“I have no wish to marry you…I give you leave to return to your ducal life knowing that you have done that which is honorable by me. But please… Please, I beg of you to keep this to yourself.”
She had adamantly insisted she knew what was best.
He and Chaswick arrived at a crossroads and the baron turned to walk in the opposite direction of Bedwell Place. “I apologize for exhorting you with my troubles.” He shrugged. “Every last male of my acquaintance, it seems, has retired to the country for the winter, and I am desperate for masculine company. Care to practice foils some afternoon? Billiards? Or, by god, even a good game of cards.”
Miss Jones,Collette, is here in London.
“Indeed,” Addison answered. “It’s been too long since I’ve sparred.”
“Say, what are you doing this evening? Unless you’ve other plans, my wife is hosting a dinner party. You’re more than welcome to join us. And later this week we’ll meet up at White’s.”
The dinner party wasn’t the visit Addison had in mind. But Rowan had been right in that it wouldn’t be fair of him to force her hand. He would speak with her tonight. Likely she’d all but beg him to renew his offer.
After that, he’d meet with Chaswick officially, tomorrow morning.
Collette.
“What time shall I come?”
“Eight o’clock.”
As her brother disappeared down the walk, Addison again wondered at the coincidence of running into him. And for the split second before he could dismiss such ridiculousness, entertained the notion that it could be fate.
“Woof!” Zeus checked Addison’s train of thought with a well-timed admonishment.
“Don’t look at me that way.” He scowled at his dog. “I was only joking.”
* * *
“If Chase doesn’t hear backfrom any of the schools he’s contacted by the end of the week, I believe I will join Sarah at Easter Park,” Collette admitted quietly. She knew it was not what Bethany wanted to hear but she’d been contemplating her future ever since her last meeting with Miss Primm.
“My preference, Miss Jones, would be to keep you on.” The headmistress removed her spectacles and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “And I’ll admit I wish I could say ‘good riddance’ to the Metcalfs and everyone else raising such a stink. But I must consider all of my students, and my other teachers. It would be irresponsible of me to put the entire school at risk.”
“You’re letting me go?” Collette’s heart fell to her shoes. She could hardly believe it. This was her dream. Her students were just now beginning to engage with some enthusiasm.
“I’m sorry. I’ve arranged for your wages to go to you for the entire term, because none of this is fair… And I’ll have to speak with Chaswick, of course.” The woman donned her spectacles and stared at her with sympathetic eyes. “You have the makings of an excellent teacher. I do hope you won’t let this derail your aspirations.”
And later, when Miss Shipley had walked her out the front door. “This isn’t the end for you, Miss Jones. Would you believe me if I admitted to being jealous of you? You have a loyal family, and they esteem you greatly. Someday you’ll look back on this nasty business with your reputation and realize it only made you stronger.”
“Collette? Her sister-in-law’s voice jerked her out of the unpleasant memory—one she’d replayed in her mind several times since.
“Just… wool gathering.” Collette blinked away the stinging in her eyes. Because,of course, it had derailed her aspirations. How could it not have? And as of yet, she did not feel any stronger than she had before.
Quite the opposite, rather.
“You must know that we love having you here!” Bethany set her embroidery aside and frowned. After Diana’s excellent match last spring, Collette had labored under no misconception that her sister-in-law still held out hope for her. In fact, Collette was certain that’s what all of this new clothing and the visit from a stylist had been about.
Bethany smiled conspiratorially. “And… I wasn’t going to mention anything yet, since it’s still early, but…” She settled her hand over her abdomen in an unmistakably protective manner.
“A baby?” Collette raised her brows. “You’re expecting a baby?”
Bethany nodded. “Yes!”
“But that’s wonderful!” Collette jumped out of her chair and all but leapt across the room so she was sitting beside the woman who’d embraced Chase’s second family so completely. “When? Does Chase know?”
Bethany shook her head and laughed. “My courses are only two weeks late, and I wanted to be sure. But I’ve felt queasy in the mornings and I just… I just know that I am. I was going to tell him this evening, but we have guests coming for dinner. I was thinking of going away for a few days, to Brighton, just the two of us, and I’d hoped you’d keep her ladyship occupied.”
Although not mad, exactly, Chase’s mother occasionally suffered states of mental confusion. And although she could recall memories from decades before, sometimes didn’t remember that her own husband had been dead for over six years now.
