Page 79 of Married to the Earl

“Money?” Astrid frowned. “You mean O’Flannagan will have topayfor Conor’s freedom?” She felt suddenly despondent. “He must have been lying, if it’s like that. He would never pay for Conor to go free.” And if Astrid was being honest with herself, she wasn’t entirely sure she would have wanted him to. Yes, she wanted Conor home, but would Conor relish being in the debt of his rival? Somehow, she very much doubted it.

“No,” Tobias said. “Nothing so direct. But when O’Flannagan said that he was a trusted businessman, he didn’t mean the was trusted as a man. He meant that his business could be trusted to succeed. A significant portion of his income is used to pay the taxes that fund the police force. So he has clout with them.”

“I see…” Astrid hesitated, thinking this over. “I have money.”

“You have your husband’s money, which cannot be pledged to anything while he is in prison awaiting trial,” her father said. “If he were to be convicted, the money would fall to you, and you would have the right to do as you pleased with it. But until that time, you have nothing to offer the police. Financially, you have no worth.”

“And I’m his wife, so no one will listen to me about anything,” Astrid said bitterly.

“Take heart, Daughter,” Tobias said. “I think it possible that O’Flannagan will help you now that he has heard your story.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “I just want Conor home again,” she said, feeling weak and exhausted. “I don’t care what I have to do.”

Her father wrapped an arm around her. “It was brave of you to go there today and face O’Flannagan,” he said. “I never would have believed you had something like that in you. I have to think that Lord Middleborough will be proud when he hears what a tenacious wife he has.”

“Or he’ll be ashamed of me for acting improperly,” Astrid said.

Tobias shook his head. “I would have expected to feel that way, if I hadn’t been there to see you,” he said. “But you were so bold. So sure of yourself. It was as if you expected, from the moment you walked into the pub, that you would be listened to.”

“I was acting,” Astrid confessed. “I thought that if I acted sure of myself, he would think that I was.”

“Well, I believe it worked,” her father said. “I’m proud of you, Astrid.”

Astrid didn’t know quite what to do with the emotions her father’s pride stirred in her. She had always thought of him as someone who didn’t quite understand her, who loved her but would never be able to empathize with the things she felt. Now it seemed that the two of them were on the same side.

At least one good thing came out of this mess,she thought ruefully.I’ll never say it was for the best, but if it’s brought me closer to Father, that’s something to be thankful for.

They rode the rest of the way in silence. Astrid was lost in her own thoughts, wondering what Conor would say when she explained to him what she had done to get him home. Would he be angry that she had gone to his rival?

It doesn’t matter if he is, she decided.Let him be angry. I would love to have that problem. Because if he’s angry with me, that means he’s home.

She wondered how long it would take before she knew whether O’Flannagan had kept to his word, and whether his idea had worked.

I suppose he won’t be able to see the police until tomorrow,she thought.I wouldn’t expect him to go in late at night anyway. That’s asking too much. But maybe that means Conor will be home by tomorrow night.

She would have to prepare him a fine meal, she decided. The finest of his life. His hired cook was much better at food preparation than Astrid could ever hope to be, but she wouldn’t feel right unless she helped. She would go to the kitchen first thing tomorrow morning and insist that the night’s dinner be the best Middleborough Manor had ever seen.

Conor isn’t going to know what to think of me. Taking a job at the Angry Boar, working in his kitchen…I hope he can still see me as the woman he fell in love with. I hope none of this changes how he feels about me.

The carriage pulled up outside her father’s home, and Tobias opened the door and climbed out. “Thank you again for your help, Father,” she said. “Are you sure you won’t come back to the manor with me tonight? You haven’t been up to visit yet since the wedding.”

“I should get some sleep,” Tobias said. “And I daresay you’ll want the house to yourself in case that husband of yours does return. He’s not my biggest fan, either,” he added. “He might not welcome me in his manor.”

“It’s my home too,” Astrid said stubbornly.

“Perhaps that’s so, but you’re going to have plenty of explaining to do without accounting for the presence of your father.” Tobias smiled. “You get home now, Astrid. If Lord Middleborough makes it back, send a courier to me and let me know. If you haven’t seen him by tomorrow night, send along a message and let me know about that too.”

“I will,” Astrid said. “Thank you for coming with me, Father. I know it wasn’t easy for you to do.”

“You’re my daughter, Astrid. I’ll do anything for you. Never forget it.”

He shut the door and walked toward his house. Astrid watched his retreating back. For the first time since she’d been a child, she saw strength in his shoulders. He was a good man. He was a giant of a man. He had his flaws, but she had too often sold him short.

She would remember today the next time she doubted him.

The carriage sprang forward again, wheeling about in the road and heading up toward Middleborough Manor. Astrid sat back in her seat and though how empty the manor would feel tonight.Thank God for the staff, she thought, wondering at how her perspective on having hired help in the home had changed. It was still awkward to be served and tended, but it was much better than being alone.

The cook would have prepared a hot meal for her. Astrid would take it in her chambers—her own chambers, not those she had shared with Conor. She didn’t want to be overwhelmed by his absence tonight.

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