Beauty Tempts the Beast (Sins for All Seasons #6) - Lorraine Heath Page 0,33
had not been the case not so long ago.
He glanced at the hearth. “He sent the coal, I assume.”
“He insisted on having a fire last night, so he sent it to replace what he had used.”
“With interest, it would appear. It does seem he will see you well cared for.”
She decided against telling him about the additional money she would earn because she didn’t want him realizing this was only temporary, three months at the most. The knowledge might prevent him from assisting Marcus and might force her to reveal her future plans. Not only would Marcus most definitely not approve of those, but neither would Griffith.
“I do feel I’ve made the right decision regarding my employment. He’s expecting me to arrive at ten in the morning, so I’ll see you off at dawn.”
“I’ll be going with you.”
Her heart gave a little stutter. “I beg your pardon?”
“I’ll see you to your new vocation, so I’ll know where to find you.”
“I can simply give you the address.”
“I want to reassure myself that it is an acceptable, respectable abode.”
“Dear God, Griff. Look where we live now.” She flung her arm out in a wide arc. “A pigsty would be more acceptable than this.”
He blanched as though she’d taken a gardening spade to his head. From the moment she had crossed the threshold into this sparse, cold, hideous dwelling with its faded and flaking paint, its chipped and scratched wood, its creaky water pump that tested her muscles every time she had to use the blasted thing, she had not revealed her desperation or despair that they had been brought so low.
“There are worse places, Althea. I expect Marcus is living in one right now—if he’s living in anything at all. For all I know he’s sleeping on the street.”
She took a deep breath, and drew her cloak more securely around her, striving to regain some of the warmth she’d lost when she’d reacted as she had. In her new residence she would be able to hang up her cloak. She would no longer be forced to walk about inside as though still outside. “I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. It’s not your fault or Marcus’s that we are where we are. Escort me on the morrow if that is your wish, but know that no words you utter will deter me from the path I’ve chosen.”
Into the large bag made of carpet that she’d used when they’d stolen into the night three months ago after everything else was taken from them, she stuffed what clothing remained to her, her pearl-handled hairbrush and mirror, and her small bottle of gardenia-scented perfume that she used so sparingly she doubted anyone could actually smell it, but dabbing just a bit behind each ear always made her feel as though all was not lost. She left the blankets, folded neatly in the corner, because she was certain Griffith, possibly Marcus, could make use of them. On top of the stack she placed her earnings from the Mermaid, the three sovereigns Benedict Trewlove had given her, and the few pence that remained from her two earlier attempts at employment. She knew Griffith had too much pride to take the money outright but if she left the coins there, when he came to retrieve the blankets, he would have no choice except to add them to his coffers. She felt better knowing that perhaps they might serve her brothers well.
She didn’t even consider pocketing a few coins for the hansom cab because she knew, simply knew, she wouldn’t need them.
When she, with Griffith at her side, stepped out of the residence, she saw that she had the right of it.
“Good morning, Miss Stanwick,” the hansom driver who’d brought them here last night called down from his seat.
“Good morning, sir.”
Griffith helped her climb into the conveyance, then followed her in, holding her bag on his lap. They’d not spoken a word to each other since waking. She hated that things between them were so tense.
She studied his profile, striving to memorize it in case they never crossed paths again. This man had been in her life since she was born, and yet she could describe Benedict Trewlove in greater detail than she could her own brother. “What are you going to tell them at the docks regarding your absence this morning?”
“Nothing. I’m done working the docks. I’ll pick up my wages this afternoon, and then I’ll be moving on.”