Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

A dam could have collapsed at her words, but he had a greater issue at hand, namely the way his wife had seemingly shrunk into herself.

“What is it?” He asked, “Shall I have them sent away?”

No,” she replied, shaking her head, “I should have known this would happen eventually. I think it is better if we simply go in there and allow them to say what they must.”

“Are you certain of that? I can have them leave if you do not wish to see them.”

“I cannot avoid them forever. They deserve to meet their only daughter’s new husband, after all.”

She did not seem to believe her own words, but Adam did not wish to disagree with her. If that was what she wanted to do, then he would comply. It would likely be painful, but no more so than the ball they were to attend the following evening.

They left the carriage, and in spite of everything else that he had to pay attention to, he had to admit that he liked the way she instinctively took his arm. They approached the couple, who were already scowling, and Adam knew exactly how their meeting would transpire.

“Good evening,” he greeted, “To whom am I speaking?”

“Lord George Harvelle and Lady Hellen Harvelle,” the gentleman said coldly, “We are the Viscount and Viscountess Pranton, and you and I need to talk.”

“Before you come here with demands, I shall remind you that this is my household, and you will not force me to do a single thing. Am I clear?”

He saw the man shrink slightly, but he quickly fixed himself.

“Yes, My Lord.”

They went into the drawing room, Adam keeping Beth on his arm. He refused to let them pull her away from him, lest they accost her without his knowledge.

“Now,” he said as they took their places, “What is it that you wish to discuss?”

“Not even a tea,” the viscountess mumbled, “Truly, you can tell the calibre of this match.”

“I beg your pardon?” He asked.

“What my wife is saying,” the viscount replied, “Is that we were made aware of the fact that our only daughter is in London by a friend, rather than our daughter herself. She made us look foolish, and that was only made worse when they asked about her husband and we had nothing to say in response.”

“And whose fault is that? If I recall correctly, you were invited, and did not attend. You were aware that she was marrying a gentleman, and you did not make any effort to see the two of us, and so you only have yourselves to blame.”

“Very well, I see that you are not one for apologies,” he sneered, turning to Beth, “I shall address you, instead. Would you mind explaining to me why you did not think to tell us why you were visiting London?”

“It was a sudden trip. We did not plan in advance, and we certainly did not think to give any warning. You knew the man I was marrying, as his name was in your invitation. It is as my husband told you. If you did not care then, then you do not care now.”

“No, perhaps not, but we have a right to know where you are. We also have a right to know whether or not you have fulfilled your duty, which you quite clearly have not.”

Adam watched as Beth’s resolve disappeared, and she looked at the floor, closing her eyes and breathing deeply and steadying herself. Within minutes, they had destroyed the quiet happiness that they had built that afternoon, and he hated them for it. It was his first time meeting them, and already he hoped that it would be the last.

He stepped towards them, towering over them, and remained still for a moment. He saw the fear in the viscount’s eyes return, and for a moment he was grateful to be known as a brute. He was, indeed, a terrifying and dangerous man, if that was what it took for them to stop.

“My Lord,” the viscountess said quietly, “There is no need to be the brute that you are already seen as.”

“Get out.”

They bristled, but did not leave. Instead, the viscount stepped closer, trying to assert his own dominance, though he failed. He was too short and frail to have any effect on Adam, and he was a fool for thinking he might.

“There is no need for any of this,” the viscount said.

“No, there isn’t. There was no need for you to appear here unannounced, and there was certainly no need for you to speak to your daughter that way, nor her husband. I do not know why you thought any of this was warranted, but it is improper and unnecessary and I will not have anyone do it to my wife. She is a remarkable lady, one that deserves all of the goodness in this world, and she will not be treated this way by people who did not even bother to attend her wedding.”

“We are here to discuss things.”

“You will leave and not return unless it is on your hands and knees and you are apologizing for everything that you have done to her. I will not tell you again. Get out.”

They exchanged glances and then started for the door. He looked to Beth and wondered if she was happy with what had been said, but she seemed quite grateful to him.

“She will disappoint you,” the viscount said in the doorway, “You will see for yourself, sooner or later, and regret not heeding our warning. She disappointed us for years, and now it is your turn. If anything, we should be thanking you for taking this disgrace off of our hands.”

They left, and the second the door closed, Beth crumbled. He took her into his arms, and she fell into him. He held her tightly, allowing her to cry until she no longer could. When she was done, she pulled back and tried to pull away from him, but he held her in place.

“What is it?” He asked, “You haven’t listened to them, have you? I haven’t.”

“Perhaps you should have. They are right, I will only disappoint you.”

“Well, it has been a few months now, and I assure you that you haven’t done that thus far. If anything, you are the one person to ever impress me continually outside of my mother and sisters. I could not care less about their opinion.”

