Chapter 6 #3
Margot blushed. “His letters have increased in frequency this past week. I do appreciate your receiving them and forwarding them to me. He couldn’t send them to me at home or to Paternoster Row, as we didn’t want my parents to notice.”
“I don’t understand,” Ellis said with a slight frown. “Is Pritchard not an acceptable suitor?” She glanced at Roman. “You mentioned the Laceys may not find him worthy.” She turned her attention to Margot. “And you’re nervous about telling them.”
“He doesn’t have a title. My parents were very much hoping I would wed a peer, especially since my sister became a marchioness and then, well, you know.” Margot mumbled the last as she studied the floor briefly.
Roman wasn’t sure if Margot was sad about losing her sister or something else. They’d never seemed particularly close, at least as far as he could tell.
“That is why they were hoping the two of you would marry,” Ellis concluded. “Arranged marriages or those made for some kind of personal gain are rarely successful, in my opinion.”
“I agree,” Margot said with great enthusiasm. “I have always wanted to marry for love, and my parents said I could after Clarissa married Keele. Now I have that chance. I know my parents will come to see how well-suited Oliver and I are. I can’t wait to see him again!”
Roman stared at her. “Again?”
Margot’s cheeks flamed. “He visited a fortnight ago. Please don’t tell my parents.”
“I absolutely will not. And I don’t want to know the details.
I will happily endorse your courtship with Pritchard.
He’s a good and highly intelligent man. Your father is very much looking forward to having him at the New Bond Street Library to increase the subscription base there, as he’s done in Oxford. ”
“He will do an excellent job,” Margot assured him. “But what about Mr. Inman? He’s such a dear man, and he’s been a wonderful asset to the library.”
“Don’t fret about Mr. Inman,” Roman said. “Ellis and I have a plan for him. We will ensure he’s not cast aside.”
Margot exhaled with relief. “I’m glad to hear it. When is Oliver coming to town?”
“We haven’t yet set a date for his visit, but my thought was to invite him to come this week, perhaps on Thursday, if that’s convenient for him. We’ll show him the New Bond Street Library, and he can converse with Inman about the position.”
“Could you arrange for him to stay a few days, at least?” Margot asked.
“I wonder if you could engage in some social events together,” Ellis suggested. “You could pretend to have an instant romantic connection, and Mr. Pritchard could ask to court you before he returns to Oxford. Your parents need never know you already engaged in an epistolary attachment.”
“You’re brilliant!” Margot grinned. “I could hug you.”
Ellis smiled. “You can if you like, though I understand if you would prefer not to in my current garb.”
Margot leapt forward and embraced Ellis anyway. “Thank you.”
Roman couldn’t see Ellis’s face until they broke apart. He caught the remnants of her smile before it disappeared completely. Then he looked toward Margot. “I do think you could be honest with your parents if you wanted to try. They only want you to be happy.”
At least, that’s what Roman hoped, particularly after his recent conversation with Josiah about his marriage to Clarissa and the fact that they weren’t happy.
Roman wanted to believe that Josiah would be delighted to learn his younger daughter had fallen in love, even if he wasn’t the type of husband they were hoping for.
Roman could persuade him—and Harriet—that it was better for Margot to wed a man of character and integrity instead of just hoping for a title. Roman’s father had been titled, and he’d been an absolute blackguard.
“Where will Oliver stay?” Margot asked. “Perhaps he could come to our house. We have plenty of room.”
Roman narrowed his gaze at her. “I don’t think that’s wise. He can stay here. I’ll arrange for you to visit with him—under supervision.”
Margot pursed her lips. “Just as you and Ellis are supervised?”
“I am not a marriageable young lady,” Ellis said. “You must protect your reputation.”
“But I’m going to marry Oliver,” Margot argued.
Ellis shook her head. “That doesn’t matter. Even if you’re betrothed, you must behave above reproach. If any compromising behavior were to be rumored, any potential place you had in Society would be gone.”
Margot blinked. “Truly?”
“Yes,” Roman said. “Trust me as someone raised in Society with its double standards and ridiculous expectations, as well as its penchant for gossip.”
“We will be careful,” Margot vowed. “I appreciate your facilitating our time together.” She looked at Roman. “You’re truly not disappointed about us not marrying?”
“Not at all,” he assured her. A marriage of convenience would have been extremely awkward, especially right now, when the only woman he could think about was Ellis. Roman would have to marry at some point, for he needed an heir, but he had plenty of time.
“Thank you both. My maid is waiting in the hall, so I must go.” Margot moved to open the door and glanced back over her shoulder. “Should I close this again?”
“That isn’t necessary,” Ellis said.
Margot nodded and slipped away, leaving the door ajar.
Ellis turned and shuffled papers on her desk. “I think it may be best if I worked somewhere else in the house.”
“Why?” Roman wanted to step around his desk to be closer to her but decided she might not want that after the way they’d been interrupted, which had necessitated her exposing herself as a woman.
Ellis gaped at him as if he’d gone daft.
“I don’t regret what happened before,” he said. “I’m sorry Margot walked in, but nobody else would do so without knocking.”
“You don’t know that.” She went back to needlessly moving papers. “We can’t continue in that manner. I’m your employee.”
She was right. She was his employee, and he knew it was wrong to take advantage of that situation. Even if she was interested or eager to engage in a physical relationship, he should not overstep. “I apologize for kissing you,” he said softly.
She did not look at him, and he hated that. “The blame lies with both of us. We should move on.”
“Agreed.” Except Roman knew he wouldn’t be able to forget what happened, and setting aside the almost incoherent passion he felt for her would be extremely difficult.
The best he could do would be to avoid temptation.
“We could work more at the offices in Paternoster Row,” he suggested.
“Or you could work in your room if you have sufficient space there.”
“The desk in my room is fine. In fact, I’ll go there now.” She picked up some things and took a step toward the door.
“What about your dinner with Miss Barclay?”
Ellis turned to face him. “I don’t want to go, but I don’t have a way to send a note back to her. I do think she might have told the footman not to wait for a reply on purpose.”
“You should go.”
“How do you propose I do that? The only way I can is in this disguise, and you know I don’t like eating with this nest of hair on my face.”
“You can take my coach,” he offered. “And a gown. You can change from your disguise into your regular clothing on the way there. I’ll make sure my coachman doesn’t say a word.”
She goggled at him as if he’d suggested she impersonate the queen. “First of all, I don’t have any of my own outer garments.”
He found that surprising. Unless she’d fled without any of her belongings. He suddenly wondered where she’d obtained her men’s clothing. “Where is it?”
“That doesn’t matter right now,” she said. “I will not change my clothing in your coach. That would be impossible in such a space.”
“I could at least deliver a message to Miss Barclay for you,” he offered.
Ellis exhaled. “No, I don’t want you doing that either. I’ll just go like this. And I’ll take a hack.”
“The hell you will,” Roman said with a surprising amount of heat. “I don’t want you going out alone like that after dark. You’ll take my coach. In fact, I’ll go with you, and I’ll wait while you’re inside.”
“That is completely unnecessary,” Ellis said with an equal dose of vigor. “No one is going to bother an unaccompanied young man going out in the evening. Furthermore, you don’t get to decide what I do or how I do it.”
“You are my employee, and I will ensure your safety. You either agree to my demands, or I will go to Wellesbourne House now and tell Miss Barclay you aren’t coming.”
Ellis glowered at him. “Fine.” She pivoted on her heel and stalked out the door.
Roman tried not to stare at her backside and completely failed. He then vowed to himself that he wouldn’t obsess over their kisses.
It took approximately two minutes for that resolution to go entirely up in flames.