and sat next to her. “I have never had a sane thought in my head since I met you, and that is the truth, but that is a conversation for another day. I won’t insult your intelligence and pretend that your friend did not reveal what your letter contained.”
“I guessed that the moment you walked into the study without being announced.”
“Dawson sees me as quite one of the family,” Samuel said. “Being in a battle, however short-lived, does that to a group of people.”
“He is supposed to be my servant.”
Taking her hand, Samuel kissed it gently. “And he is the best sort, for he, like the rest of them, and I include myself in the grouping, have only your best interests at heart.”
“I don’t deserve such kindness.”
“Certainly not when you start to be full of self-pity. Not an attractive trait, my dear.”
“Neither is patronising me.”
“Then you know what to do to put everything on an even keel. It is in your hands, Miss Hardy. Is that better?”
“It’s a start.” Esther smiled at Samuel. She appreciated what he was trying to do, and it was working. She had a tendency to worry too much, and he was preventing her from doing that.
“Let us think sensibly about this,” Samuel said. “What has he got to gain by revealing the realities of your birth? Especially in a town where you are well established and belong to one of the wealthiest families. People might gossip between themselves, but you are their oddity. I would not be surprised to find that a stranger trying to cause trouble would be given short shrift. In fact, I would go so far as to say it would be a certainty.”
“Why would he utter such a threat if he didn’t mean to carry it through?”
“To him you are in a vulnerable position. No family to offer protection. Perfect to take advantage of, just as you were when you were a child. More so than you were then, in some respects, for it would seem your mother had limits as to what she would allow.”
Esther shivered. “It still gives me nightmares.”
“One day those memories will fade,” Samuel said quietly. “I can assure you that I speak from personal knowledge. The experience you had goes some way to explain why you are keen to help other vulnerable young girls.”
“I felt so helpless when it all happened,” Esther tried to explain. “I accept that a lot of what was going on around me I had not suspected, or ignored perhaps, but I genuinely had no idea that I was supposed to marry Mr. Boyd. That evening—”
“Is over, and you will never be in that position again. Now, about your grandmother …”
“I know you think I am a fool, but I really can’t throw her out of her house.”
“No. I could do it in an instant, but I accept that you are more reasonable than I,” Samuel said. “I do think you should make an alternative offer, though. She is clearly going to become a pest, more than she has been already. You are living too close to her. Offer her accommodation, but in a town far away, preferably in the north somewhere.”
Esther stood up and walked over to the drinks table. She poured herself a small glass of wine and took a sip. “Do you think she would agree to it? I admit to feeling inclined to be at a greater distance from her than I am at present, and I can’t leave the area. I don’t want to leave the area, if I am honest. Sidmouth is my home, and I love my town. I think she is more likely to seek me out in the future now I know the truth. Until now she has been careful to maintain the illusion of being a considerate friend.”
“Yes, she has little in the way of ethical reasoning. I think if you make any suggestion, it should be through a solicitor and made most forcefully. Threaten that if she does not accept your new offer you will be forced to stop funding her present manner of living. You do not wish to be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your days in case she decides she needs something that you can supply, or sends someone else your way.”
“You are right. I will instruct my solicitor.”
“Could you say that again, please?”
“Which part?” Esther narrowed her eyes at the smiling Samuel.
“Oh, the bit about my being right. I would like to hear it