Page 68 of Rescued from Betrayal
Lord Newhurst blushed and muttered something unintelligible before falling back to walk with the men.
Melior peered at Miss Harris curiously. Did she call every man of her acquaintance by their first name? She would have questioned her, but Miss Harris was already speaking again.
“Poor man doesn’t know what to do with himself with so many petticoats around.”
“I had noticed he gets a bit tongue-tied with women, but I had thought he was making progress these last few weeks as he painted Nathaniel and I.”
Miss Harris pulled her to a stop. “John is making a painting for you? My, but you are lucky indeed. He is quite proficient.”
“Have you seen his work then?”
They continued walking.
“Yes, many times. We all grew up together—or at least around each other.” Miss Harris cast a glance over her shoulder, then lowered her voice. “How are things with Nathaniel? Is he treating you well?”
Melior was taken aback. It was one thing for Miss Harris to use other men’s first names, but the woman was speaking about her husband. A tiny seed of protectiveness bloomed until she remembered that they had known each other since childhood. Perhaps Miss Harris had never grown out of the habit.
Inhaling, she allowed her discontent to fade. “Better,” she admitted, thinking of the kiss they had shared that morning. “It was rough in the beginning, but in the last few days there has been great improvement.”
“I am glad to hear it after what you had to endure. And to think Mr. Fairchild would stoop so low as to accept money to ruin your reputation. The man is a cad in the worst sense.”
This time Melior stopped. “What did you say?” Her heart pounded in her chest and her palms began to sweat in her gloves.
Miss Harris’s hazel eyes swept her face. “They did not tell you?” Her gaze darted to Mr. Roberts. “I see Algenon and I will be having words. I told him you should be the first to know, but of course he had to play rescuer and expected you to be a damsel in distress. When will these boys grow up and realize we are strong enough to handle the truth?”
Melior’s head became fuzzy. How many people knew about her time in the cloakroom with Mr. Fairchild? Did they also know she’d meant to trap Lord Caraway?
“Who told you about what Mr. Fairchild did?” Fear and anger battled in her chest. Nathaniel had sworn he had not and would not tell anyone else. Had he lied?
“Mr. Fairchild gloated to a few friends at a gentlemen's club and Algenon overheard them.”
“And how did you come to know about it?”
Miss Harris’s brow furrowed. “Why, from Algenon, of course. We may bicker a bit but we have always shared our deepest concerns with one another since we were children.”
“And who else does he prattle on to?” Melior could not help her harsh words. The thought that he’d spread such vicious tales made her want to slap the man.
“Only the four men here.” She gestured to the others. “Well except your uncle, that is. Though perhaps he might have shared the details with him in hopes of finding a way to stop the gossip.”
So they had all known. The men in her life had known she had been set up and no one thought to share this with her. The rest of the women passed them on their way into the paper shop, but Melior was frozen in place. When the men began to enter, she glared at their backs. Only Nathaniel and Mr. Roberts seemed to notice her foul mood.
“Is everything all right?” Nathaniel asked.
“No,” Miss Harris answered for her, casting her own glare at Mr. Roberts.
“I am in the suds again, it seems.” He glanced between the ladies. “Well, come on then, Javenia, you can take a pound of my flesh while we peruse paper goods.”
Mr. Roberts slipped her hand around his arm as if it were a pleasant day for a stroll and Miss Harris followed. When they reached the door, Melior heard him yelp.
“What was that for?” He stared down at Miss Harris.
“Just starting on that pound of flesh one pinch at a time.”
When it was only the two of them, she whirled on Nathaniel. “Why did you not tell me that Mr. Fairchild had been paid to ruin me?”
The stunned expression on his face lasted only a moment. “I did not want you to suffer. You have been through so much. I had hoped to spare you at least this bit of pain.”
Melior’s heart thumped in her chest. She wanted to stay angry with him, but the sincerity in his voice cooled her temper.
