Page 54 of The Lost Lord
“I’m afraid so. We’ve a third partner in this venture. His name is Howard. He has a concern running ships up-and-down the Atlantic seaboard. Howard wants to expand into international shipping. Despite the risks of regular crossings, we think there is money to be made in trade.”
Edward regarded him in silence. Richard didn’t melt beneath the intensity of his scrutiny. Confidence kept him steady. Richard had had no idea so many unfamiliar emotions could be felt in a single visit to his brother’s study.
“Interesting. I daresay your time abroad has been good for you.”
“Your instincts were correct. And Edward, if I may say so…” Richard swallowed. “You make a far better earl than I ever would have done.”
Edward waved his hand. “Nonsense. Earls are born, not made. Had you been born first you would have made an excellent earl. I’ve no doubt.”
Richard laughed. “Perhaps you would have been an explorer or a captain.”
“Or a doctor,” Edward chuckled. “Like my wife.”
Richard kept his mouth shut. For all the miracles Harper had worked on Edward, women had no business practicing medicine. But he didn’t need to voice his opinion to the man who adored her.
“Take a look at these plans I had drawn up after a survey of your decrepit cottage.” For the next quarter hour, Richard and Edward bent over his desk examining plans for a modestly sized but elegantly proportioned renovation of the property Richard had once purchased for his mistress. Initially she had kept it, but after his departure Edward had reviewed his affairs and managed to re-secure the property. Courtesans did not have much leverage against earls in the courts of law. A straightforward breach-of-contract suit had been enough to convince her to hand over the title.
The two things he wanted most of his life were Miriam by his side and Lizzie out of it. Forever. Both goals felt very far away.
Chapter 24
Miriam struggled to lock her bedroom door. The heavy key stuck in the wrought iron. When it finally clicked, she checked it and discovered the latch to her room opened easily. With a sigh, she tried again. The slam of a door down the hallway made her start.
“Good afternoon, Miri.” Richard spoke stiffly, but she read in his gaze a hunger that made her feel like a mouse staring down a cat. “Did you enjoy your visit to the British Museum?”
“Yes,” she replied as she took in the sight of him. This man was foreign to her. He had changed into clothing that spoke of immense wealth, greater than anything her father had earned. She had been in this country for a scant few days and already she felt embarrassed of her origins. Her clothing, made new for the journey, now embarrassed her with its lack of sophistication. Richard had been the one person besides Mrs. Kent who dressed like her. But now he looked as fine as the earl. Attractive in a new and imposing way. Gone was the soulful lord banished from his homeland. In his place was a man with a quietly commanding presence.
A flutter of her betraying heart made Miriam take a step back. How could she still want him?
The teeth of her room key bit into her palm.
“We ought to begin making arrangements for the arrival of theThetis.She could come into port any day.” Richard moved closer. Miriam couldn’t decide whether she was standing her ground or frozen in fear. Her heart hammered. A cold sweat curled the hairs on the back of her neck. Hurt longing churned her stomach like a storm at sea.
“When did you intend to tell me about Lizzie, Richard?” she demanded as he loomed over her. Miriam swallowed past the lump in her throat.You wanted the freedom to make your own choices. Now you have and must live with the consequences. “Before we were married? After? Never?”
His silence spoke volumes.
“Never. You’d have let me go on loving you knowing you couldn’t reciprocate. You’d have let me die the slow death of discovering by inches that I had been a fool all along.” Miriam’s chin trembled.
His hand lifted to her cheek. Miriam flinched when his fingertips brushed her cheek.
Richard dropped his hand instantly. “A word from you to my brother will stop me from ever touching you again. If that’s what you truly want.”
“I need help with locking my door,” she whispered.
Richard gazed at her sidelong. He caught her hand and plucked the key to her bedroom door from her palm. Caught in a storm of conflicting emotions, Miriam relinquished it without argument.
“I make you this vow,” he murmured. “I will do whatever it takes to erase the wariness I see in your eyes when you look at me. I will move mountains to regain your trust. I promise to win you again, no matter how long it takes. I hurt you in the deepest way possible. I am finished causing you pain, Miriam. I promise to spend the rest of my life giving you nothing but pleasure. If you will allow me.”
Richard’s voice had fallen to a whisper. Miriam’s pulse raced as he brushed his lips over the back of her hand. He reached past her to click the lock into place. He held the metal out. Miriam plucked it from his grasp with shaking fingers.
“Am I interrupting?” asked Mrs. Kent with one eyebrow raised. Miriam whirled away from her husband and found disappointment in the lady’s eyes. Shame swept away her feelings of attraction and left cobwebs of confusion in their wake.
“Not at all,” Miriam said with what little calm she could muster. She buried her fists in her skirt and cast Richard a narrow glare of reproach. “He was assisting me with my lock. It sticks.”
“If you’ve finished distressing—I mean, assisting, Miriam.” Mrs. Kent raised her chin and took her charge by the arm.
“We were discussing our plans to go to the wharves and see if there is any news of theThetistomorrow,” Richard lied smoothly. “Despite our personal difficulties, Miriam and I have an obligation to see the business thrive.”
