9. Chapter Nine
CHAPTER NINE
Colin let himself into the dower house and set his keys down on the tiled countertop.
Felix the cat was curled up in the warming oven of the Aga, which was emitting its usual welcoming waves of heat into the silent room.
As he unzipped his coat, Colin found himself starting to relax.
Once upon a time, he’d thought London was everything, but now, every time he was there, he found himself yearning for a bit of peace and quiet.
Such was the way for all rakes, reality or syphilis usually got you in the end—or else you went out in some spectacular fashion fit for a family legend…
He eased a finger into the tight knot of his tie as he mounted the stairs.
There was a soft glow of light under the bedroom door, and he smiled as he lifted the latch and went in.
Mabel was still up, her glasses on the end of her nose, her laptop on her knees, and her earbuds in her ears.
She looked absolutely and perfectly at home in his bed.
“Hey!” She removed her earbuds. “How did it go?”
“Good, I think.” That wasn’t exactly true, but he was determined to put a cheerful face on it. “They said they’ll have a decision for me by the end of the week.”
“Well, that’s promising.” She patted the side of the bed, and he went to sit beside her. “How was London? Did you get to see the queen?”
“The king you mean?” He mock-frowned. “Her late majesty used to turn up at my school on a regular basis and ruin all our rugby and cricket matches.” He took his tie off over his head and undid the top button of his shirt.
“One hideous year we even got dragged over to Sandringham for some ghastly Christmas party with the royal brats while our parents danced the night away at the winter ball.”
“You poor, poor boy.” Mabel patted his hand. “How terrible for you.”
“It was. There was only one old movie allowed so we missed all the Christmas day specials. For the rest of the time, we had to sit nicely, drink hot chocolate, and play some stupid horse game where we had to let the Royals win. I’m glad we’ve got a new king, to be honest. He was the best of the bunch.
” He smoothed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Did you have a nice day without me?”
“It was great.” Her smile warmed his heart. “Your sister’s a hoot.”
“Felicity?”
She punched him gently on the arm. “Yes. She’s really starting to open up to me.”
“She was always close to Eric. When he died, she seemed to curl up inside herself and stop living.”
Mabel frowned. “I didn’t get that impression. She told me a little bit about him, and it sounded like she was scared of him.”
“He could be a bit… much.” Colin stood up and started undressing, his back toward her.
“You don’t like talking about him, do you?”
He focused on removing his cufflinks and carefully set them on the dressing table before turning back to her. “There’s nothing to say.”
“Felicity seemed to think your stepmother blamed you for Eric’s death in some way.”
“Which stepmother?” Colin asked as flippantly as he could. “I don’t think either of them were very fond of me. I suspect I was hard work to mother.”
“She didn’t specify.” Mabel was watching him very carefully.
He shrugged. “Then I don’t know what she’s on about. I think when someone dies unexpectedly, we all blame ourselves in some way, don’t we?”
“I wouldn’t know. It hasn’t happened to me yet.”
“Let’s hope it never does. Excuse me a minute.”
He headed for the bathroom, aware that he was running away but unable to stop himself. The trouble with falling in love with someone was that you got the urge to share all kinds of stuff, and then you risked getting kicked in the teeth and given the grand heave-ho.
Colin stared at his reflection in the huge, gilded mirror. Yes, he was in love with Mabel, but revealing certain things about his life still scared the shit out of him.
When he emerged from the bathroom, she was typing away on her laptop, a frown lodged between her brows.
“Trouble?” Colin asked as he set his glass of water on his side of the bed.
“You could say that.” She grimaced. “My partners have a new project on the horizon, and they want me to come back.”
“Do you need to go?” Colin paused before getting into bed. “I mean I have monopolized your time for ages, and I’d perfectly understand if you have to—”
“I don’t want to go. I love it here.”
“Then tell them that.”
“It’s not that easy.” She sighed. “I’m not saying I’m irreplaceable, but we’ve worked together as a team for ten years and so we’ve perfected the ability to get projects completed in the fastest time possible.”
“I bet.” He finally got in under the covers and lay back on his pillows, hands behind his head. “Can you work remotely?”
“I could, but I don’t want to. If I agreed to remote work, it wouldn’t be long before Joss demanded I attend in-person meetings and act as a representative for clients.” She looked at him over the top of her glasses. “I’m the least nerdy one of the group and can survive in daylight.”
