Undressed with the Marquess (Lost Lords of London #3) - Christi Caldwell Page 0,62
Lionel chugged down the clear contents of his glass. “My mum is dead now. Birthin’ a babe. An’ my sister? She be ’avin’ a babe of her own.” The boy returned to eating.
So many babes.
In the Rookeries, one of those additional mouths to feed was a burden. It was why Temperance should have been only relieved after the loss she’d suffered. And yet . . . it hadn’t been there. There’d been only an aching void, an irrational hungering that had defied the logic of what she should or should not want.
She studied Dare as he sized up his office, and a moment later, he fished a gold timepiece from his pocket and looked down at the object a brief moment.
“Dare,” she said quietly, knowing what he intended before he even spoke his next words aloud.
Ignoring her, Dare pressed the valuable into the child’s hand. “Here.”
Lionel stared down at it, his eyes stunned. “Sir?”
“It is gold. Solid through. This will cover your family’s rent forever. You tell your landlord I said as much. And you also tell him if he has any questions about the value or the terms of your rent? He is to come to me.”
“Thank ya, sir,” Lionel whispered, clutching the piece close to his chest.
He patted Lionel’s hand. “None of that.”
“Why do ya do it?” the child asked, curiosity in his query. “Ya don’t get anything from the loikes o’ me, an’ ya don’t use it for power.”
“Sometimes it is just about doing the right thing and helping those who need helping.”
Helping. It was what he’d always done. People were acts of charity, and he was the savior of the people.
Just as his offer of marriage all those years ago had been made not because of the love he had for her, but rather because of his desire to protect her. Keep her safe.
Temperance hugged her arms around her middle, warding off the pain of the past.
The little boy’s lips formed a flat line. “Oi ain’t ever goin’ to be able to ’elp anyone. Oi sometimes feel loike Oi’m gonna doi a sweep.”
Her heart ached all over again at the forlorn acceptance of a hard fate.
“I was you once,” Dare said quietly. “We are all in those circumstances, Lionel.” Dare motioned to his office. “Until we’re not. And then it is even more our duty to help.”
Another knock interrupted the pair, and they looked up as Spencer returned with a young maid, Efa, in tow. “As you’ve requested, my lord, several of the maids have tidied the nursery and are able to show the child abovestairs.”
The girl dipped a curtsy. “My lord,” Efa said in heavy Welsh tones.
Temperance’s body coiled, and she found herself equally relieved and wanting to cry when Gwynn came forward and retrieved Rose.
Her friend lingered a moment and touched her fingers to her lips, blowing that kiss to Chance.
There was such a longing in Chance’s eyes as he watched his sweetheart take her leave, and it was a reminder all over again of why Temperance was doing this. Why she’d let Dare back in her life, despite her vow to never do so.
And now, to have a little babe this close . . . and more, to bear witness to just how tender, how perfect in every way he was with children, proved the universe’s cruel way of mocking her.
Carried out in Gwynn’s arms, Rose stared over the girl’s shoulder at Temperance. Until that pair was gone . . .
And then she was able to breathe again.
“Is there anything else you require, my lord?”
“If you would escort Mr. Lionel to the kitchens? And also, please see that a basket is prepared for him and his family, along with blankets? When you’ve finished, please have a carriage return him home.”
Unable to help herself, she stared on with the same awe of her youth as he fired off those instructions. He was the right man to have been made a marquess. He’d use his ability and power and wealth to help those most in need.
“Yes, my lord,” Spencer said when Dare had finished. The butler waited until the boy had joined him.
Chance returned his hat to his head and came to his feet. “I have to go. It is my hope that my employer might be able to intervene on behalf of Rose’s father. He is something of a social reformer, and I expect he will help, but it will take time as he’s in Norfolk for business.”