“On what grounds?” Amelia stared across at her sister.
She shrugged, then took a sip of her tea. “It’s just a feeling I have.”
A feeling.What good did that do when Amelia had a long list of facts stacked against the possibility of Coventry ever making her that sort of offer? First, her background made her completely unsuitable. Second, she was too independent for his liking. Third, he found her aggravating, as evidenced by the fact that she’d been subjected to his temper three times already in little over a week. Fourth, he had no desire to marry anyone—he’d told her as much. And fifth, he was a duke for heaven’s sake! She might as well set her sights on the Pope for all the difference it made to her chances of success.
“Amelia?”
Blinking, Amelia realized Lady Everly was talking to her. She must have entered without her noticing. “Yes?”
“You need to hear what Coventry has to say. As long as you leave the parlor door open, I have no issue with the two of you being alone for a moment.”
Unsure about Lady Everly’s somber tone, Amelia hesitated. She glanced at Juliette, who shook her head as if to say that she no longer had any idea of what to expect.
“Very well.” Amelia got to her feet and made her way toward the door. For reasons she couldn’t explain, it felt as though she was heading for the gallows. Which made her wonder if she might have done something else that he did not approve of—something of which she was not yet aware.
By the time she arrived in the parlor, she almost expected him to look tense and irritable. “Coventry?”
He was standing by one of the windows, looking out onto the street. At the sound of her voice, he turned around and faced her, revealing a face that bore no resemblance to the one she’d seen when last they’d met.
“Bloody ’ell!” The words were out before she could stop them, the shock of seeing his eyes outlined in shades of blue and purple so shocking, she forgot herself completely. Another bruise colored the left side of his jaw while a vertical line of dark red upon his lip suggested he’d been bleeding. “What ’appened?”
“Whathappened?”
Befuddled, she shook her head. Was he seriously correcting her English right now? Slowly, she moved toward him. “Were you attacked?” It seemed like a logical question, given his appearance.
To her surprise he grinned, though only for a second. “No. I engaged in a boxing match at the Black Swan last night.”
She could only stare at him before calmly asking, “Are you mad? You’re an aristocrat, Coventry. You don’t belong in that place.”
“Perhaps not, but I needed the sport.” Before she could ask him why, he quickly changed the subject. “But I am not here for you to study my rare coloring. Rather, there is a matter of great importance I must discuss with you.” When she waited for him to continue, he gestured toward a nearby armchair. “Perhaps you will be more comfortable sitting down?”
Her heart lurched as a rush of foreboding swept through her body. “What is this about?”
“I will tell you in a moment.” Again, he swept his hand toward the chair. “Please.”
Unsure of where this was going, Amelia moved across the floor on leaden feet and took her seat. He, on the other hand, remained standing. Something intense brewed in his eyes. She saw he was clenching and unclenching his jaw, and the action only put her all the more on edge.
“What is it,” she finally asked, unable to stand the anticipation of what he would say for one more second.
He drew a deep breath before he spoke. “There has been an incident.”
His solemn tone made her insides wither. “What are you saying?”
“The house you bought caught fire last night.”
Every hope she’d had of him not conveying some terrible news was gone in a heartbeat. She shook her head. “No. That cannot be.”
“I saw it with my own eyes. When I arrived at the scene, the fire brigade was already doing their best to put it out, so I stopped to help pump water.”
“But...” Breathing was suddenly difficult. “Is it...” Oh God, she could barely bring herself to ask the necessary questions.
“It was not burned to the ground, if that is what you wish to know. In fact, the entire structure is still standing due to how quickly the flames were brought under control. But there is some considerable damage.” Moving toward her while she processed that bit of information, he paused by her side. And then, quite unexpectedly, she felt his hand settle upon her shoulder.
It was both comforting and disconcerting, the inappropriateness of the gesture quite forgotten by her as it shoved her misgivings aside, replacing them with a keen sense of solidarity—an unspoken promise that they would get through this together. It was so touching she feared she might weep. So she bowed her head, hoping to hide the emotion that no doubt showed in her eyes.
“I thought you might like to go to see it for yourself. If anything, doing so may help put your mind at ease since I do believe the house can be saved.”
Gulping a breath of air, she clutched the armrest and gave a curt nod. “Yes. I believe you’re quite right.” Disregarding how weak she felt—as though it was she who had taken a beating instead of him—she rose to her feet on legs that did not feel capable of carrying her weight. Still, she forced her spine into a rigid line and pushed up her chin. “Allow me to ready myself and to inform Lady Everly of our outing. I’ll only be a moment.”
