Page 44 of Touched By a Traitor
“As much as I’m capable.”
“There’s an honest response. You acknowledge you’re not capable of loving her as she ought to be loved.”
“I have hundreds of employees to consider. Losing my company would harm more than just myself.”
“I imagine that’s exactly how Charlotte feels.” The duke stepped closer, lowering his voice. “I suspect your attraction to Charlotte is part of some scheme to appease your shareholders. I will not look kindly upon anyone who attempts to harm her career.”
Andrew smiled coldly. “You ought to learn the facts before making accusations regarding your charity.”
“I know the facts. And may I remind you that I dine with the king every month? Charlotte is not my charity—she’s the king’s.”
Andrew’s brows shot up in surprise. He hadn’t considered royal support.
“Would you release her,” he asked suddenly, “if she wished it?”
The duke studied him carefully. “I’d send her with my blessing—but only if you were willing to support her career publicly. Otherwise, you don’t deserve her.”
Before Andrew could respond, the duke’s attention shifted. “Ah, there she is.”
Andrew followed his gaze, his heart skipping despite himself as he watched Chatham stride toward Charlotte’s radiant smile.
A low growl escaped Andrew’s throat.
“He’s gone feral,” Preston’s voice came from behind him. “Do you suppose he might have contracted rabies?”
“That, gentlemen, is the sound of jealous rage,” Hereford chuckled, raising his glass. “Our dear Carlisle has finally met his match.”
“You would do well to remember you’re at my mercy, eating my food!” Andrew gritted out.
Preston gently removed the champagne glass from Andrew’s white-knuckled grip. “Perhaps some air, old friend, before you do something spectacularly foolish?”
*
After an eveningof watching his beloved with another man and his friends taunting him about his unrequited love, Andrew settled into a wingback chair in one of the guest rooms and played the day’s events in his mind. He was aware of Lady Lidia’s allure—her beauty, impeccable manners, and the connections her family possessed. She seemed to have mastered the art of seduction, and having Wilson as a father-in-law would make the scoundrel less of a threat.
While he hadn’t minded the show Lady Lidia had put on, flaunting her bosom and her beautiful neck, he found her overall demeanor insincere. His preference lay with women of substance, those whose intellect captured his attention beforeanything else. The rest, he considered a bonus, much like Charlotte.
A life with Charlotte might afford him a contented marriage, like those of his friends, who seemed to bask in the glow of their wives’ presence. Although the stubborn woman brought little to the table except trouble, her keen intelligence, determination, and generosity were aphrodisiacs to Andrew. He longed for a woman who could understand a self-made man like himself while expertly navigating the intricacies of polite society.
Yearning to talk to her and fill his vision with her loveliness, Andrew walked toward the small library, certain she would have her nose buried deep in documents. Instead, he was distracted by a streak of light emanating from Charlotte’s bedchamber.
He knocked, and in the absence of a response, pushed open the door. Two lanterns burned by the bedside, illuminating Charlotte, who sat on the floor with her head resting on the bed, surrounded by piles of books and papers.
“Foolish woman,” Andrew muttered under his breath, irritated that she had disobeyed the cardinal rule of any household—never sleep with candles burning. He went over to the slumbering woman and carefully moved the candles out of the way. With her head turned to one side and both hands tucked under her cheek, she snored softly, clad in a worn night rail and an equally threadbare cotton housecoat.
In the warm, orange glow of the lanterns, her beauty overwhelmed him. Her thick, dark lashes fluttered, and her lips parted slightly. A long, gentle exhale escaped her mouth. As Andrew gazed upon her, his indignation evaporated. She possessed an inner flame, perhaps what he found so irresistible. His chest tightened at the sight of her innocent and vulnerable appearance in sleep. The thought of waking up next to that sweet face filled his mind.
Curiosity compelled him to lean over the bed and illuminate the papers, examining the documents she had been drafting. They were primarily cases representing working-class families against their landlords, neighbors, and fraudsters. Undoubtedly, she was diligently fulfilling her duty without compensation.
As he moved to clear the papers, Wilson’s name caught his eye, leaping out from one of the documents. Sensing he had stumbled upon something significant, Andrew circled the bed and scrutinized the papers more closely. His curiosity morphed into a scowl as he carefully turned the pages, revealing the names of all the shareholders in his company.
It appeared Charlotte had compiled his company’s financial statements and that of Wilson’s, for a grievance submitted by his tenants. He smiled at the prospect of Wilson at her mercy but frowned at the impact of the trial on his company. He moved the stacks of paper to the desk.
The rustling of papers caused her thick lashes to flutter, and her eyes suddenly opened. Charlotte gasped and sat up quickly, tightly closing her robe around her neck as she took in her state of undress.
“Andrew, what are you doing here?”
Without pausing in his task of moving papers off the bed, Andrew replied grumpily, “Ensuring your candles don’t burn the house down. You ought to know better.”
