He silenced her with a finger to her lips. “Ye’ll nae leave here by hackney, Charlotte. From now on, we do things properly, which means ye’ll be visiting with the Windhams until ye and I are properly wed.”
“But they’ve no idea I’ll be coming, Blayne. We cannot impose on them like this. I’m really not comfortable with it.”
“Would ye rather stay here?”
“No. I would rather go back to The Black Swan with you.”
“And so ye shall. As Mrs. MacNeil. Not a moment sooner.” When she frowned, he told her, “Ye’ve nae need to worry. Regina’s a lovely lass.”
“I know. I’ve met her on a few occasions.”
“And Guthrie’s not so bad himself. The important thing is they’ll welcome ye with open arms. Of that I can assure ye.”
Blayne wasn’t wrong. When Charlotte arrived at Windham house later that day, Regina met her with a warm smile.
“Your Grace,” Charlotte said once she’d handed over her outerwear garments, and she had been shown into the parlor. “Thank you so much for allowing me to visit on such short notice. I’m terribly grateful.”
“I appreciate the company,” the duchess told her. She gestured for Charlotte to take a seat on a sofa in front of a low table where a tea service stood at the ready. “And really, you must call me Regina. You and I have known each other long enough to allow for such informality, especially if you and Blayne are to be married. He’s practically family, so it would be odd for me to be on familiar terms with him and not with you. As long as you do not mind, of course.”
“No,” Charlotte said with a laugh of relief, “I do not mind at all. I’d be happy for you to call me Charlotte.”
“Excellent.” Regina proceeded to pour two cups of steaming hot tea.
“From what I gather, I owe you a debt of gratitude for finding another suitable bride for Mr. Cooper.”
Regina handed Charlotte her cup. “Think nothing of it. Lady Fiona was getting desperate and as an earl’s daughter, she does make an agreeable option for an untitled foreigner.”
“I hope she and Mr. Cooper will be happy together.”
“I’m sure their expectations shall be met.” Regina smiled. “You’ve chosen well for yourself, you know. Of course there will be those who won’t understand what a gentlewoman can possibly see in a St. Giles ruffian, just like they still cannot fathom how an earl’s daughter could marry a crime lord, even though he may now be a duke. Such people are fools, of course. They only see what’s on the surface while subscribing to what the papers and gossips tell them. For as with my husband, a heart of gold beats beneath Blayne’s coarse exterior, and although he may have the sort of dark past the law would protest, he is honorable and noble in a way few people are.”
“I understand he helped save you from a terrible danger once?” Charlotte took a sip of her tea. “Forgive me if I’m being too forward by bringing it up, it is only that Blayne hasn’t told me much about the life he led before. When he and your husband worked together, that is.”
“It’s quite all right. You may ask me anything you like. If there is ever a question I do not wish to answer, I will let you know.” Regina leaned back in her chair. “Are you aware of how Carlton and I met?”
“I’ve heard you ran away from an unwanted marriage and ended up living with him at The Black Swan for a while.”
“Yes, that is true. My behavior was rather scandalous, I’m afraid. Some ladies still cross the street when they see me coming in order to avoid having to greet me.”
“How dreadful.”
“Is it really?” Regina chuckled. “Such women are poor company to begin with, and I am better off without having to waste precious minutes conversing with them about the weather. Instead, I consider myself immensely fortunate to be the wife of a man who is principled, though I must confess I would like to see him wear a superfine coat for a change instead of the velvet he always favors. But that is an inconsequential detail and I am getting away from your question. You see, there are some terrible people in the world, and I was unfortunate enough to meet some of them during my time in St. Giles. I was kidnapped together with several other women, girls even, as young as eight.”
“Dear God, that’s awful.” A chill raked Charlotte’s spine. “What did you do?”
“I was trapped. Restrained. There wasn’t much I could do, besides pray for Carlton to find me before it was too late.”
“Too late?”
“We were to be auctioned off to men so awful not even your worst kind of nightmare would manage to conjure such evil creatures.” Regina’s eyes dimmed, losing some of their brightness as she related the horrid ordeal. “Luckily Carlton and Blayne came to find us with the rest of the crew. They rescued us. I’ve no regret about the men they killed in the process.”
“No,” Charlotte murmured. “Of course not. I’m glad those men weren’t just arrested and forced to face trial.”
“Actually, several of them did, including the man who kidnapped me since I prevented Carlton from killing him.” When Charlotte frowned, Regina explained. “Things had calmed down. The fighting had ceased and those involved had been apprehended, so that man’s death would have been outright murder at that point. I just couldn’t allow Carlton to risk his soul like that.”
“I understand.”
“My husband still doesn’t,” Regina said. “He maintains that I should have let him mete out his own kind of justice. I disagree. So the subject remains one of contention between us.”
