Page 77 of The Beauty and the Boxer
“Because I brought what you want.” Clydeopened his coat and pulled out a thick missive.
He unfolded it and held it out for her toread, but wouldn’t let her hold it. There, at the very top of thepage were the words ‘declaration of divorce’ followed by theirnames. Meredith felt her body pull towards the document, suddenlydesperate to be free of him. She reached for it, but he folded inquickly back up.
“Not yet,” he said, tucking it in his coatpocket. “I’m owed something I believe.”
Meredith stared at him and wondered for asplit second if she had really been so blind all those years ago orif Clyde had changed. It didn’t matter, because she was dealingwith this now and as much as she hated what she was planning to do,she nodded briefly.
“I need two months,” she said.
“Try three days,” he said.
“Three days?” she repeated, shocked. “How doyou expect me to find five thousand pounds in three days?”
“Not really my problem, wife,” he said witha sickly smile. “I’ll be here.”
Meredith gave him one final glare beforetwirling on her foot, unwilling to be in his presence a momentlonger. She hadn’t truly believed that he would let her go, but thesight of those papers had given her a wild, uncontainable hope. Sheneeded to get five thousand pounds, but how?
Her only hope was her investment with Jack.It was her one claim in the world and while it hadn’t been threemonths, she hoped she could pull from it and hopefully have enoughto pay Clyde off and in doing so, secure her freedom.
Taking her hackney back towards the centerof the city, Meredith was close to the chaise carriage when shepaused in her tracks. Looking down the road towards the offices,she had thought to return home to figure out a plan, but Clydehadn’t given her a great amount of time. She needed to get themoney immediately and while she would have liked to make anappointment, she decided it couldn’t wait.
She walked with purpose down the street andwas nearly at the front doors when Jack appeared, coming out of thebuilding, escorting her sister Beatrice. Meredith froze, only feetaway from them, before turning around quickly, pressing herselfagainst the building in hopes to go unseen.
Peering over her shoulder, she saw Jack helpBeatrice up into a waiting carriage. They spoke briefly, while Jackpulled his pocket watch from the pocket of his vest. Nodding, heclosed the door behind her and then patted the side of thecarriage, signaling that it was clear to take off.
Meredith watched as the carriage pulledaway, rolling her body to face the street. Why had Beatrice been tosee Jack and what had they spoken of?
Turning to see if Jack was still outside ofthe building, Meredith nearly yelped when she saw him staring ather with an intensity that frightened her. She felt her body beginto tremble as people passed between them.
What was she doing? She was in over her headand she couldn’t possibly demand her investment without having adozen questions asked of her. She needed to think, she needed time.When Jack took a step towards her, she lost all her courage, andhurried back to her carriage.
Of course, Jack hadn’t let her get two stepsaway before he fell into step beside her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked instantly, hisvoice low.
“I-I,” she tried, but her words failedher.
Much to her mortification, tears began tosting her eyes as she reached the chaise carriage. She felt likesuch a failure all of a sudden and to break down in front of Jackwas humiliating. Meredith couldn’t let him see her go to tears oversomething she couldn’t explain. She wished she could. She wishedshe could confide everything to him, but this was not his mistaketo take care of.
He opened the door of the chaise carriage,visibly waving off the driver as he did and helped her into thecoach.
“Take her to Burnwall,” he said through theopening.
“Oh, but I can’t—” she protested, but heignored her.
“I’ll follow you there,” was all he said ashe closed the door and disappeared into the curious crowd ofpassersby.
Meredith would usually bristle at beinghandled in such a manner, but she let herself settle back into theplush, velvet seat and gave in to Jack’s take over, if only for acarriage ride. Surely once she reached Burnwall she would feelbetter and return to her sister’s home.
Had she made a terrible scene outside hisoffices, she wondered as the carriage lurched forward. Mercifully,the road wasn’t busy and she was out of the city limits in a matterof minutes, followed by the soothing stomps of hooves from behindthe carriage.
What did he possibly think he was doing,ordering her to Burnwall? She had simply let herself becomeoverwhelmed. She needed to take a deep breath and figure out justwhat she was going to say to him. But as she formulated a perfectlycool, detached thing to say, a flash of their time together in theduke’s study blazed in her mind.
Meredith closed her eyes. Oh, how did shelet her life become such a mess?
By the time the coach pulled up the longdrive of Burnwall, she felt an odd sense of comfort surround her.She had never been to Jack’s home before and gazing out the window,she saw tall, majestic oaks surrounded the property, giving it amoat like quality. For the briefest of moments, she feltuntouchable here, a place where no one could sway her, or threatenher and when the carriage stopped and the half door opened, she sawJack’s serious face as he helped her out.
The house was a Gregorian styled home, butit was nearly three quarters covered by a deep green foliage. If itwere a happier occasion, Meredith would have thought that it wasenchanting and even though she was in rather a kerfuffle, it stillheld a bit of whimsy she hadn’t expected a man like Jack toenjoy.
