At this a thread of alarm tightened within her. Was he upset? Disappointed?
He cleared his throat. “I asked you to come here not only to inquire after the girls but to let you know that I had a visit from Clark earlier today.”
Heart thumping, she held his gaze, contemplating how best to respond.
Of course he knew about the visit. He’d given her permission to be absent from her duties. She wanted to be positive, but the visit with her half brother had been dismal and she prepared for the worst. “I see. What did he say?”
“He was livid.” Mr. Warrington stood from behind the desk and came around to the front of it. “I do hate to pry, Miss Hale, but you are employed by me and live in my home. Peter Clark is both my ally and my competition. Given my tenuous business relationship with the man, I cannot afford ill will. If this situation is to continue, we must come to an understanding.”
Cassandra’s heart sank, and panic rose to take its place. The last thing she needed was for Mr. Warrington to be drawn into this predicament even further. “Yes, sir.”
“Your personal life is your own, but I don’t like to be caught off guard where business is concerned. I was aware there was a will, buthe said that you are to inherit the land the mill is on. Is this indeed the case?”
She met his gaze as bravely as she could. “Yes. My understanding is that I am to inherit the land called Linderdale, I believe, and Peter has inherited the business.”
He studied her, as if judging her veracity. “And you just now learned of it?”
“I learned some of the details upon my first meeting with Mr. Longham, but more details were shared today.”
“Such as?”
“If I do not take ownership of the land within three years of my father’s death, the land will pass to the estate of a man named Stricklin. And then, after a period of an additional three years, if the Stricklin estate does not claim it, the land will default back to the Clark estate, which means Peter would inherit it. That is why my presence is such a problem to him.”
“I see. Clark also said he did not believe you were actually the Cassandra Hale referenced in the will.”
She tensed. Her neck grew hot. This ever-present need to prove her identity was wearing on her. “I may not know much about my family history, but I do know one thing with certainty. My name is Cassandra Hale. You saw the letter that I received. Mr. Longham says we will likely need to prove my identity to the court, and he has the power to issue an official statement and the paperwork to do that.”
They sat there in silence, awkward in the uncertainty.
“And where is Mr. Longham now?” Mr. Warrington inquired.
“He’s staying at the Green Ox Inn tonight and will depart for London in the morning.” Cassandra watched his face for any sign of a reaction. Annoyance. Displeasure. But Mr. Warrington’s countenance was calm, his expression relaxed. He leaned back against the desk.
“Peter Clark has always been an intense fellow,” he conceded atlength. “In my experience people become quite aggressive when their livelihood or reputation is threatened.”
“I suppose I threatened both.” She looked up at him, finding that she really did care about his opinion on the matter. “You do believe me, don’t you?”
He focused his full attention on her, as if he could see into the heart of who she was. “You assisted Rachel in the most selfless of manners, and people who are willing to take such risks to help another deserve respect. So yes, I do believe you, but you must understand that my children are now involved by default. I will be no stranger to this matter until it is resolved.”
“Yes, sir.” She nodded. “That’s fair.”
“Speaking of fairness, I think it only right to inform you what Clark accused me of, since it includes you.”
She lifted her gaze, confused. “Accusedyouof?”
Mr. Warrington left his position at the desk and crossed to the mantelpiece. He paused to adjust a book on the mantel, as if fumbling for time, then turned to face her once again. “Clark suggested that my reason for engaging you as governess was an attempt, somehow, to gain ownership of the land. It’s ridiculous, of course. I had no idea of your connection to the land until this very day. He suggested that I have you in my house to form an attachment to you, for if you owned the land, your, uh, husband would become the owner, and, well...” His voice faded away.
Cassandra winced. The heat of embarrassment rushed to her cheeks at the suggestion. It was one thing to speak of employment. It was another thing entirely to have someone suggest marriage, even in passing.
She looked down at her hands and muttered, “I—I never considered that.”
When she regained her courage to look at him once again, his expression perplexed her. When had someone beheld her with suchapproval in his eyes? As if he wholly listened to her and her thoughts mattered? Surely she was not imagining it.
“Are you all right, Miss Hale?”
The simple words threatened to undo her. How she had yearned for someone to come alongside her. Support her.Seeher.
She could not allow herself to notice how deeply his direct attention affected her, or allow her mind to wonder how safe it would feel to stand closer to him. She had to keep her wits about her. She could not—would not—romanticize this conversation. “My only intention was to find my family, Mr. Warrington. In spite of all this, I promise you, I will be a good governess for your children.”
