Page 11 of Indecently Employed
Curiosity got the better of her; the information he’d divulged about Charlotte had been scant and she disliked feeling so ill-prepared. “Might I ask something untoward, sir?”
Without shifting his reflective pose, his blue eyes drifted to her, his brows raised. “You may. Always.”
She ignored that second bit. “How long have you sustained a relationship with Miss Sedley?”
He winced, barely. “I was made aware of her existence three months ago.”
Oh dear. “I see.” Susanna glanced out the window as they passed an elegant team of white horses shaking their heads asthey waited for their command. A gleaming vehicle sat behind them, and a coachman tended to one of the creature’s bridles. The homes here were larger, cleaner, fancier; no doubt they would be at the familial mansion in short order.
“And how have you been getting on?” She gave him a smile, genuine in her desire for an encouraging answer.
“Poorly.”
“I see.” She almost looked away again, feeling a slight embarrassment for broaching the subject.
He sighed. “How would you feel, then, if your father had gotten your actress mother in a delicate condition during her very first foray onto the London stage?”
Susanna blanched.
“And then you saw neither hide nor hair of him for fifteen years?” A remorseful grin twisted his mouth.
Unsure of what he wanted her to say, she blinked a few times, waiting as he enumerated his sins.
He scoffed, sitting up in his seat. “Not only that, the reprobate had no idea of his indiscretion—of your existence—until three months ago?” Mr. Sedley sighed, and once more that sadness settled on his face, so pained that this time Susanna did look away.
“And to add insult to injury, your long-lost sire was none other than yours truly. The shame of even the Sedleys. A worthless, odd sort of fellow hanging onto his much elder brother’s shirtsleeves, with no accomplishments of his own.” He chuckled joylessly. Then, in a more animated tone, “With a handsome face the only thing to recommend himself.”
Susanna glanced back at him and frowned, her cheeks still heated. “That is not true, I’m sure.” It pained her to see someone be socasuallysevere on oneself.
Mr. Sedley’s eyes danced with a sardonic humor. “You don’t find it handsome, Miss Abbotts?”
Realizing she’d stepped into the snare immediately after he’d set it for her, she made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a yelp. “I…” she stuttered, her heart accelerating into a gallop. Then a new realization, a new terror, crept over her: that she was now painted a loose woman for everyone to see, for every man to find. And after only one kiss.
Something changed in his face; his features relaxed. “I apologize,” he murmured. “That was incredibly rude of me. I frequently assume everyone else is as thoughtless as myself. An unfortunate habit.” He shifted in the seat, glancing uncomfortably out the window as the carriage slowed. “One would’ve hoped I’d have learned it by now, in all my advanced years,” he added, almost to himself.
“Learned what?” Susanna asked, finding herself surprisingly hurt by his admission that he’d only flirted with her as a reflex, much the same as breathing.
The door to the carriage opened, and he smiled again, that Cheshire grin. “That governesses,” he started, climbing out of the carriage, then turning to offer her his hand before finishing, “are not to be trifled with.”
“Oh,” she said, frowning again. Gingerly she accepted his help, noticing his slight pressure on her fingers.
The whole interaction baffled her. As she followed Mr. Sedley into Oswine House, she stared at the wide expanse of his shoulders, trying to figure out just what had so muddled her thoughts. Was it the fear of being lost to all, with her dignity in tatters? Or was it another fear—one she’d never voiced, one that had lurked deep within for years, surfacing only when she’d realized just what she’d been deprived of for so long?
“Hello, Simms. And she’s, ah… where this morning?” Mr. Sedley handed his hat off to the butler and smoothed out the front of his coat, his eyes searching the richly papered and carpeted hallway before him.
“The conservatory, sir. If I may?”
“No, no, thank you. I know the way. I’ve her governess to meet her. As long as she’s on the same plane of existence as the rest of us this morning.” Mr. Sedley pressed his lips into a line, thinking for a moment. “And Bess?”
“Mrs. Hartley is still abed.”
“Harmonia?”
“Miss Sedley is abed as well.”
“Right. Well. Thank you, Simms.” He looked back at Susanna and graced her with a sparkling grin. “Come along then, Miss Abbotts. Let’s meet your pupil.”
Susanna nodded her thanks at the butler and followed Mr. Sedley, doing her best not to gawk at the heaviness of the house’s interior.
