"She implied he might be interested in more than debt negotiation."
There was a momentary alteration in his features, yet it vanished before its nature could be discerned. "Your mother is a perceptive woman."
"Is she right? Is Lord Davies likely to... to make advances?"
"I don't know what Lord Davies is likely to do. I only know that his reputation suggests he is not a man who does things without expecting something in return." Sebastian's jaw tightened. "I'll be there. If he tries anything improper, then I shall take it upon myself to see the business concluded.”
"That's very gallant of you."
"It's not gallantry. It's…" He stopped, shaking his head. "Never mind. We should focus on the task at hand."
"Which is?"
"Convincing Lord Davies to accept whatever terms you're prepared to offer." Sebastian turned back to the carriage. "The question is: what termsareyou prepared to offer?"
It was a good question. Harriet had been so focused on getting the meeting that she hadn't fully considered what she would say when she got there. Lord Davies was owed nearly eight thousand pounds, a sum she couldn't possibly pay. What could she offer instead?
"I'll think of something," she said. "I always do."
"That's what worries me."
***
They departed at dawn.
The journey to Davies Hall would take most of the day, requiring an overnight stay at an inn along the way. Harriet settled into the carriage with Mary, the maid, while Sebastian rode alongside on horseback for the first several miles.
"He's very handsome, isn't he?" Mary whispered, peering out the window at Sebastian's retreating figure. "Lord Vane, I mean. All the servants have noticed."
"Have they indeed?"
"Oh yes, my lady. There's been quite a bit of speculation about why he's stayed so long. Some think he's here about the debts, but others think…" Mary stopped abruptly, her cheeks flushing.
"Others think what?"
"Nothing, my lady. Just... talk. You know how servants are."
Harriet did know. Servants talked about everything, noticed everything, and speculated about everything. If the household staff had observed something between her and Sebastian, it meant there was something to observe.
The thought was simultaneously thrilling and terrifying.
"Lord Vane is an old friend of my brother's," Harriet said firmly. "He's helping our family in a difficult time. That's all."
"Of course, my lady." Mary's voice was perfectly innocent, but her eyes told a different story.
They stopped to change horses at midday, and Sebastian joined them in the carriage for the second half of the journey. The space suddenly felt much smaller with him in it, his long legs taking up more than their fair share of room, his presence commanding attention even when he sat in silence.
Mary had positioned herself in the corner, ostensibly to sleep, leaving Harriet and Sebastian facing each other across thenarrow space. The carriage swayed and jolted along the rutted road, occasionally throwing them close enough that their knees brushed.
"We should discuss strategy," Sebastian said, breaking the silence. "For the meeting with Davies."
"What's to discuss? I'll present our situation, appeal to his better nature, and hope he's willing to negotiate."
"And if he's not willing? If he demands full payment or nothing?"
"Then we find another way." Harriet shrugged with a confidence she didn't feel. "We always find another way."
"That's not a strategy. That's blind optimism."
