Page 71

Miss Coventry shrunk back, her hand gripping Edward’s.

“Do not shout at her, Mr. Coventry,” Edward advised, his voice deep and slow. “Direct your anger at me, not your daughter.”

Mr. Coventry’s eyes widened. “You have no right to tell me what to do.”

Edward paused, finding the humility he knew was needed in this situation. He was in the wrong, and they all knew it. “You are right, sir. But I will beg of you to listen to your daughter.”

Mr. Coventry carried on as if he did not hear a word Edward said. “I should have known better than to keep you on. I should have dismissed you the moment Lord Ryecombe wrote to me nearly a week ago, informing me of the rumors.”

Lord Ryecombe? Edward fisted his free hand. He should have known. That earl would be the death of him yet.

“But no,” Mr. Coventry spat out, rainwater flying from his lips as he shouted the words. “I foolishly believed in your merits. I chose to trust that after a month of work, you had proven your worth. Of course that was not the case. Now you have injured my family with your filthy name, behaving the same as your worthless father.”

Anger surged through Edward’s veins, as it always did at any poor mention of Father. Edward had wanted to copy Mrs. French’s letter and distribute it to all of Somerset in order to clear their name, but they knew it would do very little. People believed what they wished to believe, and lies bellowed louder than the soft-spoken whispers of truth.

“I would advise against speaking of what you do not know, sir,” Edward said.

A sneer stretched across Mr. Coventry’s lips. “Just as I thought. You haven’t shared that with my daughter, have you? Is that how you deceived her, with your lies?” He faced Miss Coventry. “This man has been dishonest with you from the beginning. When I returned from Bath, I was finally informed of the horrific scandal involving his family.”

Edward had never been more grateful that he’d spoken the truth.

Miss Coventry shook her head, coming to stand side-by-side with Edward. “He has told me, Father. They were falsehoods spread about by a disenchanted gentleman.”

Edward’s love for the woman grew tenfold. She had not once questioned his words, believing him from the start. How had he ever earned the love of such a woman? How would he ever live without her?

She took a step forward. “You cannot—”

“Silence, Marianne! I will not hear another word from you.”

Edward squeezed Miss Coventry’s hand in support. “You must stop shouting at her, sir.”

“Or what?” Mr. Coventry growled. “You have nothing, Steele. You’ve a sullied reputation, a ruined business, and not a penny to your name. You’ll not receive a penny from me, either.”

Edward had been expecting the threat. When would he learn to never trust the word of a gentleman? He forced his mind to the present, though the burden of providing for his mother, for keeping Steele and Son afloat, pressed upon his chest like a pile of uncarvable stones. He had been so close to receiving that payment. So close.

“Father, that isn’t fair,” she cried out. “Mr. Steele has done the job admirably, exactly as you asked—”

“I did not ask for him to steal away my daughter in the middle of the night!”

Miss Coventry pulled back with a startled expression. “You knew?”

“Of course I knew. Did you truly think you could get away with such misconduct?”

She winced. “I was going to tell you, Father.”

“Yes, but you didn’t, did you? Instead, I had to hear it from the gossip of my own servants.” He narrowed his eyes. “Imagine my disgust when I learned of my most obedient daughter’s subterfuge, convincing a maid and a woodcarver to go along with it.” He turned on Edward then. “I thought Mr. Morley had been mistaken in what he brought to me from below stairs. I was even inclined to speak with you to set the record straight. Then I see the both of you out here, cavorting disgustingly together. How could you risk her reputation in such a way, coming to Daffley, being in full possession of the knowledge of what those rumors could do to us? You had better pray the news has not yet spread about Ashwick.”

Regret rushed over Edward in droves stronger than the waves of the sea. “I have prayed for such, sir. I cannot tell you how I regret risking her name at all. I am deeply sorry.” He peered down at Miss Coventry. “To both of you.”

Her eyebrows pulled close together, and she shook her head, as if to say he did not need to apologize, but Mr. Coventry’s barked laughter cut through her words before they could begin.

“An apology means nothing when said out of duty.”

Miss Coventry removed her hand from Edward’s, wrapping her fingers around his forearm instead. “Mr. Steele has done nothing wrong, Father. I am the one at fault. It was I who convinced him to go to Wells, and it was I who spoke with him from the beginning.”

Mr. Coventry frowned, his eyes flicking between them as he clearly struggled to decide who to direct his anger at now. With a growl of frustration, he shook his head. “Return inside, Marianne.”

“Father, please, listen—”