That was the kind of security that Charity needed in her life. She began to look at the wedding with some anticipation. It would solidify her place in the estate and, therefore, make her sisters secure.
“And do you think…” she could not help but ask. “Do you think that in time, they will find suitable matches for themselves?”
“You are thinking too far ahead. I see that you have a knack of doing that,” he noted. “You are an overthinker. But if it puts your mind at ease, having an association with the Duke and Duchess will ensure that they find the best of matches.”
“I cannot help it when it comes to them,” Charity admitted. “My sisters..”
“Yes, they are the most important thing for you,” he finished her sentence for her, making her heart skip a beat slightly.
“They are, and I just want things to work for out for them. Augusta has been very difficult lately,” Charity admitted, even though she had initially decided against telling him. “I worry for her the most.”
“I know she is rather stubborn,” he nodded. “I’ve noticed her, but in time, her behavior will improve.”
“How can you say that with such certainty?” she asked. She had never had certainty like him for anything in her life, and it was something that she could stand to learn from him.
“Young people are like seeds, really. You give them the right conditions, and they bloom,” he said, “or they rot. But you will not have to worry about the latter.”
Hearing him say those words brought her immense ease. They ate for a few minutes without speaking, and Charity thought perhaps they might finish dinner without another fight, but then a footman appeared, carrying a letter on a tray. Duncan took it and broke the seal.
He began to read it, and Charity watched his face go still. Something was not right, and it did not look like an ordinary letter.
“What?” Charity asked, feeling her stomach drop at once.
Duncan declined to answer her immediately and instead went over the letter once again.
“Duncan,” Charity said, panicked. “What is it? Have you received word from someone? Is it.. can you tell me what it is?”
“Your uncle has written to us,” Duncan announced.
“Oh,” Charity felt sick to the stomach. “But how does he know that we are here?”
“I suppose it did not take him long to put the obvious together,” he noted.
“What does the letter say?” she felt as though her heart was going to leap outside of her throat.
“Well…” Duncan clicked his tongue, “he demands the girls returned. Quite the audacity he has, I might add.”
“He cannot take them now,” she said,yes?There was an uncertainty in her own voice.
“He can try,” Duncan said, “But they are in my land now, and it would be far more difficult for him to succeed.”
“Can we move them? We send them to someone you trust, someone far enough that we cannot reach them?” she said, mind spiraling.
“You think I cannot keep them safe,” he said, suddenly defensive.
“That is not what I said,” she said. “But he is their legal guardian still, and I suppose that he can get the constables involved.”
“Do you think he will resort to that?” Duncan questioned. “In that case, we will alert the authorities of his acts, which is that he tried to get a hold of your family's resources through nefarious means.”
Charity contemplated for a moment.
“My uncle does not fight fair. I think he will use anyone he can pay, and I think you, of all people, know that a title does not stop him from behaving like a madman, which I do believe he is capable of.”
“You forget that you are on my territory, and he cannot broach it,” he reminded her again.
“And if he sends men who do not care about your land,” Charity replied, “then what? And if you keep them here, they are going to be on edge every time, and I just do not think that is healthy for them.”
“I can handle anyone who turns up at my gate, that is not an issue in the slightest,” he sounded offended, “What I cannot handle is you thinking the answer is always to move, because once you start doing that, you will keep doing it every time you feel afraid. You will never feel settled anywhere.”
