by Georgie Lee
‘I have a proposal for you,’ Philip announced, jarring her out of her pleasant daydream.
Her hand froze at her neck and she wondered if he’d entertained the same scandalous thought as her.
‘Yes?’ she braved, knowing she couldn’t resist him if he ask her to do such a thing.
He brought them to a halt, turning her to face him. It clearly wasn’t lovemaking he wanted to discuss, but something more serious.
He didn’t speak right away, but studied her, increasing her curiosity. At last he moved them back into a walk. A week ago she wouldn’t have understood his hesitation and would have fretted over it. Today she recognised his careful ordering of his thoughts and waited patiently until he was ready to say them.
‘You’ve told me a great deal about your parents’ business and how they built it. It reminds me of my father. After his death, had I lost my business, it would have been like losing him again.’
‘Yes, at times, after everything was gone, it felt as if I’d somehow failed him and my mother.’ She adjusted her hands on his arm, touched by how well he’d come to understand her.
‘I want to offer you the chance to revive your father’s business.’
This time it was Laura who brought them to a halt, surprised out of her steady step. It was what she’d wanted the most when she’d first stolen through his house, the one thing she’d been forced to give up the moment she’d accepted his proposal. Now the chance was before her again.
‘I spoke to the gentleman who bought the contents of the shop after I seized them from your uncle,’ Philip continued, squinting against the low sun behind Laura. ‘He doesn’t possess everything, but he’s willing to sell back a generous portion of what is left. I can instruct Mr Woodson to find a suitable location for the shop and you and Mrs Townsend can manage it.’
‘What about being your partner, understanding your business? How can I do that if I’m running my own?’
‘I want you to be happy.’ He guided her into the shade of a tall tree, its branches spreading out over the grass and the gravel path. ‘After the incident with Mrs Hammond, I’m concerned you may not be.’
She laid her hand over his. ‘You’d really do such a thing for me?’
‘Yes.’ He didn’t waver in his declaration and she knew this wasn’t a hollow offer. He was determined and ready to act if she accepted it, but she couldn’t.
‘Thank you, Philip. You don’t know how much it means to me to hear such an offer, but I don’t need the draper shop any more.’
‘But it’s your father’s legacy. It’s as important to you as my father’s business is to me.’
‘It was at one time, when I had nothing else to hold on to during all the cold nights in Seven Dials. Since then, you’ve given me so much more to cherish and to strive for. Going back to the draper business would be like sliding into the past when all I want is to move forward, with you.’
He raised her hand to his lips, the kiss tender and heartfelt. He’d offered her a gift and in refusing it, she’d given him something even more meaningful in return. It seemed strange to leave the past so firmly behind, but she wouldn’t go back. Philip was her future now and though parts of him still remained hidden from her, with each passing day they drew closer together.
In the distance, a church bell chimed. Philip plucked his watch from his waistcoat and clicked open the gold case, the businessman Laura knew so well overtaking the caring husband once again. For all his sudden change, there was a new softness around his eyes and at the corners of his mouth.
‘I’m afraid we must return home.’ Philip clicked the watch closed and dropped it back in his pocket.
‘I knew you wouldn’t linger too long,’ she chided with a laugh, running her hand over his back. ‘Though at home, might I tempt you to dally for a time with me, upstairs?’
He met her daring question with a tempting look. ‘I can always make time in my schedule for you.’
He dropped a searing kiss across her lips, heedless of them standing in the open where anyone who happened by might see them.
When at last they broke from their embrace and returned to the gravel path, they could not walk back to the carriage quickly enough. There was a great deal they could accomplish inside with the curtains drawn, even more when they arrived home.
Hand in hand, they neared the tall gates of the park entrance. Across the street, the landau waited by the kerb. A wide-shouldered gentleman in a rough coat peered inside it through the open window. Laura jerked to a halt at the sight of him, trying to catch a glimpse of his face, but a large town coach lumbered between her and the landau. Her desire shrivelled into cold fear as she realised the strange man ogling the carriage reminded her of her uncle Robert.
‘What’s wrong?’ Philip slid his arm around her waist and drew her close.
‘I thought I saw my uncle near the carriage.’
He peered across the street as the town coach wobbled away on its springs, but the man who’d ignited her fear was gone.
‘Mr Rathbone, I must speak with you.’
Laura jumped at the deep male voice calling out to Philip from across the grass. They turned to see Mr Jones hurrying towards them, dressed in a finely tailored coat of expensive light-blue wool.
‘Mr Jones, of course. Walk with us if you will,’ Philip urged, but Mr Jones hesitated.
‘What I wish to convey would best be spoken out of your wife’s hearing.’ He tipped his hat to her. ‘My apologies, Mrs Rathbone.’
‘She may hear anything you wish to discuss,’ Philip insisted.
Mr Jones’s troubled eyes darted back and forth between her and Philip. ‘I don’t wish to alarm your wife unnecessarily.’
Philip stood stiffly as ever, making it clear he intended for her to stay.
