“Does she know about you?” he asked.
My stomach tightened at the veiled threat, but I was not to be deterred. I’d come to say goodbye, and it was time I finished my mission. “Save your empty threats. Lest you forget, you signed a gentleman’s agreement. If you disclose what you know about me, you will give yourself away. I’ll not be blackmailed, Gavin.”
A loud rap sounded at his door, and a muffled shout announced ten minutes until dress rehearsal.
I turned on my heel to escape, eager to leave his toxic company.
“Kendrick, wait,” he called after me, a touch of panic in his voice.
The doorknob gave under my palm, and I opened the portal. Nothing he could say or do would change my mind. Our time together had been exhilarating, but it was history. I no longer had a burning desire to be with him. Indeed, I couldn’t wait to leave his company.
He settled his hand on my wrist before I could exit. “Kendrick, please. Meet me after the show, and we can talk.”
“I think we are past the talking phase.” While I wanted to storm out, I hesitated. He was undeserving of my forgiveness. If I wished to prove myself the bigger man, I needed to show compassion to someone I once cared for deeply. I reached into my jacket and retrieved my purse. As an actor, he was always struggling with money. I emptied the contents and pressed the coins into his palm. “Here, accept this as a token of my esteem.”
“It will take much more than this to pay me off.” He fisted the coins, despite his protest, and lifted his chin, belligerence hardening his face. “You owe me.”
Harsh words settled on the tip of my tongue. I bit them back. Arguing with him would resolve nothing, nor was I willing to give in to his threat. “Goodbye.”
And good riddance. I shrugged off his grip and strode out of the door. Noise erupted around me, and people dressed in period costumes scurried about preparing for the performance.
I headed to the side of the theater where I had entered. The last time I had exited from this door was the night I found Lillian in the lobby. Colt had planted the seed of marriage in my mind,and that conversation with her cemented my decision to marry Lillian.
My affair with Gavin was over, but my destiny with Lillian had just begun.
Chapter Nineteen
Lady Lillian Tapper
I stared at the door to Mr. Moran’s publishing house and clutched the briefcase under my arm. He had sent a note around this morning, asking for an audience. Luckily, my mother was still abed when the message was delivered.
The encounter with Gavin had rattled me, and I hadn’t been able to sleep. It was a good thing this time. My mother was opposed to me being published because she didn’t consider working genteel. To me, writing was a labor of love, not a means to a fortune.
With my shoulders back, I entered the cramped office. Behind the reception desk was a curvaceous woman in a high-necked gown. The secretary Moran had mistaken me for. She was rather unassuming in appearance, but looks were often misleading. If I hadn’t been born into privilege, I would’ve been forced to find employment.
Until I met Lord Kendrick, my marriage prospects were nil. Society frowned on a woman of my station finding work outside the home. A familiar resentment washed over me. I was more than my birthright. However, I was in the minority in my thinking.
She glanced up at my entrance and offered a polite smile. “May I help you?”
“I have an appointment with Mr. Moran. I am Mr, um, Mrs. Lillian. Yes, I am Mrs. Lillian.” In my world, reputation was everything. Best to pretend to be married, lest she think the worst of me. Of course, she might know nothing about me or the subject matter of my story. Because of the nature of Moran’s secret works, he had to be discreet.
“Yes, I see here that you do. You are early.” A soft flush touched her cheeks as she pulled on the servant’s bell behind her. “May I offer you some tea while you wait?”
The blush gave her away. My stomach was in a knot. I shook my head and forced a smile. Even if I wished to leave, the cat was out of the proverbial bag. “No, thank you.”
