What Happens in Piccadilly - Chasity Bowlin Page 0,46

might be had within those walls.”

“Why would he tell you such things?” Callie demanded. She couldn’t fathom what he was saying. The words all made sense, she understood them, but the meaning behind them and what they signified about her own life was not something that she could grasp in that moment. “Who admits such monstrous things to someone that, by your account, would only qualify as an acquaintance? You must have misunderstood.”

“The current Duke of Averston is in an untenable situation… he inherited the title, but the wealth is not his. It’s in trust, for the missing illegitimate daughter of his uncle. A woman, he as much as admitted to me, that he would see dead in the same manner his grandmother had done for her mother. He has no reason to fear consequences. Why would he? Wealth or no, he’s powerful and all but untouchable by the courts,” the earl continued. “And at the Arcade, when Burney commented on how familiar you were to him, he did so because he had seen the portrait as well.”

Something about the statement bothered her, creating a sense of déjà vu almost, as if she’d heard that sentiment expressed before. “You really believe this?”

“I do,” he said. “And what’s more, Burney believes it. He had some miscreant throw a rock through the window this morning with a blackmail demand tied about it. Burney is desperate but not especially clever. He’s threatened to expose your identity to the Duke of Averston if I don’t pay him.”

Callie couldn’t quite comprehend all that was coming at her. “Why on earth would he think that you would ever do such a ridiculous thing for someone who is only a governess?”

*

Because she was so much more than just a governess, and Burney, blockhead that he was, had at least managed to glean that correctly. Still, he couldn’t afford for her to be. He certainly had not planned that she would be. But from the moment he’d first laid his eyes upon her, he’d been drawn to her. Watching her with the children, literally the only family he had left, had made him realize just what was missing from his existence as a confirmed bachelor. And now, facing the possibility that she might be in danger, he knew that he would do whatever was necessary to ensure her safety.

How was he to keep her safe from harm? While others might assume he was being overprotective or jumping at shadows, he had seen the truth of it in Averston’s cold gaze. The man was capable of a ruthlessness most would not imagine. And given the incentive of the fortune he currently had access to, even in a limited capacity, he would not easily give that up.

But how could he protect her? He couldn’t even keep her under his own roof, for heaven’s sake.

You could marry Miss St. James. William’s suggestion, made from innocence and ignorance, immediately came to mind. It was not out of the question. He had no need to marry for wealth nor did he particularly care for the notion of marrying for prestige. The simple truth was, he’d never considered marriage at all. He’d been utterly content with his bachelor status. But there were many things about his life in that current moment that had changed inexorably. Why should his marital status not be amongst them?

Still, no offer was forthcoming. In part because they barely knew one another and that was a very permanent arrangement to enter into for the sake of what could prove to be temporary danger. Also, he wasn’t entirely certain of what her answer would be. And if Burney did as advised and kept his rather large mouth shut, there would be no need to go to such extremes. And if, in time, he did decide to pursue Miss St. James as something other than simply the children’s governess, they would both know he did so for the right reasons—that he wanted her solely for her own sake and not for any claim she might have to a fortune that rivaled the Crown’s.

“William might have said, in front of Charles Burney, that I should marry you,” Winn admitted.

Miss St. James laughed at that after the shock of it settled. “Why on earth would the boy have said such a ridiculous thing?”

“Because William doesn’t understand the idea of ‘just’ a governess,” Winn replied, trying not to let her disparaging tone sting overly much. “Nor should he. I should hope that he will continue,