‘Philip, I can wait inside the carriage,’ Laura offered, recognising Mr Jones’s unease. He would speak quickly and more freely if she was away and Philip could relay the matter to her once they were done.
‘All right.’ They left the park and crossed the street in silence. Philip helped her into the landau. ‘I’ll only be a moment.’
He closed the door and she settled herself against the squabs, her nerves tightened by Mr Jones’s strange warning. Whatever he’d drawn Philip to the back of the carriage to discuss, she couldn’t hear it over the steady clop of horses and the creaking wheels of the numerous carriages beginning to arrive with the haut monde for the fashionable hour.
She shifted to the back squab to try to catch something of the conversation when the sound of crunching paper drew her attention to the floor. Against the dark treads lay what looked like a ragged bit of old broadsheet tracked in on her half-boot. She plucked it up, ready to fling it aside when the dark, sprawling letters on the unprinted side made her freeze.
You owe me.
The carriage door opened and Philip stepped inside, his face set hard. ‘The man you saw was Mr Townsend.’
‘I know. I found this on the floor.’ She handed him the note.
He offered it only a glance, his lips drawn tight across his teeth.
‘It isn’t the first time he’s approached us,’ she confessed cautiously. ‘The morning at Mrs Hammond’s, I thought I saw him in the crowd. It was the reason I’d locked the carriage door.’
He settled his hands on his knees, his displeasure obvious. ‘Why didn’t you tell me before?’
‘Because I wasn’t sure. I didn’t get a proper look at him. With everything happening in the bookshop and how upset I was, I thought it was only my mind playing a trick on me.’
‘If you’d told me, then I could have done something to prevent the present situation.’
‘The present situation?’ Her stomach clenched with worry.
‘Last night, your uncle approached Mr Jones about trading a
gold necklace for money. During the transaction, he asked Mr Jones if he wanted to see me ruined and hinted at helping him achieve it. His suspicions raised, Mr Jones pretended to entertain the idea and tried to garner more details, but his questions made Mr Townsend suspicious and he left.’
Laura felt her misstep as sharply today as she had in his study that day he’d shown her the Halycon House ledger. It was an awful reminder of the lack of faith she’d displayed in Philip. ‘What’ll we do?’
‘Mr Jones believes the necklace is stolen. I’ll contact a thief taker I know who’ll see to it Townsend is arrested and we’ll be rid of him.’
For once, Philip’s confidence didn’t put her at ease.
‘I don’t think the necklace was stolen, I think it was something he had hidden away, in the trunk he brought back with him from India. I tried to pick the lock once, convinced he was keeping valuables from us, but I couldn’t open it.’ Her wrist tingled at the memory of her uncle’s rough grasp as he’d pulled her from the floor when he’d found her kneeling in front of the chest, hairpin in hand.
‘Now you know what he was hiding.’
‘I wonder what else he kept squirreled away while my mother and I sold what we had to pay the rent and buy food. The selfish pig.’ She plucked the note from Philip’s hand and crushed it between her palms. ‘I never let him bully me before. I won’t let him bully me now.’
She flung the wretched paper out of the window.
‘Laura, not all moneylenders are as honest, or on as good terms with us, as Mr Jones,’ Philip warned, dampening her resolve.
‘What are you saying?’
‘I don’t know how serious Mr Townsend is, or how determined, but he may find someone to assist him with whatever he has in mind.’
‘He can’t be serious, or sober enough, to do anything. He couldn’t even keep himself fed without my help.’
‘I agree, but we must still be cautious.’
‘And do what? Hide in your house in fear?’
Philip flexed his fingers over his knees. ‘There is a press-gang boss I’ve dealt with before, a Mr Walker.’
‘You’d have him sent to sea?’ Her uncle had hated the discipline of the army and returning him to service would be like Philip sending her back to Seven Dials with all the deprivations and uncertainty it entailed. She shifted against the squabs, unsure if she could wish such an awful fate on anyone, even her uncle.
‘Only if Mr Townsend continues to pursue whatever plot he’s concocted. I’ll have Mr Walker locate him tonight and threaten him with being pressed. It should be enough to scare him away from implementing whatever foolish plan he has in mind.’
‘And if it isn’t?’ Robert Townsend wasn’t known for being rational, especially when drunk.
‘Then he has no one to blame but himself if he wakes up aboard a ship.’ Philip tightened his hands into fists, his determination and unease subtle, but none the less evident. ‘Most likely, the encounter with Mr Walker will encourage Townsend to leave London and it will settle the matter.’
She hoped Philip was right.
‘My uncle isn’t the first person to threaten you, is he?’ She knew about Philip’s weapons and his boxing, but in all the time she’d been with him, she’d never felt in danger, until now, and that was due to her, not some indignant client.
‘No.’ He moved across the squabs to sit beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. ‘Not everyone who has threatened me is as lovely or talented as you.’
Laura smiled, his confidence raising hers. She might have doubted him at Mrs Hammond’s, but she didn’t doubt him now, nor his determination to protect her and keep her safe.
