“Immediately before I planted the facer on him,” he pointed out, one finger raised for emphasis.
“Quite right,” she said. Then she looked at Charlie, who was grunting. “I wonder how he knew Marianne was here.”
“He has friends here, I imagine,” Julian said.
They were interrupted when Marianne returned with Frederick behind her, who had brought two other men with him.
“Oh, Charlie, you old fool,” Frederick said, surveying the scene. “I do beg your pardon,” he added, turning to Julian and Clara. “The constables will come and take him away. Do not worry on that score.”
“How did he know Marianne was here?” Clara asked, crossing to Marianne, who looked considerably more shaken now than she had during the scuffle itself.
Frederick sighed heavily. “After his wife threw him out, he settled here. Decided it was Marianne’s fault his marriage fell apart, as if he hadn’t lied to her in the first place. I do not allow him in my establishment, but he still has friends around. One of them must have told him she was back.”
“I beg your pardon,” Julian said. “We ought not to have asked you to come here.”
“I am glad you did,” Marianne said. “I had to face him sooner or later though I will admit I had hoped for somewhat better circumstances.”
“I will make sure he does not trouble you again,” Julian said.
“Not to worry,” Frederick said though there was something in his expression as he looked at Marianne that Julian noted carefully. “He will not come anywhere near her. You have my word on that. I will have a man stand outside her and the children’s room and another in front of your other friend’s.”
They left then, and Julian was once again alone with Clara.
“Well,” he said, “that was a rather more eventful evening than either of us had anticipated.”
Clara nodded but said nothing. She went to sit on the edge of the bed. Julian came and sat beside her, leaving a respectful distance. “Are you quite all right? You seem shaken.”
“I am fine,” she said. But her voice gave her away.
“Mrs. Holt appears perfectly well, and Frederick seems determined to see to her safety. And the children are with Nell.”
Clara took a breath. “It is not Marianne I am worried about.” Her voice cracked. “It is only… I see such evil in the world sometimes. That man sought to harm her even though he was the one in the wrong. He was the one who lied to her. He was theone who left her with child, and yet he came here to harm her.” She stopped. “What if Arabella is in that same danger? What if this man who has been after her finds her before we do? What if we do not reach her in?—”
Her shoulders gave way then, and he heard the sob fill the room.
He moved closer. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. He ran one hand slowly up and down her arm.
“Do not fret,” he said. “We will find her. Arabella is a formidable woman. Look at what she has managed already. She escaped from Italy. She came home. She convinced a servant to abandon his post and help her. She found a way to keep her son safe. In the midst of all of it, she even had him baptized.” He paused. “Whoever Bash is, he had better pray he does not catch up to her. I would not want to be in his shoes if she does.”
To his surprise, she reached out and wrapped her arms around him. They stayed that way for a long time, her head against his shoulder, the fire burning low.
It felt right. It felt so entirely, dangerously right.
He shifted slightly and, without thinking, pressed his lips to her forehead. He heard her breath catch. She drew her head back and looked at him, and in the darkness, her eyes shimmered with tears that had not yet fallen. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted it with a clarity that frightened him. He did not move.
With what felt like a considerable feat of self-command, he got to his feet.
“You ought to sleep. It has been a far more adventurous night than either of us intended.”
“Yes,” she said. Then, quietly, she added, “Will you sleep in the bed with me?”
He knew he should say no. He knew it perfectly well. But she needed him, and he could see it plainly.
He nodded.
She lay back down, and he went to the other side of the bed, placing himself on top of the blanket which served as a barrier between them. He lay down beside her and was relieved when she turned her back to him. Without thinking, he reached out and laid one hand gently against the back of her head before drawing his arm back. She was asleep within minutes.
Julian remained awake. Not because the bed was uncomfortable or because of the noise. Simply because he could finally relax. Indeed, his mind was at ease which was in and of itself quite the accomplishment.
