Chapter 3 #2
“It is not so simple, Your Grace.” She clicked her tongue awkwardly. “Where adoption is concerned, we consider all facets of those who request it. And while I am aware of your status, I cannot help but believe that a family is what Lucy needs. A father, yes, but also a mother.”
“I disagree,” he argued, doing his best to keep his temper. “I can offer Lucy security and safety. That is what she needs most.”
“What of love? What of familial warmth?” Miss Wilks spoke softly, and the look in her aged eyes showed how much she believed her words. “These things cannot be bought. I do so appreciate your offer, Your Grace, but it is Lucy who I must think about. Her future is my main concern.”
It was not what Rhys wanted to hear. However, it was also not a huge surprise. Even if the American family had not shown an interest in Lucy, Rhys knew that he was going to have to fight to adopt her.
That was, after all, why he had visited Miss Wilks today. He knew what he needed to do, the only way that he might manage his adoption. Before he did such a thing, an act that would change his life forever, he had to know that it would work.
“And what if I had a wife?”
Miss Wilks blinked. “What if you… forgive me, Your Grace, but you do not.”
“But what if I did,” he pressed on her. “If I were married, then, would I be able to adopt Lucy?”
Miss Wilks looked bewildered by the question.
“I… I suppose…” She gave her head a shake.
“Might I ask, Your Grace, what it is about Lucy that is so important to you? There are dozens of children here who would love to have a home with you, and many who I would rather see in such a circumstance than being sent to another orphanage. Perhaps one of them —”
“No, it must be Lucy.”
“But why?”
There was a good reason for Rhys’ obsession, but it was one that he was not planning on sharing with Miss Wilks. Not only was it deeply personal, but it was also not something that Rhys liked to think about, let alone speak openly about.
All that mattered was that he needed to adopt Lucy… to save her.
“So, to confirm, if I do marry, then I will be able to adopt Lucy? If I can give her a family, one that will raise her with love… that will be enough?”
Miss Wilks considered. For a moment, he thought that she was going to deny him again, but he looked determinedly at her, needing her to see in his eyes just how important this was.
“It will be,” she said at last. “If such a circumstance transpires, then I do not see how I can possibly deny you. But I must warn you, the family that I spoke of was very interested, and I expect them to return any day now. If they do, I will not be able to deny them.”
“That is fine.” Rhys pushed back his chair and stood. “I will return shortly, Miss Wilks, at which time, I expect to be leaving here with Lucy. Good day.”
He turned and walked from the office then, without looking back.
On his way, he thought to stop by Lucy and see her again…
but he resisted that desire, not wanting to get his own hopes up.
If he did see her, and if he failed to make the adoption permanent, it would hurt.
Worse, it would remind him once again of his failure…
Thirty minutes after leaving the orphanage, Rhys found himself standing at the front door of a dilapidated townhouse.
He had expected it to look as it did, because he had done his research and knew the history.
Not so long ago, its owner had been a respected member of the gentry, rich but not vastly so, the type of man that people spoke about with nothing but praise.
Sadly, his good nature saw him being taken advantage of, which saw his fortune dwindle, which had left him penniless by the time he died. That had been three years ago.
Since then, the townhouse had been ransacked and stripped bare. Furniture and personal items sold. Staff let go. With no money for upkeep, its occupants were unable to waste time on such things, and it was a skeleton of the once beautiful home it had likely been.
Seeing this home, how she is forced to live… this might be easier than I had hoped.
Still, Rhys was nervous about what he had to do.
It was extreme, he knew. It would have people talking about him, assuming him to have lost his mind.
But it was the only way, and so he was left with no choice.
And now that Miss Wilks had confirmed his path, all that was left was for Rhys to make sure that it was open to him.
Thus, he knocked on the front door and waited.
“I told you!” The front door swung open.
“You are not to come back—” Miss Violet Beaumont stood on the other side of the door, and the anger that had spewed from her mouth was cut short when she saw Rhys standing there.
Her eyes were wide, her expression shocked, and she looked as if she was seeing a ghost.
