*
A few dayslater, another visitor cut up Lucy’s peace.
“In the drawing room?” Lucy stared at Cilla, who stood at the door to her office. “He’s never to—”
“Oh, but Miss Whitaker, he’s dressed ever so fine, and he said it were a social call. Spoke like a gentleman.” Cilla, the feather brain, obviously allowed Spangler to bamboozle her with his superficial charm.
Lucy bit her lip. Emma had gone home for lunch. “Where is Agnes?”
“She’s off carrying soup to Gert Pomfret what is ailing.” Cilla wrung her hands. “You want me to tell him you aren’t in?”
“No. No, I can handle him.” Lucy stopped a few steps into the hall and glanced back at Cilla. “Do you know if Lieutenant Robbins or Corporal Goodfellow are stationed by the lane today?”
“Not Corporal Goody.” Cilla blushed beet red, confirming Lucy’s suspicion the girl had gone sweet on the young soldier. “Dunno about the Lootenint.”
“Would you check for me, please?”
Spangler stood at the mantle in Willowbrook’s formal drawing room, picking up vases and figurines one by and turning them over in his hands as if assessing the value of each. A deep frown marred his face, but as Lucy entered, he reordered his features into a wide smile. “How gracious of you to receive me,” he said, pomposity gushing from his mouth. He didn’t bow.
“You received the quarterly returns a week ago, Mr. Spangler. I have nothing more for you,” Lucy said, hoping to hurry him on his way.
Standing as she was with her back to it, she had no way to herd him toward the door, as she might have if he’d come to her study. He gave every appearance of a man in command, as though he were the homeowner and she the guest.
“My dear Miss Whitaker, money is such an unpleasant subject for a lovely young woman such as yourself,” he said with a jovial grin on his face. “I just called at Caulfield Hall. The young earl relies on my counsel, you know.”
He paused as if to give Lucy space to pronounce her awe at his powerful connections.As if I didn’t know exactly what David thinks of you, you worm.
When she failed to respond, he went on. “I couldn’t pass by your lane without stopping to pay my respects. ‘Howard,’ I said, ‘You best check in on Miss Whitaker, a woman alone like that.’”
Manners had no place in this for Lucy. “Why?” she demanded. “You never did before.”
Spangler folded his hands and assumed the aspect of a basset hound chastised for soiling the parlor. “To my regret, no, and look what happened. I heard about the horrible accident to that innkeeper. And you here unprotected! Just now driving up, I thought I spied a ruffian in the wood near the ruins of the bridge.”
Lieutenant Robbins, no doubt.
When he stepped closer, Lucy forced herself to stand her ground, determined not to show weakness. “You need protection, Miss Whitaker,” he said.
She opened her mouth to protest, but he rushed on. “I mean no offense. I hold you in the highest esteem.”
Lucy’s lip curled.Since when?
Spangler failed to notice. “In fact, I come with good news. Very good news indeed. I’m soon to be a man of property.”
What is he nattering on about? “Congratulations. Does that mean you will be leaving the county?” Lucy’s pride in keeping the hope from her voice died when he took two steps in her direction and took her hands before she could step back.
“Can’t you guess? I’ve offered for Willowbrook. We both know the baronet doesn’t want it. He’ll gladly free himself from the burden and be off to London. Do you see what this means?”
She did not, other than that Rob would leave as soon as he could, but she had always known that. It didn’t always make her heart ache the way it had begun to do.But sell to Spangler?Too stunned to move, she stared at his ostentatious waistcoat and didn’t yank her hands away.
“You’ll be able to stay at Willowbrook! You’ll have to give up this nonsense of doing a man’s work, but it will be your home.”
“What in God’s name are you talking about?” She glared into his self-satisfied face. Spittle formed in the corner of his mouth and his eyes… She stepped back, but his hands clamped onto hers and tugged.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? You will marry me and be mistress of Willowbrook!” He attempted to pull her closer.
“Let go of my person, Mr. Spangler!” She stepped back, and her arms stretched tight when he held tight.
“May I be of assistance here, Miss Whitaker?” The sound of Robbins behind her sent relief flooding through Lucy. She tugged her hands again.
