Winterberry Spark: A Silver Foxes of Westminster Novella (The Silver Foxes of Westminster #2.5)(19)

“Lucky for you that Mr. Croydon hired you then,” Clara said, unimpressed.

“It was,” Gil admitted with a nod. “And I’m forever grateful that Mr. Croydon raised me to the position I’m in.”

Clara narrowed her eyes. “And who else helped you along the way? How did you end up in school instead of put to work? How did you get into university in the first place?”

Gil hesitated. He could already see the point of Clara’s questions and knew that answering them would mean he lost the larger argument. He cleared his throat. “My father’s brother took pity on us and paid for me to attend grammar school. But I worked between classes as I got older.”

“I see,” Clara said, jaw tight.

“I earned my scholarship to university on my own, though,” Gil went on, but paused. “Although Lord Waltham cleared a few hurdles for me and introduced me to Mr. Croydon after I was assigned to do some work for him.”

“You don’t say.” Clara’s eyes were even narrower.

Gil let out an impatient breath. “What do you want me to say?” he demanded. “Yes, I was fortunate enough to have help along the way, even though my origins were questionable.”

“Ruby never had any of that,” Clara said. “She couldn’t have, not as a woman. As hard as you had things, you still had family, friends. Ruby has none of that.”

“She has now,” Gil said, trying not to growl or be petulant when Clara was as right as could possibly be.

“Does she?” Clara loosened her arms from their cross at last, but only to plant her fists on her hips. “Does she have friends?”

“Yes.”

“Friends who would defend her against the accusations being made against her?”

“Absolutely.”

“Friends who would lift her up and keep her from being forced back into the life that was thrust on her?”

“I’ll do everything I can to prevent that from happening.”

“Friends who would seek to understand how desperate she was for kinship that a wicked woman was able to manipulate her for her own ends?”

Gil was silent. The incriminating look in Clara’s eyes shot straight to his heart. It didn’t matter how much his head tried to conjure up the same old argument about how James could have been killed, how the entire Croydon family could have been ruined, how much he owed Alex. He knew he’d failed Ruby by failing to see her side of the whole messy situation.

“It’s always the same,” Clara sighed, sadness falling over her. “When a man makes a mistake, it’s an unfortunate lapse. When a woman does, it’s an unforgivable sin. No matter who is truly to blame or who is the source of the evil.”

“Ruby isn’t an evil person,” Gil said, doubting that it was enough. “She’s a beautiful woman who has endured far more hardship than anyone should have to.”

“Then why are you piling more on her?”

Again, Gil was silent. He didn’t have an answer to the question. Or if he did, it was one he wasn’t proud of. He’d been so angry with Ruby for so long because she wasn’t perfect. And his anger had doubled because he’d failed to see that sooner and give her what she needed to mend her flaws.

“You love her, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question. “In spite of everything that’s happened.”

Gil glanced slowly up at her. He could deny it, but what would be the point? He nodded.

At last, a weak smile broke out in Clara’s eyes, and she stepped closer to him. “Sometimes it’s harder when the people we love the most make a mistake. But that’s when they need us more than ever.”

The last of Gil’s will to fight, and to be angry, melted away. He blew out a breath and rubbed his hands over his face. “So what do I do now?” he asked.

“Defend her,” Clara said. “Love her. Support her. Find out what she wants and help her to achieve that.”

“It’s not so easy,” he said. “I don’t have the power to insist she stay on at Winterberry Park.”

“You may have more power to change her life than you think,” Clara said.

He wanted her to say more, to spell out everything he needed to do to set things right, but two of her babies started crying at the same time. Clara jumped and rushed over to the pen where they sat to fetch them as though someone had fired a starter’s pistol. The conversation was effectively over.

“Thank you,” Gil said, heading for the door. “For what you said and for being a friend to Ruby.”

Clara said something indistinct over her shoulder as she scooped up two crying babies.

Gil let himself out, heading back to Winterberry Park. He’d been given much to think about, and he still felt as though he had a limited amount of time to do anything about it.





Chapter 6





Another day passed without any word of a new position for Ruby. She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or anxious. The longer it took to find another position for her, the more she worried no one would be willing to take her at all. But at least the delay meant she could spend time with James.

“And I sing in three songs,” he told her as they descended the stairs from the nursery to the library, where Mr. and Mrs. Croydon were waiting to spend time with their son.