He took her hand. “Are you worried about finances? I mean, are you okay for the rent on your apartment while you’re over here not working and all that kind of thing?”
“My sister’s staying at my place, so I’m good.” She hesitated. “And, as I keep trying to tell you, I do have money in the bank.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Colin brought her fingers to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I’d hate to think I was causing you problems.”
“You’re the least of my problems.” Mabel said. “In fact, you’ve helped me get out of that narrow box I was increasingly feeling trapped in and shown me a whole different world.”
He found himself gazing into her hazel eyes. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“Me?”
She gently bopped him on the nose. “Don’t go all British on me right now, okay? I had enough of that from Felicity this afternoon.”
“It’s hard not to,” he confessed. “Years of training and all that.”
“You make me happy. I’m enjoying this time with you, and I’d like to stay right here.” For the first time she looked a little uncertain. “If that’s okay with you?”
“Mabel.” He removed her glasses and framed her beautiful face in his hands. “That’s the loveliest thing anyone has ever said to me in my life.”
She leaned in and touched her mouth against his.
“Are you tired, Colin?”
“Not really.”
“Good.”
Her smile was wicked as she drew him down, and Colin forgot everything else but being in her arms. He loved her. He’d find a way to make his home secure and then offer her everything on bended knee.
Mabel rose early and left Colin sleeping in the vast bed.
Dealing with Joss’s passive aggressiveness had unsettled her.
Taking a walk around the estate was a good way of dealing with stress, and she found herself walking to the main house with the vague idea that she could gather up some of the many dogs and take them out.
She’d heard Felicity complain that, since her father had become bedridden, the dogs weren’t getting much exercise.
The kitchen door was ajar as usual, so she went in and followed the echoing tiled passageway past the old scullery, the laundry, and what Colin had referred to as the silver polishing room to the central part of the kitchen.
She stopped at the door as she spotted the earl’s valet Bartle pouring boiling water from one of the kettles into a spindly china teapot.
“Good morning, Miss Mabel. And how are you this fine day?”
“Very well, thank you.” Mabel beamed at him. “I came to see if any of the dogs wanted walking.”
“That would be very good of you, miss. I was just about to take his lordship’s tea up and let them out.” He set a teacup and saucer on the tray along with a jug of milk and the morning papers.
“I’ll wait, then.”
“I won’t be more than five minutes.”
Mabel spent the time trying to figure out what all the various hooks and crevices around the stove had been used for. She heard the clattering of claws on the stairs before she saw the dogs.
“His lordship says to thank you,” Bartle reported. “And he also asked me if you’d pass this telephone message over to the young master.” He handed Mabel a folded piece of paper. “One of the shareholders of the bank who is a personal friend of the earl rang here last night about the loan.”
“Was the earl aware that Colin had asked for one?” Mabel said.
“Oh, yes, indeed.” Bartle nodded vigorously. “But he wants Mr. Colin to deal with the business himself, which is why I’m passing the message over to you.” He bowed. “You can rely on my discretion in this matter, Miss. No one will hear anything about this from me I assure you.”
“Thanks.”
Bartle handed over a collection of tatty dog leashes. “Take as many of the dogs as you think you can manage.” He grinned. “You can easily tell who wants to go out and who prefers to stay in the kitchen by noting who is currently hiding under the table.”
Mabel rounded up the dogs, evenly distributed the leashes between her two hands, and set off.
Going up the hill toward the main parkland proved a lot easier with eight dogs towing her along.
She walked as far as the lake and sat down on a mossy stone bench in front of the fake temple.
The dogs settled around her contentedly.
She fished for a tissue in her pocket and came out with two and the crumpled note, which was now open and far too easy to read.
“Crap,” Mabel murmured. “Now I have guilt.”
Apparently, the bank would be more than happy to advance a new loan if Colin paid off the one his grandfather had taken out fifty years ago… a loan that Colin had obviously been unaware of because he hadn’t mentioned it might be a problem before he left.
“I could pay it off.” Mabel spoke into the silence. “It’s only a few thousand pounds and then no one would have to bother Colin about it.”
She absentmindedly patted one of the dogs as she considered the idea. There was no way she could roll up at one of the oldest and snobbiest banks in England and offer to pay someone else’s loan. They’d probably deport her as a money launderer. But was there another way?