Page 25 of An Amiable Foe
Robert glanced at Charlie, who was adjusting the pantry items to make room in the cart, and he lowered his voice. “You agree with him, you say? Surely you must see that it is not proper for you to remain in a house with a set of bachelors. Come to my house, instead.”
“It is not ideal,” she said slowly, “but I am much more comfortable at Brindale. It has been my home my whole life. And Miss Fife is there to lend me companionship. Sarah is with me also, and Mrs. Malford will see that I am protected.”
Robert paced away and put his back to her as Charlie discreetly left the cart and returned to the house. Then Robert turned back.
“With this decision, you’ve placed yourself in a mighty ugly situation. I urge you to come with me to Grinnell now. I can walk you back to the castle, and we can take your carriage from the stable there. Or, I can ride back and hitch up my whiskey. We need only pack a few things.”
She frowned and shook her head, and at that moment Mr. Osborne and Mr. Wilmot exited, carrying the trunk between them. Mr. Osborne’s eyes darted between her and Robert as they brought her trunk to the cart.
Before they came close enough to hear, Robert leaned in. “You should be staying at my house, you know. My mother will wonder at your refusal.”
There was much truth in what he said, but Marianne hesitated still—almost recoiled from the idea, although she could scarcely admit that to herself, much less to one of her oldest friends. But Robert’s intensity showed her as clear as anything that to him, her taking refuge in his house would move them one step closer to an engagement she did not want. She would have to take her chances with the gentleman at the castle.
She shook her head and said softly, “I pray you will understand. I will stay at Brindale.”
CHAPTERTWELVE
In the years Perry had spent in the London clubs, he had adjusted to the less-than-honorable whims of gentlemen of the ton. He was not entirely innocent himself in that regard, but his minor indiscretions paled next to the predatory look on Lorry’s face when he proposed to accompany Marianne. His eyes gleamed with a determination Perry knew all too well and hinted at attention that was better directed toward a wife or mistress, not a gently bred young lady. He would have to keep an eye on his friend, for he had seen him in action too often to think that his offer to help was innocent or his voracious look easily subdued.
Miss Edgewood had not seemed frightened or put off in any way, but neither did she seem to understand what Lorry was about. She likely had little notion of what it was to be flirted with, as secluded as she had been with only Vernon for masculine attention. Vernon’s idea of flirting would have none of Lorry’s finesse.
Speaking of Vernon, here was the man now at the cottage, talking in low undertones that Perry sensed made Miss Edgewood uncomfortable. He didn’t care how long Vernon claimed friendship with her. If he was bothering her…
Perry secured the trunk they had set on the back of the cart then gave it a pat before turning to face the visitor.
“Good afternoon, Vernon. You’ve heard what happened?” He waited until he had the man’s attention, which was not easily pulled away from Miss Edgewood. “Are break-ins a common occurrence in these parts?”
Vernon glanced at the door to the cottage that still stood open, then shrugged. “I would not say it’s a normal occurrence, but it’s not unheard of either. In my father’s twenty-five years as magistrate, he deals with a few cases per year of poaching and petty theft. I can only imagine it must have been that. I ought to go in and see what there is in the way of evidence.”
“We will need to make the place secure,” Perry mused, turning to stare at the windows and shutters visible from their vantage point. “One of the shutters in the drawing room on the side of the house is broken, and some of the others might be weakened with age.”
“Likely. Let me take a look. I’ll act on my father’s behalf in this.” Vernon brought his horse over to the iron ring on the side of the house and looped the reins through, then he disappeared into the house.
“Did you see the way he was imposing himself on her?” Lorry said under his breath. Miss Edgewood had disappeared around the side of the cottage.
Perry refrained from rolling his eyes at the irony. Lorry had never been awake to subtleties.
“Miss Edgewood and Vernon are friends of long acquaintance,” he replied, ignoring the fact that he had thought much the same thing as Lorry. But if his friend could be persuaded that her heart was already taken, it would be safer for her. Perry stared at the front door that had been left open. “Perhaps Vernon will find something we missed.”
Miss Edgewood came back into view, carrying what looked like gardening utensils, and when she caught Perry staring, she lifted the basket with a smile. “I nearly forgot these.”
Vernon exited the house and declared he found the break-in most peculiar. Upon being pressed for details, he replied that he hadn’t found anything new that might shed light on the incident. Perry locked the house and handed the key to Miss Edgewood, who climbed back up on the carriage before he could take her hand again. Lorry took his seat beside her, although he very well could have sat on the trunk, and Charlie sat on the floor of the cart toward the back.
“We must be heading back,” Perry called out to Vernon before steering the nag in a slow circle. They took their leave, then rejoined the path to return to the castle.
“How will you secure the cottage?”
Miss Edgewood turned to him enough that her bonnet allowed him a glimpse of her face. He found he wanted her face turned toward him rather than Lorry. She was pretty, he discovered again as though seeing her for the first time, and her direct gaze momentarily stopped everything in his orbit. When the breeze carried her fresh scent to his nostrils, he forgot what her question was.
He broke the gaze and dragged his thoughts back to the present with difficulty. “My most pressing need at the castle is for Mr. Mercy to come to an agreement with the carpenter who is to fix the roof. But I will have him attend to the shutters of the cottage first.”
“That is most kind of you,” Miss Edgewood said quietly, turning forward again, and the spell was broken as Lorry claimed her attention from the other side.
At Brindale, he had Charlie bring the smaller bundles to Miss Fife and the maid, while he and Lorry brought Miss Edgewood’s trunk up to her room. Matley had already removed all of Perry’s personals into the room he’d be using downstairs. Unfortunately, this was not one of the rooms that had either doors or a new mattress. But the inconvenience and lack of privacy would be worth it for Miss Edgewood to know herself in perfect security.
“We shall have to adjust our dinner hour, and make it a little more formal,” Perry observed when he and Lorry returned downstairs.
“The food has been choice.” A rare compliment from Lorry, who seemed to always find fault despite his seemingly easy ways. “How many more bottles of that Burgundy do you have?”
