“That man who visited the Manor yesterday,” Valeria said. “He was no merchant, was he? He was a debt collector.”
“Yes, he was,” Aunt Alberta said.
“Why did he come here?”
“It’s standard practice for such men to make inquiries into the finances of the gentlemen from whom they are paid to collect debts,” Aunt Alberta said.
“You say it as if it’s nothing,” Valeria said. “Nothing to be alarmed or worried about. And yet, I saw the way you were with that man. You were angry with him. You all but had him thrown from the Manor.”
Aunt Alberta was quiet for a moment.
“I don’t trust him,” she said at last.
“If he’s the sort of person Lord Woodsford associates with—”
Duncan turned at last.
“Thomas isn’t like that,” he said. “I know what debt collectors can be like, and if one is pursuing him—well, it means that he’s in trouble. But it doesn’t mean anything about the kind of person he is, Valeria. I know him.”
“I can’t take a chance,” Valeria said. “Don’t you see, Duncan? I’ve spent my entire life at the mercy of my brother. I can’t spend even a single day with someone else who might treat me badly. And if Lord Woodsford is being pursued by a debt collector—”
“It doesn’t change who he is,” Duncan said. “It doesn’t change the kind of man he is.”
“I can’t know that, though,” Valeria said. To her horror, her eyes were filling with tears, and Duncan looked shocked and alarmed as he hurried over to sit beside her. “Don’t you see, Duncan? All my life, I thought that the way Richard was treating me was normal and to be expected. I thought that when he slapped me in the face, it didn’t mean that I ought to think any differently of him, because he was still the brother I loved underneath it all. I thought that when he yelled at me and blamed me for things that couldn’t possibly be considered my fault, those things somehowweremy fault, and that I was the one who was wrong.”
Duncan watched her quietly.
“If there’s even a chance that Lord Woodsford might reveal himself to be the same kind of man,” she said, “one who seems kind at first but later turns out to be a monster—I can’t have anything to do with him.”
Duncan nodded slowly. “I understand.”
She looked at him, unable to contain the hope that had sprung to life within her. “You do?” she asked. “Really?”
“Agreeing to courtship was difficult for you,” he said. “You’re certainly under no obligation to keep a courtship going just because you’ve started one. And if this arrangement with Lord Woodsford doesn’t feel like the right fit to you for whatever reason, you should certainly feel free to leave it.”
“But he’s your friend,” Valeria said, a few tears escaping her eyes now. “You’re not upset that I don’t want to be with your friend?”
“Certainly not,” Duncan said. “You’re my family, Valeria. That comes first. It’s whatyouneed that I’m worried about.”
She flung her arms around him, unable to express how utterly relieved she felt. “Oh, Duncan,” she said, embarrassed to find that she was breaking down into outright sobs now. “Thank you so much for understanding.”
He chuckled lightly as he patted her back. “Were you really afraid that I would be angry?”
“I thought you would be upset that I didn’t trust your friend,” she wept.
“It’s all right,” Duncan said. “If you don’t feel comfortable with him, then you don’t. Personally, I do believe he’s trustworthy. I know he has debt. But I don’t believe he would involve himself in anything sordid in order to settle his debt.”
“Perhaps not—”
“But it doesn’t matter,” Duncan said. “What matters is your comfort and happiness, Valeria. If you don’t wish to pursue your arrangement with him, we’ll break it off, and that will be that.”
Valeria looked up at her aunt. “Aunt Alberta,” she said. “I know I can’t possibly make this decision without your blessing.”
“Don’t worry,” Aunt Alberta said. “You have it. It’s just as Duncan said—we’re family, and you’ll always have support from us for all your decisions.”
Valeria let out a shuddering sigh. She hadn’t expected it to be so easy. If she had still been with Richard, she would have had no choice in this matter at all. Richard would have made the decision for her, and she would have been forced to do as he said.
But her aunt and cousin were considering what she wanted and needed. And for the first time in a long time, Valeria really felt as though her opinions mattered. There would be no need for her to try to manipulate the situation into something she was comfortable with, something she could stand. She had only to tell them what she wanted.