“Expecting somebody?” Rhys asked simply.
“Your Grace?” She blinked through her surprise. “What… what are you doing here?”
Rhys had only met Miss Beaumont twice, and in both instances, she had left a rather unforgettable impression. While he found her more beautiful each time that he saw her—her blue eyes, especially, and how expressive they were—it was her personality that left its mark the most.
He did not think of her as typically aggressive, so much as naturally protective. She truly cared for the children of the orphanage, and there was little she would not do for them. Even standing toe-to-toe with a duke, one whom most would not dare argue with, was not beneath her.
It was that level of protection, her confidence and determination to do what she perceived as right, that confirmed with Rhys that this would work. Oh, she would argue, and she would fight, but he knew that in her heart she would do what she knew was best.
“I am here to speak with you, Miss Beaumont.”
“You are?” She leaned back.
“I so enjoyed our conversations the last two times we spoke that I could not wait until I saw you at the orphanage again. I simply had to come and see you.”
“You did…?” She leaned back further.
He scoffed. “Of course not. While I admire your tenacity, as I respect your commitment to the children, I am not so used to being spoken to with such unabashed hostility. And I certainly would not seek you out so that you might pummel me with it again.”
She recovered quickly, at which point she stepped forward and half-closed the door as if to bar his entry. “Then what are you doing here?” she spoke in a low whisper. “How did you find out where I live?”
“It was not so hard,” he said. “As you know, I am a man of means. Such secrets are easy to reveal when the proper questions are asked.”
“Oh yes.” Her expression turned sour. “How easy life is for men with money, and few morals. I should have guessed.”
She did not like him; that much was clear. But her reasoning felt impersonal to Rhys—she’d made assumptions about his character based on reasons that weren’t difficult to fathom. And while he might have liked to have put her in her place, he knew that such a tactic would be counterproductive.
Rhys needed Miss Beaumont to trust him. Damnation, he even needed her to like him! So, Rhys bit back his first response, and then his second. Charm and grace were what he needed to present, and hopefully a truthful cadence that she might believe.
“I did not come here to fight with you.” He sighed and did his best to look apologetic. “I came here because I want to help you.”
“I do not need your help.”
Rhys turned and looked toward the dead garden path that he had walked up to reach the front door. “Are you sure about that?”
“That is none of your business,” she said sharply.
“I do not mean to insult you,” he said gently. “And while I wish to help you, I believe that you can also help me. You can also help someone else whom I know you care deeply about.”
Miss Beaumont narrowed her eyes. “What are you saying?”
“Might I come inside?” he asked. “Such things should not be discussed on front doorsteps.”
“No…” She closed the door tighter to her body. “Here is fine. Whatever you wish to say, say it. Or do not. It matters little to me.”
Rhys clenched his jaw, frustration mounting inside of him. Oh, how she loathed him, a fact that he knew did not bode well for what he wanted of her. But she was inconsequential as far as he was concerned, because Lucy was the person who mattered.
Hopefully, Miss Beaumont will come to realize the same, regardless of what she thinks about me.
Rhys exhaled sharply through his nose. “No doubt you have heard the bad news, concerning the orphanage?”
Miss Beaumont frowned, worry passing behind her eyes. “I… I know that things are a little strained. And Miss Wilks did say that…” She gave her head a shake. “We have been struggling for some time, but it is nothing new.”
“So, you have not spoken to her recently?”
“Not for a few days. Why?”
“I am sorry to be the one to give you this news, Miss Beaumont …” He made sure to appear upset, which he was. “But the orphanage is closing down.”
“What? No!”
“Miss Wilks is currently in the process of rehoming the children. I spoke to her less than an hour ago, and while I tried my best to help, there is nothing that I can do.”
She said nothing, but her expressive eyes were proof of how hard she took the news. The strength in her wilted, the glare faded, and it was the first time that Rhys had not seen her look so sure of herself.
“No doubt you are worried about Lucy,” he said softly. “I know how close the two of you are, as I know that you will do anything you can to help her.”