“I suppose I can’t keep Charlotte from your room any longer.” He sighed heavily. “That woman is relentless.”
Cosette’s smile grew, but it was tight, as if it had been years since she’d used those muscles. “She’s only concerned.”
He snorted. “She’s a shrew, but she has nearly nursed Quinn back to full health, so I am indebted to her for that.” He shook his head. “This morning she made him take her down to the stables. The funny thing is that he didn’t seem to mind it that she was ordering him around.”
“She has a way about her, that’s for sure.”
He leaned forward and gave her a brief kiss on the lips. “I’ll send her in.”
Davien departed, only to have a fiery red head sail through the door moments later. “Well, it’s aboot time that man allowed me in t’ see my friend. He’s like a dog with a bone where yer concerned.”
“He’s just protective.”
Charlotte sat down beside her and took her hands in her own. Her green eyes were compassionate and filled with sympathy as they looked at her. “I shouldna never allowed ye t’ take my place. Just look what they did t’ ye.”
Cosette squeezed her hands. “They were . . . provoked.”
She couldn’t very well tell Charlotte that she’d murdered a man in cold blood without having to explain the sordid reasons why. It was a hard enough accounting for Cosette to swallow. She could just imagine Charlotte’s reaction if she knew the woman she’d known for years, the one she’d toiled next to at the workhouse, was controlled by something otherworldly, something beyond human understanding.
“At least yer here now, an’ that’s what matters.” She tilted her head to the side. “How did th’ duke manage t’ rescue ye?”
Again, Cosette had to tread lightly. She hated to lie to Charlotte, but she had no choice. “I was able to escape,” she hedged. “When one of the Brothers brought me my evening meal, I distracted him and got away.”
“Ye were more successful than I was,” Charlotte replied sourly. “They didn’t hang around long enough for me t’ even throw my shoe a’ their blasted head.”
“I’m sure, that given the right opportunity, you would have succeeded. Your determination is what has always inspired me.”
Instantly, those green eyes filled with moisture. “That’ll be enough o’ that,” Charlotte chided with a sniff. “I dinna need t’ be cryin’ an’ bleatin’ like a goat.” She wiped her eyes impatiently, once more composed. “What are ye plannin’ t’ do now?” She gestured to the elegant room they were in. “I dinna see ye returnin’ t’ the workhouse after livin’ in such fine conditions.”
Cosette had posed that question to herself more than once. “I honestly don’t know.” She paused. “I’ve actually thought about leaving England.”
“Goin’ back t’ France?”
Cosette nearly cringed, thinking of the last time she’d been there. She shook her head and removed her hands from Charlotte’s grasp. “I’ve seen all I want of that place. I thought perhaps Ireland? Or Scotland? Or maybe somewhere else on the continent? I’ve heard Italy is nice.”
Charlotte was silent for a moment, before she asked, “Are ye sure that’s what ye want t’ do? What if th’ duke don’t like th’ idea of ye leavin’ Shadowlawn?”
“I’m free to come and go as I please. He doesn’t have any hold over me.”
“Is that so?” Charlotte eyed her skeptically. “Because it seems t’ me that he’s rather fond o’ ye, so I guess th’ question is, how do ye feel aboot him?”
Cosette picked at a stray strand on the counterpane with a slight frown, because the truth was, she didn’t have an answer to that.
