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“I … see. I cannot blame you for the decisions I made, my lord.” Caroline dropped her head, shame reflected on her face. What he had done to this young woman, it was her secret burden to bear that she was a fallen woman. Fortunately, those who knew about her indiscretions with him had elected to keep the affair private.

“That is generous, but I do blame myself. I had considerable experience that I brought to bear when I pursued you. Not to sound conceited, but few women would have resisted.”

“I see. While it is very kind of you to apologize, is that why I am here in London? It seems to me you could have sent me a letter to state your apology and spared yourself a great deal of trouble bringing me here.”

“No … I wanted to apologize in person and to make an attempt at amends. I wish to make reparations … in the form of funds. Funds you could use to change your current circumstances or could be a means to your retirement in the future. I was thinking of putting two hundred pounds in your name.”

Caroline gasped. Richard knew that two hundred pounds was a fortune for a woman in her position. His earlier meetings with similar women from his past had proved quite⁠—

“No!”

No? What on earth?

“No?”

“No! It would make me feel like a kept woman. I did not engage with you for funds.”

Richard’s chest tightened in dismay. Would she not allow him to make amends? This was unexpected. He needed to assist her in some way to free his soul, but— “But Mrs. Brown, I want to do this. To take responsibility for my actions as I should have done⁠—”

“No. I accept your apology, but I need something else … not a payoff.”

Oh, thank heavens! She had a request of some sort. She was not merely refusing a small fortune.

Richard leaned forward eagerly. “There is something I can assist you with?”

“I do not wish to sound presumptive, but Miss Ridley and I were friends. Did you know that?”

He frowned. “I did not.”

“I came to work in her household as a girl. Miss Ridley gifted me a book, and when she discovered I could not read, she taught me. She also taught me numbers and showed me how to manage an accounting book. She purchased me fabrics, and she prepared me … to follow my dreams.”

“Dreams?”

“Yes, milord. Miss Ridley promised me that once she was married to you, she would help me with an investment using her pin money. She was to assist me in purchasing a dressmaking shop. We discussed finding one in a market town. I could not … I could not believe I betrayed her in the manner that I did. It was … so utterly foolish. I have worked hard since to prove to myself that I was ever worthy of her support. Now you say you want to make amends. That is the path you interrupted.”

Richard sat back in his armchair, stunned. Not only had he betrayed Annabel and ruined a vulnerable young woman in the process, he’d also permanently severed the close friendship shared by the two women and laid waste to all of their hopes and plans. He really was a blackguard of the worst sort. In light of the new information, he was truly humbled by Annabel’s integrity in doing right by her former friend after the incident and respected Caroline’s current bravado.

“You wish to own a dress shop?”

“I do, my lord.”

“Well played, Mrs. Brown.”

She gave a nervous smile in response.

He thought about it for several moments. “I will task my man of business to work with Mr. Long to locate an appropriate shop, and I will loan you the funds to purchase it. The loan will be interest-free, and you can repay me from your profits. Will that do?”

Sheer joy blossomed, a smile spreading across her face while tears welled in her eyes. “That will do,” she croaked out.

Richard cleared his throat, his eyes prickling in response, which he furtively blinked away. “I am so happy to hear that. Thank you for the opportunity to remedy this, Mrs. Brown. And for agreeing to come to London to see me. I am … quite heartened to have this chance to talk with you.”

Caroline appeared too overcome to speak. She nodded in acknowledgment and looked relieved to hear Radcliffe return with the tea tray. Richard realized she needed time to compose herself after making her impudent demand. He was infinitely grateful she had agreed to come, and even more grateful that she was allowing him to assist her in her dreams after the damage he had wrought on her young life. Women were so vulnerable within their society, and since his rude awakening, he had been battling with self-loathing for his past behavior. With each of these meetings, his conscience was eased, and he looked forward to the day he no longer had to squirm in discomfort for his callous past.

Speaking with Radcliffe to give her the time she needed, Richard felt well pleased with her audacious negotiation in response to his proposal to rectify his past mistakes with her. Caroline was going to own a dressmaking shop, and he was responsible for improving a young woman’s circumstances instead of worsening them. Richard observed from the corner of his eye when she did a happy bounce on her chair at the unexpected turn of events and smiled in secret pleasure to have done something so momentous for a woman he had wronged.

Malevolent yellow eyes bored into hers as she struggled to draw breath, the crushing weight on her chest leaving her paralyzed with fear. She tried to scream, but her voice failed her, caught in the tightening grip of panic.

“You are all mine now, Sophia,” whispered Lord Leech, his tone as cold as ice. “Soon, we will reach Gretna Green …”