“I will go with you if you wish. Now, tell me about your relationship with Dr. Hall.” Grace blanched and a chuckle escaped Aunt Belle’s mouth. “It’s quite all right, my dear. Remember, I was a king’s courtesan.”
This was true, but even so, Grace felt wildly out of her depths. Inhaling, she decided to be honest.
“I am fond of him. Very much so, and he wishes to marry me.” Aunt Belle’s eyes widened with glee. “But he believes that his mind may change over time, about what he wants in a wife and so he’s decided to respect my wishes to remain unattached while I finish my apprenticeship.”
Aunt Belle’s smile vanished.
“That’s three years from now.”
“Yes.”
“But after that, he will propose?”
Grace shrugged.
“If our feelings remain the same, I suppose he might.”
A strange “Boh!” sound escaped Aunt Belle’s lips as she slapped her hand against her desk. It was obvious that she was annoyed, angry even, but then she shook her head and seemed to calm herself down.
“Men,” she spat as she stood, causing Grace to step forward to help her. “They never do what they’re supposed to.” Grace tilted her head in question, but Belle waved her free hand as she allowed Grace to escort her. “Never mind, my dear. Never mind. Take me to my room. I’m in want of sleep. And I suggest you go to sleep as well. We’ve an appointment with the constable tomorrow.”
“Yes, Aunt Belle.”
“Oh yes, and dear? You’ve misplaced this.” Belle pulled from her robe pocket Grace’s silver chain.
Grace felt her cheeks warm as she stepped forward and took it from her.
“I had been looking for this. I must have forgotten it.”
Belle watched as she replaced it over her head with a knowing expression.
“I thought so. Come, walk me to my room.”
Grace helped her aunt out of the parlor and down the hall to her bedroom, followed by Penguin, who seemed to have taken to his new role as favorite with pleasure. After helping her into bed, she exited the room and climbed the stairs before reaching her own room. Once there, she leaned against the door and let out a sigh.
She was going to go to the constable’s office first thing in the morning and tell him everything she had learned. Surely James would be annoyed with her for going around him, but she felt it in her gut that this was the correct thing to do.
As she dropped onto her own bed several minutes later, staring up at the ceiling, she wondered if marrying James was a possibility after her apprenticeship. This could be a passing fancy, one that she might one day regret, but she couldn’t see doing so now.
At some point, Grace’s eyelids became heavy and she fell asleep where she had dropped, her mind awash with worry about tomorrow’s task and all that might result from it.
Chapter Nineteen
James was slowto rise the next morning, taking his breakfast nearly a half hour later than usual, to the great irritation of his housekeeper, Mrs. Cramer, who had sent his toast back three times to reheat before she finally just sat down at the dining room table and waited for him to appear. After which, she served his breakfast in silence, but James didn’t mind. In fact, he couldn’t think of anything that would ruin his mood this morning, after last night.
The image of Grace’s half-opened eyes and dark hair draped around her shoulders seemed to be permanently burnt into his memory, as if her very name was branded on his heart. She had been every bit as amazing as the last time and while it had felt fundamentally wrong to wake her from her slumber and take her from his bed, he instead focused on what the day might bring anew in her presence.
He had frightened her by admitting that he wanted to marry her, but he had approached the topic with a cool disposition, for which he was grateful. Because if she understood just how greatly he wanted to keep her in his bed and marry her as soon as possible, she might have gone running all the way back to Glencoe.
The truth was, he was desperate for her. Nothing before had possessed his mind so earnestly. He wanted to marry her, to love her openly and without worry, but he was also aware of what that might entail. He had been infatuated with Catriona, afterall, and while he was sure his feelings for Grace were something else entirely, he was cautious not to try and pressure her or force her into marriage. He wanted her to want it equally, if not more so, and she would only resist or push him away if he insisted upon it. He knew that about her and he had made the decision not to burden her with a proposal. He would wait, quietly and by her side for as long as it took for her to realize her dream, and he would help her along the way in any way that he could, solely because he loved her and wanted her to have everything she wished.
The housekeeper plopped the rewarmed teapot on the table in front of him, a droplet of light brown water dropping to the white tablecloth below. James glanced up.
“I am sorry for sleeping in late, Mrs. Cramer, but might you refrain from slamming things down?”
“I’m not mad about you sleeping in, Doctor. I’m upset to receive visitors in the middle of the night without warning.”
James stared at the old woman, partially surprised that she would be so daring as to bring up his private life, while also feeling a sudden need to lie, if only to protect Grace’s reputation.
