“How are you, Flora?” he asked, perturbed by the telltale glaze in her eyes and the smell of whisky on her breath.
“All the better for seeing you, my sweet.” Rising up on tiptoes, she grabbed the collar of his coat, and pressed a kiss to his mouth, full lips moving eagerly over his, obviously seeking a reaction that never came. Frowning, she drew back. “What’s wrong? Och, now, dinnae look at me like that, Max. I’ve only had a couple of wee drams, I swear. Helps me sleep better, y’ken?” She wormed a hand beneath his coat and gave his cock a gentle squeeze. “Not that I’ll be doing much sleeping tonight.”
Maxwell stepped back, removed his hat and gloves and placed them on the hallstand. “Wouldn’t mind a wee dram myself,” he said, shrugging off his coat and hanging it on the peg. “It’s chilly out there.”
“Right.” Flora assumed a wary expression. “You are staying the night, aye?”
At that moment, given a choice, Maxwell would rather have been facing a factory full of hostile workers than this woman who’d been his mistress for the past five years. He drew a deep, quiet breath as he followed her into the cozy, lantern-lit parlor, where a coal fire flickered in the hearth. “No, Flora,” he replied gently. “I’m afraid I can’t.”
She studied him for a moment as if trying to see inside his head, then went to the sideboard and filled a couple of glasses from a decanter. “Not the answer I hoped for,” she said, her hand shaking a little as she handed a glass to Maxwell. She sat on the settee and patted the seat next to her. “But maybe I canchange your mind afore you decide to put your coat back on. I can be very persuasive, as you well know.”
Maxwell didn’t give her the answer he knew she sought, nor did he sit beside her. Instead, he settled into the armchair by the fire and took a mouthful of whisky. There was no point delaying this. No point stalling. He’d come here for one reason, and there really wasn’t any way to soften the impact of it. Nor would he tell her the whole story, for it served no purpose and didn’t change the end result. She needed to know only one thing.
He leaned forward. “I’m getting married, Flora.”
A look of surprise flitted across her face, and her eyes flicked to the fire for a moment. “Married,” she repeated, regarding him once more.
“Aye.”
She grimaced as if she’d just tasted something bitter. “I dinnae believe it, Max. Who’d be daft enough to marry you?”
He gave a soft laugh. “That’s a fair question, I suppose.”
Flora raised the glass to her mouth and proceeded to drain the contents in two gulps. “Then answer it,” she said, licking her lips. “Who is she?”
“An English girl,” Maxwell replied, frowning at what he’d just witnessed. “A captain’s daughter.”
“What’s her name?”
“Her name shouldn’t matter to you.”
“It doesn’t.” She shrugged. “I’m just curious, that’s all.”
“Louisa.” He took another sip of whisky. “Her name is Louisa.”
“Is she bonny?”
“That’s enough, Flora.”
“Not as bonny as me, then.” Flora toyed with one of her earrings. “Do you love her?”
He responded after a moment’s hesitation. “No.”
She frowned. “Then why are you marrying her? Is she carrying your bairn?”
“No, she is not. We’re marrying because it suits us both to do so.”
“Ah.” Flora’s brow relaxed. “I should have realized. A marriage of convenience. So, you’ll still be visiting me.”
“No, Flora, I won’t.”
She stiffened, visibly. “Why not? If you dinnae care for the lass, what difference will it make?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t care for her.” Maxwell searched for the answer. “I just want… I want the marriage to work, and part of that means being faithful to her.”
Flora’s subsequent laugh held no mirth. Empty glass in hand, and with a little less grace than might be deemed normal, she got to her feet. “So, that’s why you came here tonight, aye?” She wandered back to the sideboard and pulled the crystal stopper from the decanter. “To tell me I’m being cast aside in favor of some stuck-up English lass. Am I right?”
Maxwell heaved a sigh, set his glass on the hearth, and went to her. “No more,” he said, his hand atop hers on the decanter. “You’ve had enough.”
