Chapter 17
Olivia kept her gaze fixed on the window as the coach brought her closer to her brother’s townhouse. Rows of tidy brick houses and flickering lamplight gave way to shaded trees and cobbled lanes, but she scarcely noticed. Her thoughts were too loud, too persistent.
She hadn’t needed a break from Evander himself—far from it.
She needed space because being near him stirred feelings she could no longer contain.
There had been a time when friendship was enough, when the quiet safety of their camaraderie had been all she desired.
But that kiss… that blasted kiss had upended everything.
Now, she couldn’t look at him without remembering the way his lips had moved over hers—tentative at first, then certain.
It had been the kind of kiss that left one unsteady, the kind that lived in the memory long after it had passed.
And ever since, something in her had shifted.
She didn’t want a marriage of convenience. She wanted him. In every sense.
But what if he did not feel the same?
Her heart gave a nervous flutter. Evander would never mock her or respond with cruelty—she trusted him too much to believe that—but rejection from someone she had come to love would be its own kind of devastation. How could she return to being simply friends after that?
The coach rocked slightly as it slowed, the sound of the horses’ hooves softening on the stones. She turned just in time to see the door open, startled to find Lord Harwood climbing in.
Her brow arched with suspicion. “What, pray tell, are you doing here?”
“I needed to speak with you,” he said, settling across from her. He spoke as if that alone excused the impropriety of it all.
Before Olivia could gather her wits enough to retort, the coach door swung open and one of her footmen appeared, his face a mask of alarm and hostility as he sized up the uninvited passenger. “Get out!” he ordered.
Lord Harwood didn’t so much as flinch under the glare. Instead, his gaze remained fixed upon her. “Please, Olivia. Just hear me out.”
Olivia pursed her lips together. How dare he, knowing full well the danger he posed to her reputation? “You do realize the precariousness of the situation you put me in?”
“I do,” came his simple reply.
She exhaled slowly. “Very well. I will hear you out.”
The footman looked to her for confirmation, then—albeit reluctantly—closed the door. The coach jerked back into motion, causing Olivia to sway slightly in her seat.
She narrowed her eyes. “And you do realize what would happen if anyone saw us alone like this?”
“We are family friends.”
“I am a married woman, Joseph,” she said sharply. “Everything has changed. We are not children anymore.”
He gave a rueful smile. “If my brother hadn’t been such a fool, you would have been married to him.”
Olivia’s stomach twisted, but she kept her tone composed. “It was for the best.”
Joseph tilted his head. “I’m not entirely sure that’s true. He was miserable after he married. He did it for the dowry, not for love.”
“Well, that was his decision. Not mine.”
He leaned forward, his voice softer. “You were the best thing that ever happened to him.”
She drew back slightly. “It matters not. What’s done is done.” Her voice was firm. “And I am married to Evander now.”
Joseph didn’t miss a beat. “Do you love him?”
Her breath caught. “I beg your pardon?”
“The question is rather simple. Do you love him?”
She could feel the blush creeping into her cheeks and despised herself for it. “I heard you. But I will not answer that.”
His smirk deepened. “You do. I know it.”
Trying to regain her composure, she crossed her arms and asked, “Is there a purpose to this conversation?”
“No,” he said, shrugging casually. “But I am happy for you. I never thought it fair how the ton painted you.”
She glanced out the window, trying to keep her voice light. “I made a mistake.”
“One mistake in an otherwise unblemished life,” he said, not unkindly.
Olivia turned back to him, her gaze steady now. “Why are you here, Joseph? You didn’t risk both our reputations just to chit-chat about the past.”
His features sobered. “I need your help. I need you to convince Evander to sell the indigo plantation.”
“Why would I do that?”
A flicker of genuine distress passed over his face. “Because I fear your life may be in danger.”
She drew back further. “Why? I have nothing to do with the plantation.”
“True, but the reformers are growing desperate. We are running out of time,” he said grimly. “I’ve been threatened, and so has my mother.”
The mention of Lady Harwood made her gasp. “Not your mother.”
“She’s already endured more than her fair share. I can’t burden her with this, too.”
“I understand, but—”
“No, Olivia,” he interrupted, his tone steelier than before. “You don’t understand. Neither does Evander. What’s at stake here is greater than you know.”
She held his gaze. “Then explain it to me.”
He hesitated, then ran a hand through his hair. “There is a growing movement in India. They’re determined to dismantle the power of the Nabobs. An uprising is coming. We need to pull out before we lose everything.”
