The Vaughns may prize worldly success and believe his retiring to the country a waste, but regardless, if Arthur were to reach out to them for assistance, his family would arrive on his doorstep in a trice, willing to aid and assist in any way necessary. Having family meant one needn’t face the troubles of theworld alone, yet who propped up Miss Templeton in her hour of need?
Stepping through the door, Arthur led her to the chair tucked behind the desk and sat her down as she struggled to get her breathing under control. Though he doubted anyone else was around to witness the scene, he moved to the shutters she’d overlooked and closed them. Grabbing the stool from beside the fire, he dragged it to her side, and his knees bumped hers as he sat, though Miss Templeton seemed not to notice as she fought to fill her lungs.
“Breathe, Miss Templeton.”
Arthur leaned forward, taking her hands in his. Holding her gaze, he drew a lungful in through his nose and let it out in one fluid movement. He murmured other calming words, his thumbs rubbing against her skin, and she tried to follow his prompts, though the lady struggled against each hitch in her lungs. As Miss Templeton’s ragged breaths slowed, her muscles slackened and her gaze fell to the ground, her brows knitting together.
The tremble in her chin hadn’t left her, but she managed to ask, “Why are you so kind to me? After everything I’ve done, I do not deserve it.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Arthur tried to explain the feelings he didn’t understand himself. “I will admit I am angry and very hurt, and I will not excuse what you did, but I understand your reasoning. You’ve worked hard to make up for your brother’s deficiencies, oversee the health of your village, and provide for your family. Whether or not your brother is undeserving of your efforts, three ladies in this household will be made to suffer if his income dwindles. Your future has been in jeopardy from the moment I stepped foot in Oakham—”
“No,” she said, shaking her head as her gaze snapped to him, her eyes pleading as that panicked emotion settled into her voice again. “I didn’t do this for myself. Please do not think that. For years, I’ve known I would need to make my way in the world one day. I even began searching for a position as a governessbefore Papa passed away, and then I knew I couldn’t leave because they needed me. If Isaac loses all, I will simply move ahead with that plan. But Mama and Lilibet are not so fortunate, and my salary wouldn’t provide for them.”
Arthur’s ribs tightened, squeezing his heart at the dismissive manner in which Miss Templeton discussed the prospect. Life was not easy for a governess. With a good family, she would be treated fairly enough, but never well, and far too many were trapped in situations where they had no protection or security. It was a precarious position, and the thought of Miss Templeton blithely stepping into it did unpleasant things to his equilibrium.
Clarity surged forward, striking Arthur as he considered all that he knew of the lady, and he found it more and more difficult to hold onto his resentment.
“So, am I to despise you forever because you wished to protect your mother and sister-in-law?” he asked.
“I hate myself,” she murmured as the bleakness returned to her gaze.
“And that makes it even more difficult for me to do the same,” he murmured. “For all that you behaved poorly, you are an honest person. To a fault, one might argue.”
Miss Templeton straightened, though she didn’t pull her hands from his. Her brows arched up, asking far better than words for him to explain.
“Your warning me about the medicines could be dismissed as simple human decency. You know full well that he might’ve caused great harm, and you are not selfish or stupid enough to attempt it—”
“I considered it,” Miss Templeton whispered, as though the admission might very well destroy the last of his goodwill, but Arthur couldn’t help but smile at yet another example of her honesty.
“Many people consider terrible ideas when afraid and desperate, but there is a vast difference between considering athing and acting upon it. And I would hazard to say that you dismissed the idea almost as soon as you thought it.”
The lady didn’t respond, but her hands tightened around his, and Arthur’s heart warmed at the confirmation.
“But you will not convince me that your soul is black, Miss Templeton, for you didn’t need to confess to more than your brother’s misdeeds,” he said with a slight smile. “Had you remained silent, I likely would never have discovered your part in my predicament, even when I was drawn and quartered by the ladies of Oakham.”
Miss Templeton’s gaze lifted from her lap, her eyes pleading anew as though hardly daring to believe his words whilst also begging for them to be true.
“And when I consider it, Miss Templeton,” he said with a considering frown, “I cannot say that you did any great harm. Most of your efforts to undermine me were halfhearted at best. I can think of several physicians in London who did far worse to steal patients from me, and had you even an ounce of their ambition, you could’ve easily eviscerated my reputation.”
“You made it impossible to demonize you,” she murmured with the barest hint of humor. “It was hard to do anything without feeling wretched. You are such a good man and didn’t deserve to be tormented.”
Arthur drew in a deep breath as he considered her tone. It held a depth of emotion, but it sounded eerily similar to when Miss Templeton had called him her “friend.” And it hurt just as deeply.
“In truth, Miss Templeton, what pained me the most was the pretense. That you claimed my friendship and still set about to ruin my reputation.”
The calm she’d gathered fled at that, and Miss Templeton’s eyes grew misty once more. “I do not know what I might say or do to right that wrong, Dr. Vaughn. I do not think I have the right to ask your forgiveness, nor do I expect even your good heart to extend that far, but I am sorry. I…”
Miss Templeton shook her head, lowering her gaze once more as the strength seeped from her. Their hands remained clasped, and she clung to them as though afraid to let go.
“You may not ask for it, but I do forgive you,” he whispered, and her eyes darted to his as they widened, the disbelief stamped on every inch of her expression and bated breath.
“You do?”
The question was so soft that Arthur wasn’t certain she’d spoken, but she stared at him with such anticipation that he couldn’t help but nod his head. Miss Templeton let out a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a cough, and her chin trembled anew. With a heaving breath, she threw her arms around him as she spouted more incoherent words that rang with gratitude (though Arthur couldn’t say for certain what they were).
Granted, Arthur couldn’t focus on much more than the feel of Miss Templeton in his arms. The sentiments he’d buried beneath layers of betrayal and frustration surged to life with renewed vigor, testifying with absolute certainty that his heart was not done with the lady. Not yet.
“I have missed you,” she whispered, and Arthur couldn’t reply; his throat was conspicuously tight as her scent filled his nose and his hands rubbed along her back of their own volition. He was well and truly caught in her spell.
