He paused for a fraction. “But in truth, it’s notmymotivesthat we ought to be looking at, Mrs. Sloane, it’s yours. They’re damnably selfish.”
A ripple of shock stirred in her eyes.
Before she could respond, he continued, “Pride is all very well on a certain level, but when taken to extremes, it’s a sin.”
“I don’t believe my ears,” said Charlotte softly. “Are you, of all people, really quoting the Scriptures at me?”
“Perhaps not a sin in your case,” he conceded. “But a stubbornly misguided sentiment. Friendship isn’t something that ought to be measured in pounds and pence.”
She blinked.
“But never mind the fact that it’s an insult to my intentions. Refusing my offer is unfair to the lads and robs them of a chance to better their lot in life.”
Her flush had now faded to an unnatural white.
“Don’t be an arse,” he pressed. “Why are you so bloody afraid of letting your friends help you?”
“I . . . I . . .” Charlotte wrapped her hands around her teacup, as if its warmth might bring back some color to her face. “I’m not quite so high in the instep as you think, sir. Idoaccept help.”
She gave a brusque wave at the stacked boxes of her possessions. “I could never have managed the ordeal of finding a new residence in a strange neighborhood without the aid of a friend. It was he and his man of affairs who located the house and negotiated the terms of the lease for me.”
The announcement took Wrexford completely by surprise. Without thinking, he demanded, “Who?”
“Someone I’ve known since my childhood.” Charlotte turned to stare into the shadows. In the flickering lamplight her profile looked as if it had been sculpted out of alabaster, the hard-edged planes standing out in stark relief against the ink-dark murk.
“His circumstances have changed,” she continued. “Backthen, he was merely the son of an impoverished gentry family. But by a quirk of fate—and fortune—he inherited a barony from a second cousin.”
A friend—agentlemanfriend.Wrexford knew he had no reason to feel piqued by the unexpected revelation. And yet, he did.
Very much so, in fact.
“You didn’t see fit to ever mention this to me?” he said slowly.
Charlotte brushed an errant lock of hair from her cheek, the movement obscuring her expression. “For what reason would I have done so?”
For what reason, indeed?
His innards gave a sudden clench. He realized he didn’t wish to give the why of it a name.
“You’re quite right. Of course it’s no concern of mine.” Even to his own ears, his reply sounded pompous. Wrexford forced a smile that was likely equally stilted. “My apologies. It is I, not you, who am an arse.”
“No, you were right to rail at me about pride,” she responded. Darkness seemed to spread over her face, deepening the hollows beneath her cheekbones. “There were times in the past when it felt like it was the only weapon I had against life’s vicissitudes. I suppose it’s become a habit to keep up my guard.”
Wrexford suddenly felt like a toad, not an arse. An uncharacteristic awkwardness seemed to have come over him of late. He had stumbled through the day, making a hash of the interview with Miss Merton, and now was upsetting and embarrassing a woman who had time and again proved her grit and courage in the face of adversity.
“Mrs. Sloane, it was wrong of me—”
“You made a very generous offer, sir,” interrupted Charlotte. “It was churlish of me to refuse. If it still stands . . .”
“Of course it does,” he muttered.
“Thank you.” A conciliatory smile curled at the corners of her mouth. “Once I’ve settled in the new house, perhaps I might arrange with you to meet the young man.”
“I’ll see to it.” Wrexford rose abruptly, slopping a bit of the tepid tea on the table. He knew it was wrong to leave on such an unsettled note. But she was all too aware of his mercurial moods, his bloody awful temper. “I had best return home in order to be ready for my rendezvous with Sheffield.”
Charlotte slanted a glance at the clock and raised a brow. “The midnight hour won’t be chiming anytime soon.”
“Yes, but I wish to make sure I have ample time in which to clean and prime my pistols,” he replied. “With any luck, I’ll get a chance to shoot the miscreant.”
