Kate stepped over to him. He dropped his hands to his lap and she handed him the sleeping child, sensing he needed to hold his niece, to prove to himself she was real and alive and perfectly safe. ‘Is everyone searching?’ she asked, ignoring the twinge in her heart at the sight of the broad man cuddling the little girl to him.
‘Yes, I…’ He glanced towards the door.
‘I will go and tell them.’
‘Thank you.’ He smiled, his body sagging back into the chair. ‘I am not sure my legs will support me yet.’
Darting away, she hoped it was not obvious to him how much she wanted to do something for him.
Emily was not far from the library door; her normally immaculate hair was pulled mostly from its bun and her eyes were red-rimmed. She pressed a hand to her chest when Kate told her Charlotte was safe and sound and sleeping in her uncle’s arms. ‘Oh, thank goodness. I do not think I shall ever be the same again. I did not truly think something bad had happened, but as time went on… She puffed out her cheeks, then slowly released a long breath, seeming to calm herself by the action. ‘Ishall tell everyone else. If you could let Edward know you have informed us, I would be grateful.’
‘Of course I will tell…’ but Emily was already scurrying away.
Edward hadn’t moved from where she had left him. Some of his colour was back, but his lips were still tightly pressed together, unable to smile yet. Oblivious to the terror she had caused, Charlotte slept on.
‘Dolly is still up on the mezzanine. Shall I get her?’ Kate asked, wanting an excuse to stay for a little while longer.
‘Please,’ said Edward, not taking his gaze off his niece.
She took her time fetching the toy, reminding herself of the reasons she must not develop a soft spot for Edward Dashworth. He may be nicer than men of his social standing normally were towards her, he may have wide shoulders and full lips, but all those things meant nothing. Men of his ilk did not take a governess for a wife. The best she could hope for with him was to become his mistress. Pausing for a moment, the doll still on the floor, she waited for the inevitable horror at the idea to fill her. It didn’t and that frightened her more than anything. She began to place the fallen books back on the shelf, wondering why her body did not react with its usual sickness at the prospect of becoming a man’s kept woman. Why vehemently resist Michael Chorley if she was not equally horrified by the idea when it came to Edward Dashworth? Images of the two men side by side flickered through her brain and she sighed softly, running her fingers along the spines of the books, which were now neatly back in place. There was one very obvious reason why the thought of being Edward’s mistress was not as appalling as becoming Michael Chorley’s. When Edward looked at her with his dark eyes filled with amusement, she did not shudder with fear and disgust. Rather, she wanted to say something entertaining to keep him looking at her.
Regardless of his long fingers, she would be kept by no man. To do so was to lower herself in her own eyes. She may not have much but she did have her virtue and her honour and she would not give those away. Even if she didn’t mind about throwing those to one side, her vicar father would turn in his grave if he thought his daughter was acting as someone’s wife without the formality of marriage. She respected his memory enough that she would not want to dishonour him even if he would never know. Besides, all this musing was for nought. The man had not asked her, had shown no interest in her in a romantic sense and had not sought out her company over the last ten days.
Back on the ground floor, Edward was looking far more composed than he had previously. His colour had returned to normal and his lips were no longer pressed tightly together, although his hair still stood on end where he had been running his fingers through it.
‘What happened?’ she murmured, taking a seat opposite him. ‘If it is not too soon to talk about it.’
His half-smile did not reach his eyes; he wiped one hand over his face, before rearranging Charlotte on his lap. ‘Christopher and I were playing hide and seek with her. She’s normally terrible at the game. She hides and makes us hide too and then no one is seeking, which is confusing to Christopher and me, but she seems to understand it.’ Kate melted a little inside at the thought of the two large men hiding from the tiny girl, but she steeled her backbone; she had just spent time reminding herself of her father and her own morals. ‘Only this time, she disappeared on us.’ His shoulders slumped. ‘I thought someone had taken her or she was trapped somewhere.’
The colour was leaching out of him again.
‘All is well,’ she reassured him quickly before he could spiral into despair once more. ‘You have found her and she is safe; she was always safe.’
‘Yes.’ He nodded. ‘Yes, you are right, of course.’ He looked lovingly down at Charlotte and something in the pit of her stomach stirred. It could not be maternal feelings, surely. She had long since given up on the idea of having children of her own. ‘I should take her back to the nursery so she can rest properly.’
But he didn’t move and neither did Kate. The rain continued to patter against the window, but otherwise the house was still and silent.
‘Does she talk very much?’ asked Kate after a while.
‘She does more now. When she first arrived with us, she did not speak for the first few weeks, but she is getting better.’
‘On her arrival and in the following days, did she understand you when you spoke to her?’
‘I… I cannot really remember. It was a such a shock.’
‘A shock?’ she prompted.
‘I keep forgetting your brother did not tell you anything about us before he left. Is he naturally reticent or is it only when it involves his cases?’
‘He used to talk more when we were younger, but life has taught him not to say as much and he talks even less about his work.’
‘I see. Well, I am not going anywhere for a while, so I might as well start from the very beginning. The five of us grew up here.’ He waved a hand around to encompass the whole house and not just the library. ‘It was not a happy childhood. Our parents died when we were young. I do not remember them, if I am honest. Tobias might but he never speaks of that time. Miss Dunn, ouraunt, raised us, and she was a vicious old toad.’ He adjusted his grip on the sleeping child, leaning back slightly into the chair, finally allowing himself to be comfortable. ‘She would punish us for the slightest misdemeanour. I was horribly afraid of her.’ He laughed wryly. ‘In my imagination, she is a grotesque giant, but I would imagine I would tower over her now.’
Kate didn’t smile. She had met enough bullies in her life, had to live by their rules on more than one occasion, to understand what it was like to be subjected to another person’s unreasonable demands. He might be making light of it, but she doubted he was able to put it to one side in reality.
‘I left here as soon as I was able,’ Edward continued. ‘Tobias had long since pensioned Miss Dunn off to somewhere deep in the countryside, but I did not like to be reminded of the days that had passed in her company by staying within these walls. I have an apartment in town and a small estate in the country I was able to purchase after several investments went well.’ Kate couldn’t imagine what Edward thought small; it certainly didn’t marry with the wordestate. Yet another reminder of how different they were. ‘Charlotte’s arrival changed everything. The terms of Sebastian’s will are clear and binding if we want to keep our niece in our life.’
‘In what sense?’
