Lady Star (Sir Edward 2)

“Before all others,” she said softly. She hoped her meaning was clear because saying the words ‘I love you’ was so very difficult when he had not, and had not even talked about a future with her. He was kind. Perhaps he meant to extend his help but not his heart.

He looked at her and for a moment she thought he was having a difficult time tearing himself away. He said softly, “Thank you, Star and remember this moment until our next.”

She closed the door at his back and leaned up against it. Oh Faith, how she loved him.

Chapter Twenty-One

“WELL, I’VE DONE it!” Vern exclaimed looking as proud as could be, as he strode through the library door and moved toward his sister. He took her hands and shook them gleefully, “Star, we may yet come about.”

“Well, look at you…Vern, take your damp cloak off, you will get sick all over again!” Star pulled at his wet cloak and took it to drape over a wooden chair and set up by the fire.

“Star, aren’t you listening? I’ve done it! Just like that! Don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner, for I never liked sailing.”

“Have you done it, dear?” she said absently.

“What is wrong with you?” he ignored his own question and hurried on. “I put together a deal and he couldn’t say no, I tell you. I didn’t wait for Miles on this, but managed it myself. This will see us through and get you a London Season to boot. Star…I’ve sold the yacht!”

“Oh Vern, that’s wonderful, to Mr. Duncan? You told me last month he had approached you. I didn’t think you took his offer seriously. Did you get your price?” she said taking some interest.

“I did. He said I was more than fair and had his account manager transfer the funds immediately. The yacht is now his.” Vern grinned.

“And so, it is good-bye to Papa’s yacht.” She sighed and added, “But I suppose it was time for us to move on.”

“Yes, yes,” he frowned suddenly. “There is only one thing troubling me…but I daresay, it isn’t anything.”

“And what is that?”

“I bumped into Sir Edward at the bank. He came in just as we were finalizing the paperwork and I overheard some chatter between two of the clerks. It didn’t quite make sense, but, it was disturbing.”

“Sir Edward? Chatter?” Star felt something catch in her throat. What could it be? She was almost afraid to ask, but she did. “What chatter, Vern?”

“As I said, two of the clerks who had been working on his file caught my attention when I noticed they glanced my way…oddly. A few moments later when I got up to stretch while I waited for Mr. Duncan to transfer the funds, I heard them conversing.”

“About what?” Star was surprised.

“Well, they asked Sir Edward’s account manager if he wanted to set up a payment schedule for the property and he said that it wouldn’t be necessary as Sir Edward meant to offer it in one lump sum.”

“Property…payment schedule…why should that trouble you? No doubt he has purchased something in the vicinity.”

“No, I don’t think so, and it worries me as someone has purchased our mortgage…and could foreclose. I had the impression that someone was Sir Edward.” He shook his head. “I have enough now to make reasonable payments either monthly or quarterly but not enough to pay the entire mortgage at once, especially if it has the mortgager’s profit added to it.” He shrugged. “I daresay I am worrying myself over nothing.”

“Sir Edward wouldn’t do that to us…it must be some other property…it must be,” Star said feeling sick in the pit of her stomach. “Why, he was just here this morning, and didn’t say a word.”

Vern eyed her for a long moment, “What did he want?”

“Oh…I don’t know…” she did not meet his gaze.

“Brat. What do you mean by such behavior? Entertaining a man in my absence alone here in the library?” He wagged a finger at her.

She saw that he was only half in earnest, still too excited by his successful sale of the yacht. “Well, as to that, waywardness must run in the family,” she teased.

He caught her up and swung her around saying before he put her down, “Devil-child.” He sighed then and added more gravely, “It won’t do, you know that, don’t you?”

“What won’t do? My entertaining Sir Edward in your absence, or…my entertaining Sir Edward?” The banter was rife on her face as well as her voice.

“Oh take a damper, m’girl. You know exactly what won’t do.” He moved over to the sideboard and poured himself a glass of sherry, but turned slightly and said over his shoulder, “I only want you to consider that his sort…well…may not be serious…and you, my girl, you are so very serious at bottom, aren’t you?”

“Ah, but his sort is just the sort I want,” she answered him and waited for her brother’s reaction. She and her brother had a beloved link. They had grown up close and in harmony. They had shared and lost both their parents, however, she knew her own mind and waited to see if he was going to buck her on this.