His brief spark of humour faded as he stared down at her. Philip slid his hand beneath hers, his grip tight with his concern. ‘Until the matter is resolved, promise me you’ll only leave the house escorted by me, Mr Connor or one of my men, and you are not to see clients by yourself.’
‘I promise.’ She didn’t know if her uncle would resort to violence. Judging by his fury the day Philip had removed her and her mother from Seven Dials, she knew it was within him to lash out. Only it wasn’t just herself she was worried about. It was Philip. ‘What about you?’
‘I’ll be careful. I promise.’
She rested her head on the soft wool covering his chest and closed her eyes, breathing him in as if they were alone together in his bed and all the troubles of the day were put away in the darkness. Whatever juvenile ideas about revenge her uncle possessed, she knew Philip would deal with them.
The landau rolled up to their front door and Philip stepped out first, stopping to look up and down the street before beckoning her out. She took his hand, holding her head high as they strode up the front path, pulling Philip back when he wanted to hurry forward.
He paused and threw her a questioning glance.
‘I won’t let him intimidate me,’ she answered defiantly and Philip’s lips drew proudly to one side.
‘Nor should you.’
Together they strolled into the house. Once inside, Philip handed his stick and hat to the butler and asked him to summon Mr Connor.
* * *
While Philip and Mr Connor sequestered themselves in Philip’s study, Laura went about the activities of her day. She tried to focus on each task, but she was so distracted Mrs Palmer, and even Laura’s mother, asked more than once if something was wrong. Mrs Palmer didn’t pry out of deference to Laura’s new position as head of the household. Laura’s mother wasn’t so shy.
‘Come, dear, what is it? You look worried,’ her mother pressed. They sat together with Thomas in the shade of the house, watching Jane direct the gardener as he tended the roses.
‘I’m tired, that’s all,’ Laura lied. She didn’t want to frighten her with the truth.
‘As a newly married woman, I don’t doubt you are,’ she observed knowingly. ‘But your distraction is more than marital bliss.’
Thomas struggled to slide off Laura’s lap, but she wouldn’t let go of him. With its high walls, the garden seemed safe enough, but her nerves were on edge. She felt as if her uncle might appear at the iron gate at any moment, the pistol she’d left behind gripped in one hand and this time packed correctly. She didn’t want this beautiful life torn apart or to see Jane, Mother or Thomas suffer yet another tragedy. Guilt hit her hard. If only she’d trusted Philip sooner, this threat might not be hanging over them.
‘It’s only the household accounts.’ She glanced at the study windows and the back of the drawn curtains. She wished Philip had left them open. She needed to see him, wanted to see him. His presence would calm the flutter of worry making her stomach turn over. ‘They’re in worse shape than I first thought.’
‘I see. You’re married now, so it isn’t my place to pry, but if you wish to speak to me, I will listen.’
Her mother rose, taking Thomas and carrying him across the grass to join Jane.
Another wave of guilt hit Laura. Her mother had a right to know if they were in danger and she’d never kept anything from her before. However, as it might all come to nothing, there seemed no reason to disturb her peace. If only she could settle herself.
Chapter Eleven
The day passed in a blur for Laura. There seemed no time to be alone with Philip until at last, long after supper, when Thomas, her mother and Jane were asleep. Laura lay in his bed, every noise in the garden and from the street shaking her from her light sleep. She didn’t want her uncle to have such power over her, but she knew how frail one’s position in life was, how everything which seemed so solid and reassuring for years could come crashing down around her. She didn’t want to go back to such a precarious and terrifying life.
Rolling over, she pounded her fist into the warm pillow before flipping it over in search of the cooler side. Uncl
e Robert had ruined so much already. How much more did he plan to lay to waste now that he was done wrecking his own life?
At last the door opened and Philip slipped into the room. The tension in Laura eased as he made for the bed, shedding his coat and cravat as he walked. He draped the garments over the coverlet at the foot of the bed before unfastening his cufflinks and dropping them into the crystal bowl on the dressing table. He sat gently on the edge of the sheets, thinking her asleep, as he pulled off his boots and set them carefully on the floor.
‘Where have you been?’ she whispered. She’d sent word she would sleep in his room tonight, wanting to be close to him and the comfort he provided.
He looked over his shoulder at her, the faint orange glow from the coals in the grate flickering in his hair. ‘You’re awake, then?’
She sat up, wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his back, his shirt soft against her cheek. ‘I couldn’t sleep until you were here.’
He twisted around in her embrace, stroking her back through the chemise. ‘Justin and I have just returned from Mr Walker’s. He’s going to visit your uncle tonight. By morning, if he’s smart, Townsend will be far from London and out of our lives.’
‘I’m sure he will.’ She shifted up on to her knees, her arms draped loosely around him, her hair falling forward to brush her cheek. ‘I’m sorry again I didn’t trust you.’
‘I understand why you didn’t.’ He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, his hand lingering against her jaw. ‘Besides, it’s in the past now. There’s no reason to dwell on it.’
If only she could forgive herself so easily. ‘But I put us in danger by being foolish.’