For a long moment, Olivia simply studied him. There was real fear in his eyes—an urgency that made her chest tighten.
“I will speak with Evander,” she said. “But I promise nothing.”
“He will listen to you. I know he will.” He knocked against the ceiling of the coach. “This is my stop.”
The vehicle came to a halt, and Joseph exited as swiftly as he had arrived, leaving her alone with her racing thoughts once more.
Only minutes later, the coach drew up before her brother’s townhouse. As she descended, she looked up at its familiar windows and realized with a pang that it no longer felt like home. Her home was now with Evander.
The door opened before she could knock, and Dosia stood on the threshold with a bright smile. “What a delightful surprise! Do come in.”
Olivia climbed the steps, allowing herself to be pulled into a warm embrace.
“I’m so glad to see you,” Dosia declared. “I’ve missed you.”
The sincerity in her voice brought an ache to Olivia’s chest. She hadn’t realized how much she missed the comfort of true friendship until now.
“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” Dosia asked, stepping back. “I can have chocolate or biscuits sent up.”
Olivia laughed for the first time that morning. “Chocolate sounds heavenly.”
Dosia turned to the butler. “Two cups, if you please.” Then she linked her arm with Olivia’s and led her to the drawing room. “Now then, what brings you here at this hour?”
“Can’t I simply visit my dearest friend?”
“You can—and must—but you are rarely up so early without cause.”
Once seated in the drawing room, Olivia let go of Dosia’s arm and faced her fully. It was time to speak the truth.
“I made a mistake,” she revealed.
Dosia’s brows lifted. “Oh?”
“I think… I think I’ve fallen in love with Evander.”
“You think?”
Olivia moved to the settee and sank down, the admission tumbling out with a sigh. “No, I don’t think. I know. I love him.”
Dosia gave a knowing smile. “That is not surprising.”
“But it could ruin everything,” Olivia whispered. “What if he doesn’t feel the same?”
“And what if he does?”
She tipped her head back, staring at the plasterwork on the ceiling. “We’ve always been friends. Can I risk that?”
Dosia joined her on the settee. “It’s frightening to bare one’s heart, I know. But you cannot continue pretending all is the same.”
“Why not?” Olivia asked. “It’s safe.”
“True love isn’t about safety. It’s about truth. And truth has a way of growing, whether you like it or not.”
“That sounds rather painful.”
Dosia grinned. “Sometimes it is. But more often, it’s wonderful. There is nothing better than being in love.”
Before Olivia could respond, the sound of voices and hurried steps echoed through the entry hall. A moment later, Evander burst through the doorway.
“Olivia!” he said, relief etched in every line of his face.
She rose at once. “Is everything all right?”
“No!” He ran a hand through his hair. “You shouldn’t have left the townhouse.”
Her brows furrowed. “Why not?”
He took her hand gently. “It’s not safe. Warwicke believes someone may target you next.”
“Joseph said the same.”
Evander stilled. “You saw Harwood?”
She nodded. “He stepped into the coach on my way here. He wants me to try to convince you to sell the indigo plantation.”
His jaw tensed. “You should not have been alone with him. What if someone saw you?”
“It wasn’t my choice.”
“Regardless, we should get you home where it is safe,” Evander said, his hand tightening around hers.
Olivia looked down at their joined hands, then up into his face. There was a solemn intensity in his eyes—protective, almost fierce. The furrow in his brow, the set of his jaw… he meant it. He wasn’t just repeating Warwicke’s warning. He was worried for her.
She might have argued that her brother’s townhouse was secure enough, that Dosia and the staff would never let harm come to her.
But whatever protest had formed on her lips melted beneath the weight of his concern.
And truth be told, it warmed something in her—something soft and fragile that had been growing ever since that kiss.
“Very well,” she said at last. “Let’s go home.”
His features relaxed at once, the tension easing from his shoulders. “I was expecting more of a fight from you.”
“I can’t become too predictable,” she teased. “Besides, you now owe me a cup of chocolate for dragging me away.”
“That is easily arranged.” He turned to Dosia with a nod of gratitude. “Forgive the intrusion.”
Dosia offered him a gracious smile. “You are always welcome in our home.”
Evander shifted Olivia’s hand, tucking it into the crook of his arm with a familiarity that sent a little flutter through her. She allowed herself to lean into him slightly.
“Shall we return?” he asked.