two would care to wander through the gardens or amuse yourself in the house. I’ve assigned a member of my staff to attend you, should you require anything. We’ll meet again for supper, shall we?”
Derrick agreed that they would, took Samantha by the elbow, walked with her toward the door. She was clutching her envelope as if she feared it might take flight if she didn’t hold on to it tightly enough. He let her proceed in front of him, then paused and looked at Lord Epworth.
“Very generous, my lord.”
Lord Epworth patted him on the shoulder. “It is my favorite piece of lace.”
Derrick hesitated, then cast caution to the wind. “You could put my fee in her account, you know.”
“Oh, I fully intend to.” Lord Epworth smiled. “You, my boy, have a tender heart and too much money, so I thought you wouldn’t mind.” He nodded toward Samantha. “She’s quite lovely. I’m not sure how she’ll manage to stay in the country, but I don’t think she wants to leave.” He shook his head. “Those Cooke people. Very poor form, what?”
“Extremely.”
“But all’s well now that the lace is where it belongs, yes?”
Derrick had no trouble understanding what he was getting at. “It was recovered very discreetly, my lord. Perhaps we should leave it at that.”
Lord Epworth nodded, shook his hand, then waited until Derrick had left the office before he shut the door. Derrick joined Samantha in the hallway and looked at her.
“Well?”
“I don’t dare open this here,” she said, looking stunned.
“Perhaps not, but we might have some privacy in the garden.” He looked at her. “Curious?”
“Queasy.”
“Well, I’m sure it’s just a token,” Derrick warned. “He does still have to keep the lights on.”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t even keep his porch light on with what I have, so anything at this point is a bonus.”
“Then let’s go see what your bonus is,” he said, though he had to admit he was almost unable to keep himself from shaking his head. In disgust at her parents, as it happened.
The woman beside him wasn’t a spendthrift. He’d watched her over the course of several days and made note of her habits. He’d been bored on the train that morning, so he had, to her horror, looked up her parents’ salaries. They made ample to see to their own needs and pay her a generous salary as well, but she’d finally admitted, once he’d threatened to hack into her bank account, that they paid her in room and board. No wonder she’d worn such dowdy clothes. She’d probably been relegated to her mother’s castoffs. And now that he’d seen what her account contained, he was even more irritated with her parents. It was inexcusable.
He walked with her out into the garden, thanked their escort and promised to call the mobile number on the card if they needed assistance, then waited until Samantha had chosen a bench near a fountain to sit down on. He joined her, then looked at her. The sun was finding all the red in her hair again, turning it into something not at all what it looked like inside. She was currently staring at the roses on the far side of the fountain with such longing, he half wondered if she’d ever seen any before.
He half wondered several things about her, actually, beginning and ending with what might come of it if they were to begin again.
Nothing would come of it, he reminded himself firmly. She was a Yank and had a life waiting for her. He was a Scot and already had his life awaiting him. It wasn’t his fault if her life included returning to the semi-slavery of working for her mother. Maybe Lord Epworth’s money would give her a bit of a fresh start.
He rubbed his hands together. “Open the letter, woman, and let’s examine the booty.”
She smiled faintly. “You are part pirate, aren’t you?”
“I understand their fascination with shiny things,” he said dryly, “probably more thoroughly than I should.”
She held the envelope in her hands and looked at it as if she wasn’t at all sure what to do with it.
“Want me to open it for you?”
She held it out without hesitation.
“I wasn’t serious,” he said quickly. “You open it. They’re your funds.”
She took a deep breath, then with trembling hands carefully broke the seal. He watched her unfold the paper, freeze, then drop it. He picked it up and handed it back to her.