Page 58 of The Lost Lord
Guilt punched Richard in the gut. “You’ll have to trust me,” he said softly. “Technically, I could take Miriam’s money any time. I haven’t done that. I have taken great pains to protect her interests.”
“He’s right, Mrs. Kent,” Miriam said gently. “I trust Richard enough to spend a day chasing sales at tobacconists and cigar divans. Go and see your castle.”
Mrs. Kent eyed them narrowly. “If anything happens to her…”
“It won’t,” Miriam replied. She tucked her hand into his elbow. “Richard will keep me safe.”
He hoped she was right.
* * *
Half an hourlater they arrived in Covent Garden.
“There it is.” Miriam tapped on the glass. Beside her sat Mrs. Kent, who had tipped her head back on the squabs to close her eyes. It was the closest Miriam had been to alone with Richard since his visit to her room on the day of their arrival.
“Gliddon’s Coffee House. Number 42.” The footman released them from the stuffy coach. The horses were beginning to tire. If this didn’t work, it would be another day of wasted effort. Miriam didn’t know how much more disappointment she could take. Adventures were turning out to be a great deal of work.
Still, trying to will this venture into being had proven to be an enlivening experience. Miriam only regretted the part where she had married Richard without knowing what a scoundrel he truly was. Each day she spent working by his side, however, made Miriam’s feelings a little more complex. She was still hurt and angry. Yet there were moments when she understood why he’d done it.
When Richard’s hand pressed gently against her low back Miriam didn’t brush his touch away. It wasn’t forgiveness. Not yet. His betrayal still ached deep within her soul. They stepped into the establishment together. The pungent scent of coffee hit her nostrils in a blast, followed by the thick air of smoke. Her throat closed.
Not now.
Mrs. Kent had waited in the coach. She had been tired. Miriam had seen it in the shadows beneath her eyes.
“I’d like to speak with Anne Gliddon, the proprietress,” Richard said. Miriam felt the world press in upon her. She could not afford to interrupt this meeting.
Panicked, Miriam stumbled back out the door and burst into the coach. A vise tightened around her lungs. Mrs. Kent lurched up from her catnap.
“Dear god. Miriam. I thought Richard was going to protect you.” Mrs. Kent fumbled around preparing the concoctions that had saved Miriam’s life so many times.
He would have,she thought as her air supply dwindled.But I wouldn’t let him.
She’d thought she could trust him. But it turned out she could not. Now everyone would say, “What was he thinking, bringing that poor fragile girl all the way here?” When really, it had been her own doing all along. Miriam choked on bitter coffee extract. Her world swam and went dark.
Chapter 26
Miriam rested in bed the next day while Richard returned to Gliddon’s to finalize their sale. Mrs. Kent went to Windsor with Viola, leaving Miriam alone with her equally confined sister-in-law.
“Do your asthma attacks hurt?” asked the countess. This had been a very serious attack. It had been resolved that she and Mrs. Kent must remove to the countryside to avoid further exposure to foul London hair. The earl would escort them and return to Harper’s side after a brief excursion with Richard to visit the cottage. After that, Edward was needed in Parliament. As much as she preferred to remain in the city, Miriam found she had no energy to fight the plan.
“Very much,” Miriam replied weakly. “It’s like being suffocated. I imagine it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as childbirth, though.”
Harper chuckled. “True.”
“Are you worried about the birth?” Miriam asked.
“Of course. There is always a risk, and with two babies that risk is heightened.” A fleeting sadness crossed the countess’s lovely features. “It is out of my hands. I pray it does not come to being me being sliced open. Despite Edward’s confidence, I am uninterested in being a test case for Caesarian section.”
“I shall leave you to rest up. I am jealous of your being able to escape this city.”
“Funny,” Miriam said sadly. “I am jealous of your ability to remain here.”
* * *
Richardand his brother Edward hadn’t spent this much time together since the trip they had taken with their father to Brazil in 1808. There was little opportunity to speak privately, but once Miriam and Mrs. Kent were settled, they took to horseback to leave the women with as much room in the coach as they needed to be comfortable.
“There’s something I wish to see when we reach Briarcliff,” Edward said as they approached the estate which Richard had loved so much before it was lost to him.
