Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,255

concerns.

The thought made him feel ill. From what Rhys had been able to gather, Lord Kington had not been a feebleminded old man who could have been easily manipulated. Which left him now considering the other unsavory possibility. Had a young, vulnerable woman been placed in a position where she had been forced to give up her virtue in order to keep a roof over her head?

This could be very awkward. How the devil am I going to ask her that sort of question?

“Do you know why Lord Kington decided to give you the job of estate manager? You had been employed as a lady’s companion, so you must see that this whole arrangement appears a little unusual. Were the two of you close?” he ventured.

Rhys watched as realization dawned on Wister’s face. He steeled himself for harsh words of retort. If she did tear into him, he couldn’t blame her. He had basically just asked her in a polite and slightly vague way if she was a whore.

Her bottom lip immediately began to quiver. Tears quickly followed. Wister sucked in a shuddering breath, and it was all Rhys could do not to get to his feet and haul her into his arms and apologize profusely.

“No, we were not in the least bit close. Lord Kington originally told me he intended to sell off much of the estate and move permanently to London. This was supposed to be a short-term engagement of a month or so, at the end of which I would be paid for my services from the proceeds of his late wife’s jewels. I waited a respectable time and then pressed him for the money. But he had changed his mind by then and decided to keep Kington House. I have been trying to leave ever since.”

With a dejected sigh, Wister dropped into the chair. She covered her face with her hands and her whole body shook as she sobbed.

Oh no. This is terrible.

The poor girl had been left to run an estate with no support. No staff. No money. No wonder the place was a rundown shamble. She had done her best with next to nothing.

How many times had Wister played this conversation out in her head, knowing that someday someone would ask why she had remained at Kington House when Lord Kington clearly had no intention of ever paying her? The shameful truth was, she’d had no choice.

She didn’t know the first thing about Lord Carno, but there was something about the Welsh baron which made her want to trust him. Those deep green eyes of his seemed incapable of holding a lie.

There was nothing to lose in telling him the whole truth of things. She didn’t particularly care for his pity, but she was determined to have his understanding—even a modicum of respect for all her hard work. Much that it pained her, she could understand why Baron Carno would think that she and Lord Kington might have been more than simply servant and master.

“I have tried to leave. Even accepted that I may never see my money but getting another position has proven a difficult task. Over the past year, I have applied for dozens of positions as a lady’s companion, but not been successful with any of them,” she said, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.

There was a growing pile of rejections sitting on her bedside table—a constant reminder of her failure to escape. She had the right background, breeding, and experience for the job but no one in London wanted to employ her. Her lack of a reference from her previous employer was the only reason Wister could fathom for not being granted even an interview. Lord Kington had consistently promised and then failed to provide her with one.

“So, if I paid you and you left, where would you go?” he asked.

Wister sniffed as her gaze fell to the threadbare brown carpet. The truth was, money was only part of the problem. Even with a purse full of coins, she had no particular place in mind as to where she would travel.

Please. Please don’t throw me out.

Hot tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. She was not one for crying, but the past year had seen one heartbreaking setback after the other. Even the death of Lord Kington had not freed her from her troubles.

“If I had enough money, I might go somewhere and try to start again. To be honest, I don’t have any real plans,” she