“Mother says they’re disconcerting.” Josie crossed to Melanie’s bed and sat down, making herself comfortable.
“Perhaps…”
“But not to you?”
“No, not to me.” Melanie’s fingers fidgeted beneath the table. Earlier that day, she’d told Reed she loved Malum because he was kind, and that he was a true gentleman. Even now, she was amazed that he’d accepted her explanation so easily.
Perhaps it was what he wanted to hear.
“What else, Mel?”
What else?
Melanie pictured Malum in the nursery. “Thetonthinks they know him, Josie, but they don’t know anything…”They don’t know how he takes responsibility for burdens that aren’t even his, how he handles them quietly, as if he’s resigned to bearing what no one else will. And yes, he owns a brothel, but he protects the people who work there…
“I never mix business with pleasure,”he’d said.
Her throat tightened.
Malum was far more complex than anyone would guess, and even as she spoke, her heart skipped a beat.
“But how did you know that youlovehim?” Josie leaned forward, her hands clasped in her lap, and there was aneagerness in the way she asked that struck Melanie as more than simple curiosity.
“Why this sudden interest, Josie?” she asked.
A faint blush crept over Josie’s cheeks and she averted her gaze, fiddling with the edge of her sleeve. “The Earl of Northwoods called this morning.” She peeked up to see Melanie’s expression. “He brought me flowers—two dozen colorful carnations.”
“But…” For an earl to pursue Josie while their family was steeped in scandal seemed impossible.
“I was as surprised as you are,” Josie admitted, her voice small. “He mentioned wanting to call again soon. He… said he’d like to court me.”
All Melanie knew about Northwoods came from her mother’s enthusiastic praise—hardly the most reliable source. He wasn’tthatold, though considerably older than Josie, but as a frequent guest attonevents, he must be at least somewhat respectable. Beyond that, she knew little else.
Still, rather than feel any excitement for her sister, Melanie found herself at a loss for words. Josie was seven and ten, true, but she was extraordinarily naïve.
“I didn’t think you liked him,” she said carefully.
Before Josie could reply, the door opened again, without so much as a knock to warn them.
“Melanie, darling, the duke has arrived to collect you.” Her mother’s voice dripped with satisfaction, as if this unlikely turn of events was something to be proud of.
Of course she’d be pleased.
Melanie exchanged a glance with Josie, any questions about this Earl of Northwoods fellow pushed aside for now. They would have to wait.
“I offered him tea,” their mother added as she flitted about the room, fussing with the knob on Melanie’s wardrobe andthen moving to pluck at the lace curtain. “But he declined. Quite insistent on punctuality, that one.”
Eloisa finally finished and Melanie stood, smoothing the fabric of her skirts, and took a steadying breath. Thetonwas waiting, eager for new gossip to keep them entertained.
It was time for her and the duke to put on a show.
“Thank you, Mother,” she said, managing a smile. “I shouldn’t keep him waiting.”
TO THE PARK
Malum tugged at his sleeve and glanced up the staircase. Rutherford Place, although smaller, had a similar layout as Preston Hall.
The foyer in this townhouse, however, had a softness to it, with floral wallpaper faded from years of sunlight and delicate vases filled with flowers. Fringed cushions adorned the single bench, and a faint scent of lavender lingered in the air. Though a touch too busy, the house exuded a feminine charm that was entirely absent from his own.
