He was to blame.
His aunt sensed he liked Miss Alwyn, and she disapproved.
Who was this old woman to look down on anyone? What had she ever done in all her life but take from him?
Nor were the MacArrans ever known for their piety. They had made their fortune serving as privateers in the more recent centuries, and as Varangian Guards to the Byzantine emperors in medieval times. His ancestors were little more than piratesand mercenary soldiers. Elite, ruthless, and powerful. Not a martyred cleric or wise philosopher among them.
Was it any wonder he looked like a brute?
Or that his aunt behaved like a brute?
The evening dragged on, the rounds of whist seemingly endless.
Ruarke retired late to bed.
Never one to require much sleep, he was alert and eager to start his day as soon as the sun peeked over the horizon come morning.
He washed and dressed, hastily donning a workman’s attire consisting of a coarse linen shirt and dark trousers. He was not about to take the time to dress like a gentleman, perfecting the points on an overly starched collar or fashioning an elegant knot in a tie.
He donned a pair of sturdy hunting boots and quietly made his way out of the house.
He hoped Miss Alwyn would follow soon after. In truth, he was worried she might not show up. She could not have gotten much sleep last night. Not only did she have to put his aunt to bed, but she also had to attend to the additional chores, all of them unreasonable, the old crone demanded be done by morning.
As it turned out, he need not have worried about her missing their sunrise rendezvous. She was there ahead of him, seated in wait upon a fallen log in the grove, and smiling as he approached. “Good morning, Your Grace.”
“Good morning, Miss Alwyn.” He settled beside her. “I hope Lady Audley did not keep you up too late.”
“I managed.”
He frowned. “This nonsense has gone on far too long. I am the one who supports my aunt’s household. I do not expect her to dote on those who serve her, but I will not tolerate abuse. Ispoke to her about you last night. I see she retaliated by adding to your woes. Did you get any sleep last night?”
“Yes, Your Grace. The chores were trivial and petty. I will survive them.”
“No, I think I must insist on giving you a raise in wages,” he said, partly in jest. In truth, he was the one who supported his aunt’s household and was quite generous in the allowance he provided her monthly to maintain her staff and all her luxuries.
“Raise my…” She looked as though she was about to say something, but quickly clamped her mouth shut instead.
His stomach sank as he realized what else his aunt had done to the girl. “She hasn’t paid you, has she? And you are too afraid to demand your wages.”
Fire raged through him.
“I have a roof over my head and food to fill my stomach. She will never give me a recommendation if I leave her. Without that, I will never secure another position. Please do not say anything. What am I to do if she tosses me out?”
Her cheeks turned the brightest pink.
Oh, blast.
She was now reminded of their earlier conversation and his insistence onprotectingher. “Miss Alwyn, it is time we cleared the air about this mistaken impression you have of me. When I asked for your promise to come to me, I was only offering to help you out. I would never be so crude as to take you on as my mistress. To be clear about this, you willneverbe my mistress.”
She blushed to her roots, but let out the breath she had been holding. “Never?”
He smothered a smile.
Was that a hint of disappointment in her voice?
Ruarke intended to keep that in mind. “I only meant to protect you by securing another respectable position for you should the need ever arise. All you require is a sterlingrecommendation, and I shall be the one to provide it. Any family would snap you up when presented with a letter from the Duke of Arran.”
She brushed at her eyes as they moistened with tears. “Thank you, Your Grace. You have no idea how much this relieves me.”
