Page 76 of To Bed the Bride
Even worse, marry and be miserable.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
To Eleanor’s surprise, Mrs. Campbell didn’t open the door. Logan did. He stood there, attired not in his customary suit, but in a white shirt and dark trousers. He was also not wearing shoes.
He was the one she’d come to see, but she was startled at his appearance at the door. So much so that she looked down, then back up at him, then down once more, uncertain what to say.
Thankfully, Bruce’s arrival made it unnecessary for her to comment. She bent and petted him, smiling as he wriggled and whined in response.
“Where’s Mrs. Campbell?” she finally asked, straightening.
Bruce was truly learning his manners because he sat between them, looking first at Logan and then at her.
One of Logan’s eyebrows arched upward as he answered. “It’s her day off. In fact, most of the servants are out this afternoon. If you’ve come for tea and biscuits, I’ll have to provide them.”
She told herself to say something. Anything but stand there staring at him like a dolt.
“I haven’t come for tea or biscuits or to see Mrs. Campbell. I came to see you. I was hoping you would be here. I needed to see a friend.”
His face didn’t change. He didn’t look any happier to see her, but he did step back and open the door wider.
She entered the house, knowing that if Mrs. Campbell wasn’t here and the servants were gone then she shouldn’t be here, either. She kept silent.
He led the way down the corridor. She’d never come this far into his house before. He entered a spacious and sunny kitchen. Herbs in green pots lined two large west-facing windows. The windows on the opposite wall revealed his closest neighbor, bushes planted between them to afford some privacy.
She hesitated at the doorway, looking around her. The cupboards were painted white, as was the long table in the middle of the room. She could imagine a dozen or so people working away, companionable and earnest in their tasks. Laughter would occasionally punctuate the conversation because Logan’s home was a happy place. The fireplace at the other side of the kitchen looked large enough to roast a boar beneath its arched bricks. A half-dozen wrought iron trivets and pulleys held pots, now empty and ready for the next meal.
A white ten-plate wood-burning stove with two ovens took up most of the space against another wall. A pump and sink area were not too far away. All in all there was enough room in this kitchen to prepare meals to feed a small army.
After filling the kettle with water, he placed it back on the stove, but didn’t turn to look at her.
“Why do you need a friend?”
She wandered over to the window.
“Michael is going to sell the Hearthmere bloodline.”
He had his back to her and it seemed like he was staring down at the stove, anything but look at her.
“Are you angry?” she asked. “If you are, I can’t blame you. You’re right, you did ask me to come only on Wednesdays. Forgive me. It’s just that I wanted someone to talk to and I knew you’d understand how important the horses were to me.”
He turned and faced her. “What are you going to do about it?”
“According to my solicitor, there’s nothing I can do. A woman has no rights to her inheritance after she marries. I have two choices: to marry Michael or to never marry.”
The idea occurred to her that maybe she wasn’t here to get his observation and opinion after all. She wanted to feel valuable and important to someone. She wanted someone to think she was worth caring about. Logan always had.
He walked toward her slowly, almost as if giving her time to escape. She didn’t want to be anywhere but here.
She walked into his embrace and when his arms went around her she felt as if she were home. A foolish thought, one that was compounded by the knowledge that she was behaving in a shocking manner. She shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be placing his hand against her cheek or tilting up her head to look into her eyes.
He was the answer to every prayer she’d ever had, and that thought was both sacrilegious and foolish.
Joy spilled through her because he was holding her and she was returning the embrace. He might kiss her, and that was part wish and part anticipation.
If she was doomed to perdition by her behavior, at least let it be for something that she truly wished to do. Being here was what she wanted, what she’d always wanted.
She pulled back, then stepped away. Not because she wanted to, but because she didn’t want to put him in a difficult position. Logan was an honorable man, and being with an engaged woman would test that honor.
