Page 15 of An Honorable Arrangement
She sipped the tea. "Yes. Of course, I can see that, but my father's mind is not right due to too much drink."
Mrs. Cochran took the offered cup of tea and set it in front of herself. "He bullies the local doctor into giving him laudanum as well. He's a lost cause. You should take yourself as far away from him as you can, miss. He'll kill you if you give him the chance. I've no doubt of that."
Putting her cup in the saucer, Sarah asked, "Does he beat you, madam?"
"I stay out of his way. I cook the food and bring it, then return when he's…asleep. He does not find me present enough to do me harm. I collect my wage from the solicitor and am glad for it. I have no complaints." Mrs. Cochran stood. "Now, you do what's best for you and get far away from here." She exited the small dining room without looking back.
"I thought it best you hear the truth." Captain Phillips frowned. "Did I do the right thing?"
"Of course." Sarah sounded as if she were in a daze. "It is rather sad really. Can nothing be done to save him?" Two large tears swelled over her bottom lids.
Monty wanted to hold her and make all of it go away, but he couldn't do so with the captain present and shouldn't even have the inclination. "If he wanted to be helped, and we arranged for a sanitarium or private doctor, perhaps. But, Miss Sommers, he would have to want the help. Did he appear to want to change to you?"
"I think I should ask him, Mr. Witman. I don't think I could live with myself if we ran off to Sussex without any attempt to help him." More tears ran down her cheeks, and she brushed them away.
He'd told his aunt and uncle they would arrive by the end of the week. That was already impossible.
Captain Phillips wore a lovestruck expression.
While Monty couldn't blame the captain, his gut tightened. Perhaps Sarah preferred the officer. He shook off the notion. "Captain, do you know who the solicitor is that handles Mr. Sommers estate?"
Tearing his attention away from Sarah, Phillips said, "It's likely Peter Knox. He has an office down the street. You might go and see him now though. He may still be in his office."
Monty nodded. "Sarah, are you up to coming with me to visit your father's solicitor, or shall I go on my own?"
She sat up straight. "I think it important that I hear what the man has to say."
It was impossible not to admire all that strength, wrapped in such a pretty, petite package. He liked her more every moment he spent with her. He held her chair, dropped some coin on the table for the tea, and Sarah and the captain stood.
Phillips bowed. "I hope you find whatever it is you need, Miss Sommers. I must return to camp, but if you don't mind, I'd like to come back tomorrow and say goodbye."
With a kind smile, Sarah said, "That would be very nice, Captain. Thank you for all your assistance today."
Once the captain left them, Sarah was quiet on the walk to meet with Peter Knox.
Monty longed to know her thoughts. "Do you think you could like him?"
She looked at her feet as they walked and didn't look up when she asked, "Who?"
Perhaps her question was a good sign since the answer seemed too obvious to him. "Captain Phillips."
Her head snapped up and she gaped at Monty. "I barely know him."
"He's clearly smitten with you." It was the truth, and Monty saw no reason not to say it.
She shrugged. "After tomorrow, it is unlikely I will ever see him again, so whether or not I could like him is irrelevant."
It was a diplomatic answer, and he hated it. He wanted her to say she had no feelings for the good captain. Of course, she barely knew him. Yet, if a man like Captain Phillips could make her happy, it wasn’t a bad match. The pain settled in his chest, and he shook off the entire train of thought as they reached Mr. Knox's office.
Sarah touched his arm before he could knock. "Why are we here? What do you hope to learn from this solicitor?"
"Before we try to talk your father into getting assistance, I think it important to know what he can afford. Though I must tell you, Sarah, I did not see anything today that would lead me to believe he is a man looking to correct his ways. It's a miracle he's lived this long in such a state." He knocked.
Sarah nodded, but if she had anything to add, she kept it to herself.
The fact that he longed to know what she thought disturbed him greatly. He'd never much cared what the debutantes that crossed his path had to say, or what they might be thinking. In his experience, they were thinking of ways to trick him into marrying them. Sarah Sommers was different.
A stern woman with pale skin and not one strand of hair showing beneath her cap let them in and showed them up a narrow flight of stairs. The smoky office was dank, papers covering the desk. Mr. Knox stood and accepted their introductions before staring continually at Sarah.