“Adam, I–”

“No, Beth. There is nothing that you could say or do that would disappoint me. I married you because of our agreement, but that is not important to me anymore. It is by chance that we met, but it is by choice that I spend so much time with you. You are my closest friend, and I need you to know that.”

She was close to him, so incredibly close, and when she tilted her head up to look at him, their lips were almost together. He wanted to close the gap desperately, and he could tell that she did too. He leaned down, only for there to be a knock at the door.

Beth jumped away from him as if they were an unmarried man and woman at a ball, rather than a married couple in their own home. He cursed whoever it was that had interrupted them.

“Enter.”

The door creaked open, revealing a young man that was clearly no older than twenty-five, his dark hair slightly tousled as though he’d rushed to visit them. He seemed ill at ease, but Adam had to admit that he appreciated the man’s nerve.

“I apologize for the interruption, My Lord,” the man began, stepping into the room and offering a slight bow, “My name is Christopher Hills. I saw the notice you posted, and I’ve come to apply for the position of your solicitor.”

Adam’s brows lifted, his eyes narrowing as he regarded the newcomer. He looked at Beth, who seemed to be looking at him approvingly. There was a faint smile on her lips, and that alone made him feel much happier in allowing him to stay.

“You’ve picked an interesting hour for an interview, Mister Hills.”

“I only arrived in London this morning and came straight away. I feared waiting until tomorrow might cost me the opportunity.”

“One moment,” he said quickly, before turning back to Beth, “Are you happy for him to stay?”

“Yes,” she replied, “Would it be alright if I also stayed?”

“Of course. That isn’t a problem for you, is it Mister Hills?”

“Of course not. It is her home, after all.”

Beth took a seat, watching them. Adam led the man to a seat and quickly thought about what to ask.

“You look barely old enough to have finished your studies. What makes you think you’re qualified to handle the affairs of an earl?”

“Well, I may be young, My Lord, but I’ve worked under one of the most respected barristers in Edinburgh for the past three years. I’ve managed accounts, drawn up contracts, and even defended a few cases in court. I know my inexperience might give you pause, but I assure you, I’m capable.”

The room fell silent as Adam studied him. Edinburgh. Scotland. Did he know that that would play on Adam’s mind? No, he couldn’t have, surely.

“Capable,” Adam echoed, “That’s quite the claim. I’ve had enough so-called capable men claiming to be good enough only to be anything but.”

“I understand your hesitation. All I ask is a chance to prove myself. If I fail to meet your expectations, I’ll walk away without protest.”

Adam looked at Beth, who nodded at the pair of them.

“You’ve got the credentials, I’ll grant you that.” He continued, “But loyalty and honesty are what I value most. Can I trust you, Mister Hills?”

Christopher met his gaze unflinchingly.

“You see, trust isn’t something I can demand, and it is not something that I will expect from you immediately. It’s something I’ll earn, if given the chance.”

It was precisely what he needed to hear in order to trust him. There were no expectations from him, only a desire to be of use, and that was precisely what he was looking for.

“Well said.” He extended a hand across the desk, “The position is yours.”

“Are you– are you certain of that? I did intrude on your evening after all and–”

“Did you want me to refuse?”

Beth laughed at this, and eventually Mister Hills seemed to catch on that it was light-hearted.

“No, no of course not. Thank you, My Lord. You won’t regret this.”

He left quickly, leaving Adam alone with his wife once more. Beth smiled at him, and he couldn’t help but do the same. The arrival of Mister Hills had been precisely what was needed to make her brighten, and perhaps that had been why he was less thorough in his questioning.

“I’ll admit,” he smirked, “I didn’t expect much when he walked in.”

“Sometimes the most unexpected arrivals turn out to be exactly what we need.”

He knew exactly what she had meant by that, and he agreed.

He hadn’t expected her, even if he had gone looking for someone just like her. He had never expected to find a lady that would make such a perfect wife, and yet here she was. She had brought good fortune with her too, it appeared, because since their chance meeting, his life had only gotten better.

“Now,” she said, “We ought to go to bed. We are to attend the ball tomorrow, and we must be well rested if we are to get through it.”

“You do not sound too happy about attending.”

“I am! Believe me, I am, I simply… Well, I like it when it is just you and I.”

“As do I, but it is as you told me. This is vital to showing our standing in society. We need only attend a few if you wish. Besides, within the month we shall be in Scotland, and all of this will be far from us. We can do this, wouldn’t you agree?”

Beth nodded with resolve, and he wondered just how he had made her feel able to trust him. He was grateful for it, of course, but he hadn’t expected it of her. Then again, he trusted her in return, and he couldn’t quite tell when that had happened to him, either.

“One last event,” she nodded, “And then we can finally do something for just the two of us.”

He had never expected to feel so much happiness from being referred to as one of two, but now that she was with him there was no other way he wished to be.