3. Chapter 3 #2
Algenon’s finger made several slow circles on her arm, his head down and his brow knit together. His soft ministrations caused gooseflesh to rise on her arm, but a lump formed in her throat.
He’d always been gentle with her when they were away from prying eyes, even as children.
The inconsistency had not seemed strange when she was young; it was just how things were.
If John or Nate were around, he strutted around like a rooster, making certain to peck at her for good measure.
She took it in stride, returning a few jabs of her own.
Then the others would go home and his mask would eventually drop, much as it had now.
Gone was the peacock of a man he put on display for Society’s entertainment, but for how long?
“I can be that person,” he said softly.
A bark of disbelieving laughter burst from her before she could call it back. “You?”
He pulled away. “I do not see why such a suggestion is so shocking.”
“Forgive me, but other than the ball after you took a blow to the back of your head, you have never been a reliable companion at a social function. You are too busy collecting the hearts of every woman in attendance. Besides, as a gentleman, it would be inappropriate for you to stand by my side all evening. And even if it were, can you imagine the peal your father would ring over your head?”
Algenon shoved his hands in his coat pockets, his shoulders bent forward. The corners of his mouth pulled down and she could see that she’d truly hurt him.
“I need to get back to Blackthorn,” he said, more to the ground than her.
“Algenon, I didn’t mean—”
“No. You are correct. My father would be angry, as would yours. As it is, he’s already declared his intention to choose a wife for me this season.”
Like the sound of a hammer slamming down on an anvil, the words rang in Javenia’s ears, their impact strong and unyielding as they bent her heart into a mangled mess. Tears pricked at her eyes. She swiftly turned away and clenched her jaw against the pain.
She’d had an ominous feeling that this might be one of their last meetings, but not for such a soul shattering reason. Anger took the place of her pain. She hated Lord Roberts. More than anyone in the world, she wished the man dead.
It was uncharitable and his daughters would truly mourn him, but for her own sake she wished him gone.
“I hope whomever he chooses enjoys sharing her husband with half the Ton as he dribbles compliments over all the poor unexpecting females.”
She snapped her mouth shut. Why had she said that?
It wasn’t Algenon’s fault that his father was an imbecile.
With her back to him, she couldn’t see his reaction, but the air shifted.
She wished she didn’t sense his change in mood as easily as the warmth of the sun on her skin.
It was agonizing to know someone so well.
“Yes, well, it seems my flattering days are over. Actually, they have been for months now. Not that you would have noticed.”
She spun to face him, but he was already walking away. “Where are you going?”
“As I said, I have a meeting.” He waved a hand in the air and kept walking. “Good day, Miss Harris.”
She wanted to chase after him, to apologize for her sharp words, but what would she say? I’m sorry that I’ve been in love with you since we were fifteen and the idea of you marrying someone else is sending me to Bedlam.
Such a declaration would only make the separation harder. She’d known this day would come. Why then, did it feel like her soul was being scooped out of her body with a dull spoon?
Slowly, she turned her steps back to Hazelwood.
Her leaden feet dragged at the same time as her mind raced.
This couldn’t be the end. What would she do with the rest of her life?
She’d shared twenty years with Algenon. How could she wile away the rest of her days knowing he was building a life within view of her own home?
How could she see another woman hang on his arm, look at him with admiration… bear his children?
Her hands fisted and her jaw tightened.
She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.
To Hades with Lord Roberts.
Never in her life had she backed down from a fight, and she didn’t intend to begin now.
Her steps halted. There was only one problem. She could not win this battle on her own. Algenon would have to fight with her, but did he care for her enough to stand up to his father… to defy his authority?
The hazy memory of his words to Eddie twelve years ago made her resolve falter.
“I could never marry Javenia. She’s too difficult. We’d kill each other before the wedding trip was through.”
Her chest constricted as she remembered Eddie’s laugh. If only he’d disagreed with Algenon. But he hadn’t. He’d agreed, even encouraged.
“That was a long time ago,” she muttered to herself. “People change.”
But had she and Algenon changed enough? Eddie had once said Algenon cared for her. Did he care enough to fight for her?
With great force, she drew herself upright. She just needed to convince him.
She’d done it before; she could change his mind again. A slow smile pulled at the corners of her lips as an idea formed. Clutching her shawl tightly around her shoulders, she picked up her pace.
Inside the house, she went directly to her room and sat down at the tiny oak desk near her window.
For her daily letters she usually used a standard cream-colored paper, the kind made in mass at one of the papermills in Maidstone, but today she opened the top right-hand drawer and removed one of her precious pieces of soft blue paper.
It was finer than the others, the thickness strong enough to wear well under months of use.
Once her inkwell and quill were in place, she took a deep breath and laid out the plan in her mind before she wrote a single word. It needed to be perfect. One mistake and all her work would be for naught.
Then she set to writing the first item on her list. As she wrote, the tension in her shoulders ebbed. It had always been like this. When life spun out of control, the only thing to do was to pull it back together herself. She didn’t trust anyone else to do it. Probably because they never had.
No one had come to her rescue. Not her mother or her father, none of her siblings, even her friends had been lacking in her most desperate times of need.
Except one.
Algenon.
Her hand tightened on the quill, doubt worming its way into her mind. No, she couldn’t even trust him to know his own mind this time. He needed her help.
When the list was complete, she stared at the top item. It went against their unspoken rules so completely that her hand trembled at the thought. But how else was she to get his attention?
After a moment she looked away, the words of the first line clearly emblazoned in her mind.
1. Flirt with Algenon.