“Very well?”
“I will try to think of the best way in which to accommodate the desire you have to make something useful of this broken-down building. In the meantime, we need to leave. I am supposed to be back at Dorset House in twenty minutes and I think it might be best if we get you home first.”
Agreeing, Amelia followed him outside where she locked the door before accompanying him to where his carriage waited on a side street. Helping her in, he claimed the opposite seat and proceeded to look anywhere but at her, feeding her guilt until she felt so rotten about her handling of the situation that sitting still became difficult. She clutched at her seat cushion in order to keep her hands from fidgeting.
“I want you to come to me from now on,” he said, his voice landing on the windowpane as he stared out at the rain-streaked buildings they were passing.
“But I—”
His head swung around so his eyes could drill into her. “No buts.” His lips pressed tightly together to form a severe line across his otherwise handsome face. “You betrayed my trust today, and that is something I will not allow you to do again. Is that understood?”
Amelia knew she’d placed herself at his mercy. He had the power to crush her dreams now that Raphe wasn’t here to step in. So she nodded and said, “Of course,” adding the formal, “Your Grace,” to underscore his authority.
He held her gaze for a while, the rich brown irises darkening to near black. “When are you supposed to pay Mr. Gorrell the money you owe him?”
“One week from today.”
“Good. I will escort you. And when I do, I trust you will be dressed in a more appropriate manner, becausethat, what you are wearing...” He shook his head. “What if someone had recognized you?”
“That was why I wore it. To avoid recognition.” When he frowned, she explained, “No aristocrat is going to look too closely at a woman who’s dressed like this. They’ll cross to the other side of the street first.”
“And yet I spotted you because you were the only visible anomaly.” Crossing his arms, he leaned back and closed his eyes, blocking her from his view. “Why do young women always have to seek out adventure? It leads to nothing but trouble and...” His features hardened on the unspoken words. The low gravelly tenor of his voice vibrated through her, stealing into her chest and squeezing her heart with such fierceness she gasped.
It was then that she realized his anger had to be based on more than her actions alone. There was something more complicated than that at play—a manifestation of more than one singular emotion. She felt it so profoundly that whatever the cause, it ran deeper than anything she could have said or done on her own.
Unsure of how to soothe him, she reached out her hand and paused. She wasn’t supposed to touch him. It wasn’t considered appropriate behavior even though her instinct might be to offer comfort. She’d always done so for her siblings, but this was different. Coventry wasn’t a relation. He was a man for whom she’d felt nothing but love and adoration until he’d shown her his wrath. Now she didn’t know what she felt besides frustration and heartache. What should have been an enjoyable project was turning into a nightmare. The excitement she’d felt for it had vanished during the course of the last hour, leaving her with an emptiness inside that she did not care for.
So she withdrew her hand and leaned back against her side of the carriage while wondering if she would ever understand his reaction today. Because although she knew she’d disappointed him, she did not think she warranted some of the harsh words he’d spoken or the menacing way in which he’d delivered them. Which made her wonder if she’d really known him at all, or if the smitten state she’d been in had made her ignore his true character.
Chapter 6
Sipping her tea, Amelia tried to focus on what the dowager duchess was saying. The lady had arrived half an hour earlier and was now seated on the opposite sofa next to Lady Everly while Juliette occupied an adjacent armchair. The subject of discussion was a bit of gossip that had been picked up during yesterday’s tea party, but Amelia was having some trouble following the line of conversation. Her thoughts kept drifting to other issues.
For one thing, it had now been twenty-four hours since she’d seen Coventry last. She’d spent most of that time going over their conversation while simultaneously trying to figure out how to acquire the money she now owed Mr. Gorrell. Both contemplations had kept her awake for most of the night until she’d had to acknowledge that Coventry had been right. She had behaved recklessly and with no consideration for anyone else but herself. Achieving her goal had been so important to her she’d failed to consider the ramifications of her actions.
There was no doubt in her mind that Coventry was an honorable man. If he’d promised Raphe he would look out for her during his absence, then Coventry would take his duty to do so seriously. She also had to remember that he’d been raised with Society rules dictating his every move while circumstance had not required her to have an escort whenever she went out alone. Raphe had worked and boxed most days, so she’d had to see to the errands outside of the house as well, like shopping for food, buying wood for the fireplace and selling their old clothes to rag-collectors. She’d had to deal with some questionable individuals over the years, but Mr. Gorrell was the first to get the better of her. Perhaps because his station had made her less suspicious—a mistake that would not be repeated.
Once her annoyance with herself and Coventry had abated a little, she’d had to acknowledge he’d made some valid arguments. What if someonehadrecognized her? The possibility had existed the moment she’d stepped out into the street. Would she be able to forgive herself for the negative effect such an incident might have on Juliette? And what about Raphe? He’d agreed to give her the funds she’d asked for, but he’d also trusted her to use them wisely.
With a sigh, she watched Lady Everly speak to the dowager duchess about a Mr. Somethingorother. Not caring, she chose to continue her pondering. She would have to come up with an additional twenty-five hundred pounds now. It seemed like an impossible task. Especially when her time was being monopolized by dress fittings, dance lessons, social calls, balls and whatever else Lady Everly and the dowager duchess had in mind.
“So what do you think?” Lady Everly asked.
Amelia blinked at the realization that the question was being directed at her. “About what?”
“About our thoughts on your potential suitors,” the dowager duchess clarified. She pointed toward the paper that lay on the table. It was the same one Lady Everly had produced two days earlier but with a few additional names penned across the bottom.
Picking it up, Amelia glanced at the long list of names. “I don’t believe I’m acquainted with most of these gentlemen,” she said. Noting a number next to each one, she asked, “What is this?”
“Their annual income,” Lady Everly said with a smile. “We do not know what all of them are yet, but we will figure it out soon enough.”
Amelia nodded while she glanced at the single digits. “So... Lord Yates makes... threethousandpounds?”
Lady Everly chuckled. “Might I suggest you add a zero to that number?”
“A title and a fortune? What a fine catch,” Juliette muttered.
Her dry tone made Amelia laugh, which in turn made Lady Everly roll her eyes while the dowager duchess watched with a sympathetic smile.
