Crowle rose without saying farewell and strode to the door, showing himself out. The tall, threatening-looking man who went everywhere with him lingered for a moment, regarding Thomas, before turning and following.
Thomas felt his body relax as if his muscles had lost their ability to hold tension. He slumped in his chair and closed his eyes.
All in all, that had gone a bit better than he had hoped—and yet, it had still been awful.
He owedsomuch money, thanks to his father’s profligate ways and irresponsibility. He had no idea how he would even begin to pay it all back.
But he would have to find a way. Because now that the debt collector’s eye had turned on him at last, it was clear that Crowle wouldn’t leave him alone. He wouldn’t be permitted to rest until he had found a way to pay back every bit of the debt his father had racked up.
And until that was taken care of, he wouldn’t be able to propose marriage to Lady Valeria. He would be stuck in limbo, waiting for a future he was already sure that he wanted, a future that he now wondered whether he would ever be able to have.
Of course, Lady Valeria didwanta slow courtship.
Perhaps that fact would be the saving grace of the situation. She had been in no hurry, and the two of them had discussed that fact several times. So it would not be upsetting or alarming to her now to find that he was taking things slowly.
She’ll probably be happy.
He hoped that was true. It was going to be a real uphill battle, trying to navigate his way through this.
Chapter 25
“Have you seen any more of Lord Milton lately?” Lady Staunton asked, stirring her tea slowly.
Alberta raised her eyebrows. “Certainly not, Eleanor,” she said. “What would I be doing in the company of that man, after the way he’s behaved? After the way he’s treated my niece? Do you really think I would have anything to do with him now?”
“Well, I couldn’t help but wonder,” Eleanor said. “I know thatIhaven’t seen him anywhere. It seems as though he’s been completely shunned by polite Society.”
“I rather hope he has!” Alberta said. “Why, I’d send him away to live by himself if I had the choice. He doesn’t belong around normal, decent people, does he?”
“Perhaps not,” Eleanor said. She stopped stirring and sipped her tea. “But now, I’m sure Lady Valeria isn’t thinking about that scandal at all anymore, is she? What with her new courtship to concern herself with?”
“You’re quite right,” Alberta said. “In fact, Valeria was happier than I’d ever seen her—at first.”
“At first?” Eleanor frowned. “What do you mean, at first?”
Alberta hesitated. She knew her friend just a little bit too well to be taken in by these questions. Eleanor was a kind lady and a joy to be around, but she was also the sort who had an unhealthy interest in gossip. Though Alberta didn’t doubt that she wished the best for Valeria, she was also sure that Eleanor would love to walk out of Earlington Manor with a story about Valeria’s courtship woes. And if she did get her hands on such a story, she would be incapable of keeping it to herself.
Still, it would feel good to confide in someone about her worries about Valeria.
So Alberta decided on a partial version of the truth. “I think she’s having trouble adjusting to courtship,” she said. “And Lord Woodsford may be finding the adjustment similarly difficult. Things were just a bit awkward between the two of them the last time he came to visit.”
Eleanor didn’t need to know how devastated Valeria had been after that afternoon. She didn’t need to know that it had been almost a full day before Valeria had cheered up enough to come and eat a meal with the family. And she certainly didn’t need to know that Valeria still floated around the house like a ghost.
“Well, I’m surprised to hear that!” Eleanor said. “I saw them together at the ball you threw, and they seemed delighted by one another’s company. I would have said that I would be dancing at their wedding by Season’s end! And now you’re telling me things were awkward? How can that be?”
“This is the point I’m getting at,” Alberta said. “It seems clear to me that the two of them do care for each other. They’re just struggling with the formalities of courtship. They’re trying to find their way through a new world. Once they relax and grow a bit more comfortable, things will be easier for both of them.”
“Well, I certainly hope you’re right about that,” Eleanor said. She allowed a note of doubt to creep into her voice.
Alberta didn’t bother trying to disguise her frustration with her friend. “Of course I’m right,” she said. “Why on Earth wouldn’t I be?”
“That Lord Woodsford has always struck me as a bit unusual,” Eleanor said. “He’s a veryquietgentleman, isn’t he?”
“He’s a bit reserved, yes,” Alberta said. “I don’t see it as a flaw. He’s unfailingly well-mannered.”
“But still,” Eleanor said, “I was surprised that you chose him for your niece, what with that charming Lord Harlston showing an interest. I would have thought—”
“Enough, Eleanor,” Alberta said. “Valeria is very taken with Lord Woodsford. I’m certainly not going to ruin that for her by telling her that her choice is the wrong one.”
