayward. She stayed exactly where she was, aware of his words and the way he was looking at her.
He is looking at me with longing.
“Your Grace, Your Grace!” a voice called at the side of the room. Phoebe stepped away and turned, putting distance between her and Hayward as Mrs Goodman appeared in the doorway, flustered with a hand on her chest.
“What is it?” Hayward asked.
“It is the Marquess of Dodge again. He says it is urgent.”
Chapter 15
Francis hurried through the drawing room door, still feeling flustered. He wasn’t sure if it was Mrs Goodman’s words or the moment he had just shared with Lady Ridlington, but the world felt a little less solid beneath his feet. He hurried into the room, aware that Lady Ridlington followed behind him, as he sought out where Josiah was.
“Josiah?” he said, turning to see his friend hovering by the window. “What has happened?”
“Two things,” Josiah said carefully before bowing his head to Lady Ridlington. “This may be unpleasant to hear, my Lady.”
