“I’ll be outside the door if you need anything.” He knelt in front of her. “Having an escort isn’t showing you’re weak. It shows that you’re smart.”
Grace entered the room. Ed nodded. “Take good care of her.”
“I will. Promise.”
And Grace did. The young girl saw to Cora’s every need, from bath to bed to food brought to her room.
The warmth did calm her, and the memories of her past and of Mr. Grous’s touch faded.
“I don’t want to stay in this room. I’m fine. I’ll dine downstairs with Ed and Ghost.”
“Ghost doesn’t live here. He won’t be at dinner.” Grace set a tray on her lap before Cora could rise.
“No, I won’t stay in this bed,” Cora protested.
“You will. I won’t have you catching a fever while in my care.” Ed’s stern voice startled her. He waltzed into the room. “Grace, tell the cook I’ll take my food up here too. I won’t cause Miss McKinnie any more discomfort by leaving her alone,” he said with no hint of an Irish accent now.
“This is ridiculous. I’m fine,” Cora said, but when Ed pulled a chair to her bedside, she slid the covers higher up and shot him a sideways glance. “I thought I was to be dressed properly when around you.”
“I’ll make an exception.” He ran a hand through his dark hair and hunched at the shoulders. “This is my fault.”
Cora saw a glimpse into the man beyond the business persona and barking orders. There was a softness to him, a protective nature. “How is this your fault?” Cora inhaled the rich flavors in her lap and longed to eat but kept her attention on Ed.
“I’ve insulted you, belittled you, chastised you, and didn’t show you any kindness since you’ve arrived.” His voice wavered.
She wanted to reach for him to soften whatever memories haunted him, but she didn’t, knowing he’d only reject such affection.
He scrubbed his face and dropped his hands to his knees, looking at nothing in front of him. “You’ve offered your help, and I’ve offered nothing but suspicions. I knew from the moment Mr. Grous saw you that there would be an issue. He’s not a man who accepts no, especially from a woman.” He clasped his hands together as if to keep from hitting something.
“He’ll have to learn to accept it, because I will never marry that man,” Cora said with such defiance. She’d thought she’d convinced herself that Mr. Grous wouldn’t be a threat. But she’d known men like him, and he wouldn’t relent.
“No, and once you’re married, he won’t touch you for fear of scandal. Until then, stay inside this house or with a chaperone at all times.”
Grace entered with another tray of food and handed it to Ed, curtsied, and then left with a knowing smile.
Ed stole Cora’s hand, but not in the aggressive way Mr. Grous had. His fingers wrapped around her hand like a warm, protective cocoon. “Promise me, Cora.”
Something told her this man would kill Mr. Grous if the man were to ever touch her. She didn’t want Ed hanged because she’d forced him into such a position. “I promise.”
He turned her hand over and traced the calluses. “You’ve had a rough life, haven’t you?”
Her mother would chastise her for taking such awful care of her skin, and she was sure Ed would take issue with her condition. “No more than many.”
“I didn’t mean offense. I respect that.” Ed lifted his spoon and dipped it into his soup. “I’m afraid I possess many skills, but communication with the fairer sex is not one of them. I’ve been a man around men most of my life.”
Cora couldn’t wait another minute and savored her first bite of peppery, rich soup. “Maybe I can teach you. For when you do decide to marry and have children. A daughter needs a father with a softness about him.”
Ed dropped his spoon with a clang. “I won’t marry, and I’ll never have children.”
“But you sent for Mary. You would’ve had children with her.”
He looked to the ceiling, took in a chest-expanding breath, shook his head, and then lifted his spoon once more. “Eat before it gets cold.”
They ate in silence, and Cora couldn’t help but wonder what had made this man so against marriage and family. She knew he’d never tell her, so later she’d get it out of Grace. Because the man who sat at her bedside, who tended to her so graciously, wasn’t a man who should spend the rest of his life alone. If she were completely honest with herself, he was a man she could learn to admire, if not care for someday.
ChapterSix
Ed didn’t wantto take his eyes off Cora and found himself checking on her throughout the night when he would break from working on a budget for the party they’d be hosting in a week and two days. Grace caught him in the hallway leaving Cora’s bedroom. He worried that she’d think something unseemly had happened. “I only wanted to check to see if she needed anything.”
