Gwyn gasped, but Joshua wasn’t done with Malet. “Once all the gossip has died down and Gwyn and I are wed, you’ll wake up one day to find my blade at your throat. And not a soul will know—or care—who murdered you. I’ll make sure of that.”
It wasn’t entirely an idle threat. If there were any way to wipe Malet off the earth without Gwyn suffering further scandal, Joshua would find it. Indeed, he prayed he could prove Malet a traitor. Because then the man would hang, and Joshua wouldn’t even have to dirty his own hands to kill him. Although it was possible that the money Malet’s landlord said he was expecting was simply the blackmail money. A hundred pounds would buy lodgings for quite some time.
They left the alley then, with Malet cursing behind them. It was a good thing that not many people were shopping just then, so they’d had no witnesses to the confrontation. Or none that wished to acknowledge it, apparently.
Joshua started to walk toward Gunter’s, but Gwyn stopped him. She took his right hand in hers. “Your glove is ruined.”
He looked down to see that his right glove had split during his beating of Malet.
She stripped it off. “Oh, dear. You’ll have to keep your hand in your pocket.”
“Can’t. I have to use this hand to hold the cane when I walk.”
“Oh. Of course.” She looked anxious. “But Mama will wonder—”
“I have a new pair of gloves.” He took them out of his pocket. “I’ll just wear these, all right?”
As he removed his old ones and pulled on the new ones, she frowned. “They’re a different color. Mama will notice. She always notices such things.” She lowered her voice. “Though I suppose we can tell her that your old ones were too ragged to salvage, so we discarded them at the glover’s.”
He nodded. “I’ll let you handle your mother. You’ve had far more experience doing it than I.” Something else occurred to him. “Where’s your shawl?”
“Oh, Lord, it’s still in the glover’s shop. Let me just fetch it.”
When she came out with it and they began to walk again, she glanced down at his cane. “I hope you didn’t ruin it by beating Lionel with it.”
“I don’t care. Just as I don’t regret what I did to him in the alley.”
Her gaze shot to him, and a blush stained her cheeks when she saw how intently he was looking at her. “Later, you and I will talk, I promise,” she whispered. “But right now, we must join Mama before she comes looking for us and happens to see Malet in the alley. Or worse, stumbling out.”
Joshua had so many questions, so many matters he wanted to clarify. But she was right—here and now was not the time.
“Whatever you wish,” he said. “I place myself in your hands.” He stared hard at her. “Until we can be alone.”
Chapter Sixteen
Until we can be alone.
Gwyn sighed. There would be a reckoning once they were, and she supposed she deserved one, given that she’d put Joshua in the untenable position of fighting her battles.
Though, at the moment, she was grateful for his interference. Who knew what might have happened if Joshua hadn’t shown up when he had?
Still, the fact that he’d had to listen to . . . to Lionel’s insinuations and make his own conclusions . . . She couldn’t stand his knowing the truth about her. It was worse even than having Thorn—or Mama—know. How would she explain it to him? Joshua seemed so rigid most of the time.
Not to mention, prone to violence. The episode with Lionel still sparked fear in her. It was alarming how much trouble Joshua had controlling himself. The only thing that gave her solace was that she’d been able to bring him back from the brink. Today anyway.
By the time they got back to Gunter’s, the knot in Gwyn’s stomach was so tight, she had to halt outside to calm herself. She looked up at Joshua. “Mama must never know what just occurred. It will upset her terribly, and given her present fragile state—”
“Your mother isn’t as fragile as you think.” He glanced away. “But no, I don’t want to tell her that I nearly killed Malet. Or why.”
“Thank you.” Bad enough to realize that Joshua knew the reason. She certainly wasn’t ready for Mama to know. There was no way of being sure how she’d react. “Mama doesn’t need to have such ugliness in her head.”
“Does she know about you and Malet at all?”
Gwyn nodded. “She knows we courted. Remember when she and I were talking about Hazlehurst in the carriage? That’s whom we really meant. It was so long ago, Mama didn’t remember the name, probably because she doesn’t know any of what I told you concerning Thorn and Lionel.”
“Ah. And you didn’t correct her because you didn’t want me to—”
The door to Gunter’s opened, and Mama came out with two glass bowls and spoons in hand, effectively ending their intimate conversation. “It’s about time you two returned. Your ices are melting. Why, I’ve already finished mine. And Joshua, why on earth did you go running off? One minute I’m ordering an ice for Gwyn and the next I’m looking around for you both. I had to guess what to order for you.”
