“Weddings themselves might not be, but then there are the other matters,” she said with a little wave of her fork.
“Other matters?”
“Yes. Dowries and such.” She made a funny little face as she wrinkled her nose. “You know…the business of marriage.”
He blinked at the note of bitterness in her voice and for the millionth time that day he felt a pang of sympathy for this odd girl with her snooty ways.
From a distance one might think she was just a spoiled wealthy young lady. But one would be wrong. She was that…but there was more to her than just that.
She just did a remarkable job of hiding it. But even so, her act didn’t work on him.
He’d made a career out of learning people’s real identities and ferreting out their true natures.
This girl wasn’t nearly as shallow as she pretended, nor as hardened. But he’d bet money he was one of few who knew that.
“You stepmother handles the…business of your marriage?” he asked.
She nodded. “It is not typical, I know, but my father is in ill health. He has been for years. My stepmother has all but taken over the day-to-day work with running an estate, and I am part of that estate.”
She didn’t sound sad and that casual mention of herself as just a part of her father’s estate made him inexplicably angry.
“Most people would put their solicitor in charge, or appoint a guardian—”
She shook her head. “My father doesn’t trust many people, and he trusts no one as much as he does his wife.”
He eyed her. “Are you and your father close?”
The flinch was so subtle one might have missed it. Rupert did not.
“No.”
No. That was it. No explanations or justifications. Just no.
“It is getting late,” she said, setting down her utensils as she looked toward the dark window. “I had better get home.”
He gaped at her. She couldn’t be serious. “You are not going home. You would not be safe there.”
She huffed. “Fine. Then I will go back to the school. I’m certain Miss Grayson will have my room—”
“You cannot go there, either.”
She blinked. “Why not?”
He glowered at her as he leaned forward. “Do you honestly think Miss Grayson or any of the other girls could keep you safe if trouble follows?”
She opened her mouth but he wasn’t done.
“Would you want to be responsible for putting them in harm’s way?”
She blinked and clamped her mouth shut. “Then…” Her cheeks stained pink. “W-where shall I go?”
His heart threatened to combust with emotions at the rare display of vulnerability. “You’re not going anywhere, love.” He reached for her hand. “I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here.”
8
She stared at this strange man in horror. “Here?” Her voice rose an octave higher than usual without her say so. “You want me to stay here?”
He shrugged, as if he hadn’t just suggested that they ruin her reputation in one rash move.
“That is ridiculous.”
He leaned back, looking far too amused for her liking. She hated when this man laughed at her, and it seemed to be most of the time.
The rest of the time he was being even more irritating by comforting her like she was a child or someone to be pitied.
She was neither. She was Miss Delilah Clemmons and while her situation might not have been ideal, it was not dire.
She hadn’t died today, after all.
That was a good start.
And that was very much thanks to this man.
She shoved the thought to the side. She was grateful for his assistance, yes, but she couldn’t afford to focus on that now or she might forget that he was not her friend.
He was a stranger.
A stranger who’d held her in his arms and made her feel safe, a stranger who’d appeared out of nowhere when she’d needed him, a stranger who’d saved her life…
But still a stranger.
She looked around her at the uncommonly nice surroundings and she was reminded once again of just how little she knew about him.
What kind of man looked like he did—the very picture of gruff and disheveled—but lived in a place like this?
“Do you live alone?” she asked.
He nodded slowly. “Just me and a few servants.”
“And you expect me to stay here. Overnight.”
“I do.”
She let out a shaky breath. “I cannot do that.”
He met her stare for a long moment, and she hated him for it. Those rough features that looked as though he’d been in too many fights. The broad, muscular shoulders that didn’t seem to fit in this elegant home. His frame was too big for the furniture, it seemed…
But the perfect fit for her to lean against.
She shut her eyes to stop herself from going there. It was bad enough that she’d let him hold her—twice.
It was even worse that she’d enjoyed it.
But now they were discussing her ruin, thank you very much. This was definitely not the time to swoon. “I cannot,” she said again.
“Why not?”
Her eyes grew so wide, it actually started to hurt. But honestly… “Are you serious?”
He shrugged, like they were discussing the weather. “Of course. You cannot go home, you shouldn’t go to the school…where do you think you ought to go?”
Her mind raced to think of other options. She had no family to speak of aside from her father, no friends other than the girls at the school…
She was alone.
The weight of this realization hit her so hard and so quick, she didn’t have time to brace for it. Once when she was a child, she fell from a low tree branch and the air from her lungs had left in a rush. She couldn’t draw in a breath right away and there had been this moment of panic as she fought for air.
That was exactly how she felt now. Like she could not breathe. Like she might never be able to breathe.
“Easy, love.” He moved to her, drew her out of her seat and held her like a child, cradling her to his
