Chapter 28
CLARK
A morning walk beside the Royal Crescent had seemed like a splendid idea until Mrs. Wickerton intercepted my path. Her gray curls were tucked inside her mobcap, her slender fingers wrapped around her tiny book of gossip. I wondered how many times my name had been mentioned inside it.
Following my introduction to Bath society, she had likely been boasting of her connection to the Campbell family and how she had known of my existence all along. Even now, her eyes lit up with intrigue as she examined my face, then Colin’s.
“Good day, Mr. Campbell. And Mr. Campbell.” Her lips curled into a grin. “I confess it does still shock me when I see the two of you side by side, but I am quite proud of my ability to tell you apart. Most of town has not yet developed that talent.”
If only she knew the extent of it.
“I hope you are both managing all the attention well.” Her gaze drifted to Colin. “And you, Mr. Campbell, I should hope you are not too distraught at the recent speculation about Miss Arabella Sharp and Sir William.”
Colin’s stoic expression served him well in moments like this. I was grateful that he didn’t look in my direction. “I am entirely unaffected.”
“Oh, that is quite a relief.” Mrs. Wickerton pressed a hand over her heart. “In my own humble opinion, I believe you could secure a much more accomplished woman than Miss Sharp. A gentleman should never throw himself away, especially not at such a young age and with so much to offer.”
Colin nodded, and that was all. When having a conversation with Mrs. Wickerton, one only listened .
I didn’t need to ask her what she meant by the speculation about Arabella and Sir William. I had heard enough about their courtship over the past fortnight.
I had been unsuccessful in my attempts to obtain a loan.
Mr. Russell was the only creditor in town known to grant such large sums, but borrowing from him wasn’t an option.
The steep interest and constant pursuit of payments were too dangerous, as well as the possibility that he could discover my connection to Frederick Sharp.
It seemed obvious to ask Colin for money, to confide in him about Arabella’s situation, but that was my very last resort.
I feared that depending on him to rescue me once again would undo the progress we had made.
I had just repaid a debt to him. I doubted he would agree to granting me another favor.
As torturous as it was, I had chosen to keep my distance from Arabella.
Her plans to court Sir William had only been thwarted in the first place because of me.
If I had any doubt that he was a good man, I would be more inclined to intervene, but I did believe she could learn to be happy with him.
To delay her any longer would only be selfish. I had resolved to let her go.
My heart rejected the idea so harshly that I nearly choked on a breath. To think of her married to another man made me physically ill, so I would have to learn not to think of her at all.
When Mrs. Wickerton finally finished prattling on about Arabella and Sir William, I released the tense breath in my lungs. She wandered down the road with a broad smile, as if she were very proud of herself for planting more seeds of gossip.
Colin glanced at me from the corner of his eye as we continued our walk along the crescent. His jaw was tight with frustration. “I can’t believe that after all we did, Miss Sharp is still going to secure Sir William.” He scoffed. “She is relentless. She cannot be stopped.”
Colin had been ranting about Miss Sharp’s antics ever since he had learned of their new courtship.
He had thought that the news would show me the truth of her character and help me love her less, but I found the opposite to be true.
I hadn’t gone a day—a single hour—without thinking of her over the last fortnight.
“I hope your feelings have changed,” Colin said with a cautious glance in my direction. “Now that you see what she is capable of.”
I shook my head. “They haven’t changed.”
Colin released a dismayed sigh, but I turned to face him in front of the short iron fence across from the Royal Crescent. “They will not change.”
“You cannot continue loving a woman who doesn’t love you in return.” Colin stared intently at my face, as if he were genuinely questioning my sanity. “She has chosen a different man.”
“She does love me.”
Colin scowled in confusion. “I’m afraid I must disagree.”
I gripped the iron fence with both hands. Until now, I had succeeded in keeping Arabella’s secret. But it had been festering in my heart for too long. “Her brother’s life is in danger if she doesn’t immediately acquire two thousand pounds.”
Colin’s blank expression lingered for a long moment before he stepped up beside me at the fence, brows pinched tight. I realized what little details I had given, so I relayed the rest of the situation to him as concisely as possible.
He listened, his eyes losing focus. “He could hang for that.”
“I know.” I swallowed. “Arabella knows that as well. I cannot fault her for anything she has done. I cannot imagine what lengths I would take to protect Eloise or Sally from such a fate.”
Colin reared back. “What about me? Would you send me to the noose?”
I shrugged. “It would depend on my mood.”
He scoffed. Surely he knew I was jesting, but neither one of us was yet comfortable expressing our affection for one another.
He stared out at the grass beyond the fence, his eyes still glazed.
“Fortune hunting is what it is, no matter the motivation. Sir William should know the situation before marrying her.”
“Do not breathe a word to him,” I demanded in a stern voice.
“I was told all of this in confidence. But I cannot tolerate you speaking ill of Arabella every day while I listen and wish I could contradict you. I love her, Colin, and I will never stop. If our circumstances were different, I would marry her.”
Colin’s somber eyes turned in my direction. “You wouldn’t run from the church and hide in the woods?”
I tried to laugh, but the sound lodged in my throat. “No.”
I felt Colin’s gaze on the side of my face, but he said nothing more.
I refused to ask him to remedy the situation.
I hadn’t told him until now because I hadn’t wanted him to feel responsible to.
He had Eloise’s upcoming Season to fund, an estate to manage, and I had spent my entire life disregarding the burden it all was for him. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
“I have accepted my circumstances.” My throat felt tight as I turned back toward the road. “And please do not pity Sir William. He is a lucky man.”
Colin was still silent as we resumed our walk. Words of sympathy did not come naturally to him, but I was content with that. There were no words that could fill the hollowness in my chest, so we walked quietly back to the Circus.