Page 11 of A Lady's Dangerous Secret
Lady Charlotte nodded with a look of respect. “I’m sorry to have offended you, Captain Silverstone. If you would just answer one of my questions before I share the bit about myself?” She paused and looked at him with widened blue eyes, akin to a dog begging for scraps. “Please tell me your real name. It would make the entire conversation go more smoothly. Unless you prefer being called Silverstone?”
James let out a sigh. This woman was exhausting.
“Fine. My name is James Hughes.”
“That seems like a good name.”
James continued to hold himself stiffly on his horse. “I would hope so, since one can’t choose one’s name.”
She grinned. “I appreciate you answering my question. As agreed, I’ll tell you where I learned to manipulate a situation, ornegotiateif you will.”
Lady Charlotte carried herself like a queen, even in borrowed men’s clothing, and had a confidence that he had only seen in a few men throughout his life.
In short, she was remarkable.
He watched Lady Charlotte adjust herself on her horse into what seemed like an even more self-assured position. As he studied her further, though, he realized she was doing it to belie her nervousness.
She fidgeted with the reins and took a deep breath. “My mother was an heiress and an only child. Grandpapa made his money through the Coalbrookdale Coalfield, mining coal and ironstone. My other grandfather, the Earl, needed an influx of money, like so many noble families.”
Her mouth tightened and she gave a quick shake of her head before continuing, “My mother and father met at a local ball, and a marriage was arranged. Given my grandparents’ trade roots, they were thrilled for their only daughter to marry an earl. After the wedding, my mother’s impressive dowry and shares in the mines went to the earldom to save it from ruin. Part of the agreement was that Grandpapa could put men in place who knew how to manage the various assets so that the earldom wouldn’t be in financial straits again.”
Her face relaxed slightly. “When I was younger, my closest brother, Arthur, and I would go to Grandpapa’s office, and like leeches, sucked up every drop of information he would give us. He taught us how to balance ledgers, negotiate, and run a business.”
“Lord Carrington told me you had other brothers. You did not include them. Did they not do the same?”
Lady Charlotte let out a bitter laugh. “Lower themselves to trade? Absolutely not. My three older brothers had a very different childhood than me. From what I have been told, they had a loving and attentive mother, but then two stillborn sonsin less than three years slowly destroyed her. She partially came back to life when she had Arthur, who was her angel child. But then an unwelcome seventh child came along.”
Lady Charlotte worried her lower lip. “That was me. My mother had nothing left to give, and my parents didn’t know what to do with an unwanted daughter. They named me Charlotte after King George’s wife, which I assume was the easiest option. I’m the forgotten fifth.”
Before James could provide a reassuring word to ease the raw pain that flashed across her face, she shuttered her emotions.
“I would never give up the freedom I had as a child. I had no governess. I sat in with Arthur and his tutors and learned everything a proper gentleman should know. I trailed behind my brothers and had free range of the countryside, whether it was shooting, hunting, or fencing.”
She squared her shoulders. “As you can see, I am true to my word.” She looked up at the sky, where the sun’s rays tried to squeeze through the cloud cover. “It’s gotten late, and I must be going before the house wakes up and realizes I’m gone. Good day to you, Captain Hughes.” With that, she turned her horse and trotted away.
James did not budge.
Emotions.
He was not used to emotions, and right now, he was experiencing too many of them. Lady Charlotte was a woman of contradictions: brave but vulnerable, confident but insecure. He knew there was more to her, but the pain in his head returned from exhaustion and trying to make sense of this mesmerizing woman. He watched her ride away and wanted to bundle her up in his arms and protect her.
It must be exhaustion making him sentimental.
He needed to return to Gabe’s town house to get some rest. Unfortunately, that meant riding his horse. James could not tolerate adding physical discomfort to the disquietude caused by Lady Charlotte’s revelations, so he swung himself off the saddle. He chose to walk his mount back. Luckily, the home was just a few blocks away.
As James’s boots crunched on the path that led out of Hyde Park, he tried to remove Lady Charlotte from his mind. Yet, despite his efforts, three words stuck out.
The forgotten fifth.
What a sickening sobriquet.
That was what she thought of herself.
He understood.
He was no stranger to feeling unwanted. As much as Lady Charlotte tried to hide it and as much as he tried to ignore her, he saw that she felt terribly, utterly alone.
CHAPTER SIX
