She gave him a nod. “Thank you.”
Ethan held the door open for her. When she brushed past him, her arm touched his chest, and he ignored the quick shot of energy going through him. Her presence here only increased his respect for her.
He headed towards the common room where those guests who suffered from mild conditions gathered.
“You did an excellent job here,” she said.
He got lost in admiring her freckles. They formed a heart-shaped pattern across her nose. Why hadn’t he noticed that before? “I can’t take credit for it. My father opened the centre with the help of the late Lord Kingsley and the late Lord Roxbury. The idea came when my father realised too many soldiers returned injured and shocked from the front only to receive neither warmth nor succour from their own country.Many of them had lost a limb and couldn’t find a job. Others carried the war with them and couldn’t let it go. Former soldiers die in solitude every day. The empire uses them and discards them when they aren’t needed as if they were an embarrassment. All of them need our help, not our scorn.”
The sunlight danced on her eyelashes, setting them on fire. “Do the soldiers you accommodate live here permanently?”
“For as long as they need it. We help them find a job and encourage them to regain their independence, but some of them need more time.” He paused before entering the hall. “Many members of the House of Lords think the government shouldn’t help them. The soldiers shouldn’t live on charity, the lords say. But my goal here is to allow these men to heal from whatever malady of the mind or body they suffer from and be themselves again. If they feel useless or hopeless, they’ll never improve.”
She nodded solemnly. “What can I do?”
The way she sounded determined to help gave him a ridiculous amount of joy. He wasn’t sure why. While he despised some members of thetonfor their disdain for the veterans, he also met many generous souls. Cora wasn’t the first woman to offer her help. Yet a word from her started a deep turmoil inside him.
“We have doctors and nurses who take care of the guests with physical impairments, helping them to walk or use their hands again, but what they miss is someone to talk to.” He entered the hall where sofas and armchairs were scattered around.
Bookshelves and a large fireplace gave the room a cosy appearance, and its secluded position away from the main road guaranteed peace and quiet, exactly what these men needed.
“These soldiers won’t need stitches or fresh bandages,” he said, “but don’t underestimate the effect their invisible injuries can have on your mind as well. The scars of the soul are contagious.”
A shadow crossed her face. “I understand, my lord.”
“Ethan, please.” The constant back and forth on the use of his Christian name and title confused him. He’d better be clear. “I thought we agreed to use each other’s names.”
She bowed her head. “We did. Ethan.”
He liked the sound of his name on her lips. “Is there anything else you need to know?”
“I understand you need Jacob’s legal support to keep this centre open.”
“I do.” Unfortunately.
“I’ll do whatever I can to help you, but Jacob doesn’t really take my thoughts into consideration.” Bitterness dripped from her voice.
He’d been around too many soul-scarred people not to recognise one immediately.
“I remember asking you if he hurt you years ago. You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to,” he hurried to say when she opened her mouth. “But I have a new question for you.”
“Yes?” She paused in the middle of the room, her chest rising as she held her breath.
“Why didn’t you ask Mrs. Sterling for help?” He tried not to let his concern slip into his words. Mrs. Sterling had helped dozens of women successfully. If Cora had asked for her help, she and her son would live far from Roxbury.
Her bottom lip quivered, and he wanted to kick his own arse for having upset her. Or better yet, to kick Roxbury’s arse.
“You don’t have to answer,” he whispered.
“I want to. In fact, I’ve wanted to talk to you about that for a while. After you left Colchester, I stayed there for the rest of the spring and the beginning of the summer.” A corner of her mouth curled up. “Those were peaceful months I spent with Mrs. Marshall and David. When it was time to return to London, bad weather kept us in Colchester for a few more weeks,delaying my meeting with Mrs. Sterling. When I sought her help, her husband was dead, and she didn’t accept any visitors, understandably so.”
Ethan worked his jaw. James’s death had caused a rift between Ethan and Mrs. Sterling and had forced Cora to stay with her husband.
“Mrs. Sterling was grieving,” Cora said. “She disappeared from society. I didn’t have the chance to meet her, and then her centre was dismantled soon after the tragedy because of people’s complaints, and I missed the opportunity to leave. But I have a plan. It’s slow progress, but I will get what I want.” She lowered her voice. “I will leave Jacob and start afresh. Believe me.”
“Is there anything I can do to help you?” He meant it although aside from killing Roxbury, other possibilities failed him. Hiding the wife and heir of an earl had unpleasant legal ramifications he couldn’t ignore. The rest home didn’t need more troubles.
“No, thank you.” She brought a hand to her neck and paled. “I appreciate your interest though.”
