An Affair So Right (Rebel Hearts #4)(32)

“Yes, you have your wages,” Mama said slowly, her attention drifting to the front windows.

She chafed her mother’s hand. “If Maitland doesn’t want me working for him anymore, perhaps I can find another employer very quickly with his reference. He knows our situation. I cannot imagine he’d be so cruel as to toss us out on the street without cause or provocation.”

“I suspect he wouldn’t.” Her mother forced a smile, the first one she’d shared in days. “Have you eaten?”

“Only a little, at Lady Templeton’s insistence. She sends you her condolences, Mama. She had already heard about our situation before we met, and seemed very keen to know we were comfortable.”

“Lady Templeton’s warm reputation is well known about Town. Quite the opposite of her husband’s.” Mama put her arm around her back and steered her away from the study. “Come. Cook has laid out a cold supper in readiness for Lord Maitland’s return, so you must have something. You appear exhausted.”

“It was a difficult day,” Theodora admitted as she sank into a chair while her mother began to fill a plate for her. “I’ve never known a stranger day, in fact. It must be hard to feel sorry for a man like Lord Templeton, given how he was found.”

Her mother dropped a plate before her and poured tea. “Your message hinted at scandal.”

Theodora nodded. “It could be and if that happens it will not be an easy time for Lady Templeton.”

Her mother leaned closer. “That bad?”

Theodora whispered the details directly in her mother’s ear in the briefest way possible.

“Oh my,” mother said as she drew back. She glanced upward. “What a blow to the boy’s pride.”

Theodora picked at her food. There was nothing boyish about Lord Maitland. Tall, broad-shouldered, and devilishly handsome when he smiled. His mistress had been a fool to jeopardize their connection in favor of the inferior father. She was certain Maitland would be a much more agreeable lover than a man twice his age and girth could be.

She set her fork down, concern for her employer still pressing upon her. He might need a confidant. Someone to bolster his ego after today. He’d already begun to turn to her in private moments. Her mother was right that Lord Maitland was holding in so much. He would need an outlet that came without strings or expectations. Punching things would only see him hurting himself, and she couldn’t bear for that to happen.

Not when there was an easier way that harmed none.

“I think I will retire early.”

“That would be wise.” Her mother caught her hand. “I’m sure the worst is yet to come.”

Theodora hoped that wasn’t true as she kissed her mother’s cheek and then eyed the sideboard. “Do you think cook will mind if I take up a plate to see if Maitland will eat?”

“I would think she would be pleased,” Mama said, nodding. “They’re all very loyal and worried for the family. We’d be smart to do the same.”

Theodora picked out a selection of meats and tarts, foods easily eaten with the fingers, and carried the plate upstairs. There was light shining beneath Maitland’s door, so she tapped softly and waited until he opened it.

Maitland opened the door swiftly, regarded her and then the plate.

“You barely ate today,” she reminded him, noting his bare feet and throat.

He widened the door and, despite his state of undress, gestured her inside his room. “I’ve never had a secretary worry for my appetite before.”

“You’ve never employed a woman in the role before. As a whole, we are fairly observant, no matter the position we fulfill.” Theodora glanced around, noting the bed covers had been rumpled already, a single tumbler half filled with amber spirits rested on the cluttered mantel, and the windows were thrown open to let in the cold. There was no table to place his meal upon. “Where would you like it?”

“On the bed will do.”

Theodora set the plate on the counterpane and then crossed to the windows, intending to pull them tightly shut against the blackening sky and chill in the air. There was a bright moon tonight, and the ruins of her old home drew her attention like a magnet. She could still smell the scent of charred wood even from this distance. “It will be a cold night,” she whispered.

She closed the windows and turned to face Maitland before her churning emotions could gather momentum.

“I did not notice.” He stopped at the plate and picked up a sliver of ham to taste, and then continued until the plate was cleaned off. “Thank you. I was hungry after all.”

Theodora moved toward him, her skin prickling with awareness. She was not the only one in pain anymore, and the night hours could be difficult. Maitland suffered but in a different way than she did. His arms would feel very good about her tonight. If he was agreeable, she might provide the same comfort to him, as well as take his mind from his troubling thoughts.

His eyes were shadowed with exhaustion, but he appeared restless, shifting his weight from foot to foot. She reached out to touch his arm to still him. “What can I do?”

“Tell me why you are really here, Theodora.” He met her gaze, his expression weary, defeated and vulnerable. “I’m not in the mood for games.”





Chapter 12