But Grace had her own life now, outside of tending to Charlotte. She had Swinton, who no doubt expected Grace to join him in their room.
Charlotte climbed beneath the covers and the lady’s maid snuffed the lamp, leaving Charlotte truly alone.
She lay in bed for the better part of an hour, resisting the temptation to go to the window. Eventually, it was too much. She kicked off the bedclothes and padded her way to the window, only opening the curtains a crack—just enough to see if John was there.
He was leaning against the glass door, his head resting against his arm, his arm resting against the window. From this distance, she couldn’t see the nuances of his expression, but she could see his hand clenched by his side.
He was in an impossible situation—trapped through no fault of his own. Faced with a choice between seeing his people suffer and shackling himself to Luella.
He was a good man. He would choose the happiness of his tenants over his own feelings, which meant that unless Charlotte could find another way out, he would marry Luella, and Charlotte’s archnemesis would have the one thing Charlotte had ever coveted.
Chapter 9
Charlotte’s heartbeat thrummed as the carriage drove the whole two minutes around the block from Wildeforde House to John’s residence. After his comments the night before, who knew what her reception would be? Did not wanting to marry her also mean not wanting to remain friends? Charlotte was friends with many people she didn’t want to marry.
Would he turn down her help in fear of her throwing herself at him matrimonially? She’d lain awake the night before, carefully putting aside her hurt and humiliation and bricking it in, like a dead body she didn’t want found.
The reality was, John needed her help; she cared about him, and whowasshe if she wasn’t helping those she cared about?
Luella’s comments two days ago still burned in her memory.That’s the only way you can get anyone to like you.
Itwasn’t. Plenty of people liked her, and not because she was always giving of herself. People liked her because she was nice. Maybe too nice sometimes, but it was better to be too nice than not nice enough. The reason she was helping John was definitelynotin a desperate attempt to win his approval. She was helping John because it was the right thing to do and a Wildeforde always did the right thing.
Besides, there were no circumstances in which she’d concede a battle with Luella so easily.
When the carriage pulled to a stop and the footman opened the door and flipped down the step, she peeked her head out to see who might be around. Yes, it was ridiculous to take a carriage around the block, but given she’d chosen not to have Grace accompany her, it was best to go unseen.
Satisfied that there was no one around to start gossip, she alighted, burdened with a large ceramic dish, and marched up to John’s front door.
Much to her chagrin, John’s butler did not have the door open by the time she hit the top steps. She rested the dish on one hip and rapped the brass knocker. While she waited for the door to open, she kept an eye out on the street, hoping that no one would see the Duke of Wildeforde’s sister entering Viscount Harrow’s residence sans chaperone again.
Finally, the door opened. “I’m here to see Lord Harrow,” she said, giving Mosely her most winsome smile.
“He’s not receiving visitors, my lady.”
Drat.“Well, let me in and we can discuss it inside.” Every second she spent on the doorstep was an added risk to her reputation.
Frustratingly, the butler remained firmly planted. In fact, he put a hand on the door as if he was about to shut it in her face.
“I brought leftovers,” she blurted out. “Far more than the viscount can eat before it goes sour. I’m not sure what he’ll do with it all.”
Mosely pursed his lips before stepping aside.
She quickly crossed the threshold and ventured inside far enough that she was out of view of the street. She handed the butler the ceramic dish. Mrs. Price had made double portions of last night’s dinner at Charlotte’s request, specifically so that John and his household would be subsisting on more than bread and cheese.
Thankfully, the cook hadn’t batted an eye at the petition. Charlotte had made many similar ones over the years.
“His lordship can’t still be asleep, honestly?” It was near to four in the afternoon. There was sleeping in, and then there wassleeping in.
“I’m uncertain that his lordship ever went to bed, my lady.” There was a hint of disapproval in Mosely’s tone.
Charlotte brushed a curl from her face. “Is he in his study?”
“Yes, my lady. But again, he isn’t receiving visitors.”
“I’m not a visitor. I’m practically family.” At least, John and Edward were practically family, and she was Edward’s sister, so by extension…
She strode through the corridors, her nerves racing ahead of her. A sane woman would hide from the man who so thoroughly rejected her. She would cross to the other side of the street whenever they came into close proximity, so they would never need to deal with the awkwardness.
