An Affair So Right (Rebel Hearts #4)(13)
Theodora released him with an oath, turning away to quickly form a new plan. There had been no gossip about him keeping a mistress. Mistresses were often as immoveable as wives. She grew aware Lord Maitland had followed her, though, and she hid a smile of pleasure.
Perhaps he had no personal need for her now, but she would not be so easily thwarted in other areas. She wanted his employment, and to forget that her father had just died horribly. “I accept the restriction.”
“You accept what?”
She turned. “The position of secretary only. I can start immediately. I prefer to be paid by the month, in advance. Lodgings, for myself and my mother, until we can arrange our own close by. In return, I am available to you at any time of the day or night for any correspondence you need written.”
His brows had risen high at her statement. “You are determined, aren’t you?”
Theodora prided herself on her commitment to everything she did. He could wake her in the middle of the night if the mood struck to write a letter, and she’d never complain. “I am my father’s daughter.” Her grief surfaced for a moment, but she quickly suppressed the urge to cry. Weeping would get her nowhere in a world controlled by men. “That will be to your advantage.”
“How so?”
“As you saw earlier, people gossip. Particularly women. Husbands tell their wives many things they don’t know what to do with, so they discuss the matter with other women. Mother and I may be on the outer at the moment, but that will not always be the case. I will share my discoveries with you, and you can use that knowledge to make yourself richer.”
“I am rich enough to last two lifetimes.” His jaw worked, and then he leaned forward suddenly to stare into her eyes. “Let me make one thing clear. I am not my father’s son. I do not now, nor do I ever want to, employ peddlers of information. I do not deal in intrigue.”
Theodora stepped back from his anger, recognizing she’d made a disastrous assumption about Lord Maitland. She had assumed, deep down, he was the same as every other man. Theodora had assumed the former captain to be well connected with the East India Company, too—a company that delighted in political machinations that had ruined many. Perhaps she had underestimated the viscount. “Understood, my lord.”
His lips pressed tightly together as if he were fighting the urge to berate her further. For a long, horrible moment, Theodora feared she’d lost whatever advantage she had gained in her search for employment. She had blundered, and very badly, given the way he stared at her now. His scrutiny was actually quite terrifying.
“You may begin after the funeral, if that is still what you want,” he said suddenly. “I’ll arrange for rooms to be prepared for you and your mother for an extended stay.”
She nodded, and Lord Maitland walked away, hands clenched at his sides.
Theodora rushed to follow him but when she reached the top of the staircase, he was already gone from sight.
Apparently disturbed by Lord Maitland’s abrupt departure down the stairs, her mother stirred. “Millard?” she called.
“Oh, Mama.” Theodora hurried to her mother.
Her mother sucked in a sharp breath as Theodora sat at her side and took her hand. She stared at their joined hands, bare of rings and still grubby from the ash and soot of the blaze under their nails, and fought not to cry again.
“Oh, no,” Mama whispered. Her mother raised her face, showing that tears filled her eyes and her lower lip trembled. “For a moment, I had forgotten he was gone.”
Theodora hugged her mother tightly and kissed her hair as she wept anew for many long minutes. When her crying abated, Theodora released her. “Papa would want us to be strong. To that end, I must tell you, I have made arrangements to save us from utter desperation.”
Her mother stared at her in confusion. “What arrangements?”
“Lord Maitland is desperately in need of a secretary, and has hired me. You will not believe the mess I stumbled upon in his private office while you were sleeping. It could take weeks to sort through, but I will straighten him out in the end, and we will find out who killed Father with his help.”
“I cannot believe Lord Maitland agreed to that,” her mother whispered. “He has been kind enough already. He barely knows us for all that we have been neighbors for two years.”
“It did take some bold negotiation on my part, but it is done, I assure you. We have a roof over our heads and Lord Maitland’s protection for the foreseeable future.” Theodora glanced around to check that they were alone. “But he does not yet realize he will help us clear Father’s name. Those lies Mr. Small told must be repudiated. The slander will surely spread until Father’s memory is besmirched beyond all repair. We must have his help to prevent that from happening.”
Mother bowed her head. “We both know it couldn’t be true.”
“That is not good enough for me,” Theodora fumed. “I want everyone to understand that Mr. Small lied through his teeth about Papa.”
Mother’s breath caught. “Do you plan to deceive the viscount and investigate under his name?”
Theodora nodded, a little pained that her mother had correctly guessed her intentions so soon. In business, one sometimes had to get one’s hands dirty to achieve the results one wanted. “If Maitland asks directly, I will tell him anything he wishes to know about my inquiries. I will not keep secrets.” She wiped the tears from her mother’s cheeks. “Do not worry, Mama.”