A Terrible Misunderstanding (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 6)

“That’s just it,” Clara sighed. “The magistrate doesn’t do anything about it. I have complained about Erasmus, but his cousin always laughs and says it is a matter of affection and that it is high time I married. My father says the same, and just tells me that I should go to live in London where he can keep an eye on me. They all seem to think it is perfectly reasonable for Erasmus to make his affections known.”

“By accosting you in the street?”

“It was the first time.” Clara clamped her mouth closed because she had no idea why she should even begin to defend Erasmus. “His behaviour is awful. I confess that I had hoped that he would have lost interest by now.”

“But there is nobody else in the area like you,” Sissy sighed.

“You are not much older,” Clara retorted crisply.

“I know, but I am not the Secretary of State’s daughter.”

“Do you think that is what Erasmus’s pestering is all about? Do you think Erasmus is, in a strange kind of way, trying to secure my father’s favour, or further the career of his cousin?”

“I don’t see why he should,” Sissy countered. “I don’t know much about him, but Erasmus strikes me as an incredibly selfish man. He doesn’t seem to care what anybody thinks. Why should he do something like make his attentions clear so someone else can benefit?”

“I don’t understand what is going on here. I mean, I am not all that appealing,” Clara breathed in consternation.

“Your Niall certainly seems to think you are,” Sissy teased.

Clara sighed and stared at her. “I do wish you would stop calling him ‘my Niall’.”

“Well, he is.”

“No, he is not. We are not engaged, Sissy,” Clara snapped, now becoming impatient with Sissy’s refusal to believe her.

“Oh, good morning, Mrs Alton,” Sissy called to an elderly woman who was off to do her shopping.

“Morning ladies,” Mrs Alton replied.

“See? I told you I can keep a secret,” Sissy hissed once Mrs Alton was out of earshot.

“But there is no secret to keep,” Clara cried, fighting the urge to tug at her hair in frustration.

“Can we tell people now?” Sissy’s eyes lit with hope.

“No. You may not go around telling people that I am engaged to Niall Farley-Paget,” Clara snapped.

She slammed her mouth closed when a man she had never met before blinked blankly at her and did a doubletake before he appeared to collect himself and continue his march down the main street. Clara squinted suspiciously at him before she tugged Sissy with her and headed home.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

That evening, Niall, Harry, and Will stood outside Boyle House with two of the men from the local branch of the Star Elite; Richard and Morgan. Together, they studied the large mansion before them.

“It’s not what I expected,” Will hissed.

“What did you expect?” Harry whispered.

“Nothing this big. Boyle strikes me as a spiteful little blackguard. Is he connected?”

“I shouldn’t think so living in a place like Serpentine,” Richard muttered. “None of the family are connected. That magistrate cousin of his is not covering the family name in decency, I can tell you that. We have questioned his conduct many times over the last couple of years and wrote to the Lord Chief Justice for advice.”

“We have had a response now,” Morgan added with no small measure of satisfaction. “Let’s go and deliver the news to Cousin Erasmus first, shall we?”

“What does he do for a living if his family aren’t connected?” Niall asked as they slowly ambled up the drive.

“He is a businessman of some kind, but I don’t think many know what kind of business he is in. The man has connections to the arse end of Flamley Bridge, as does his magistrate cousin. The people in that area aren’t used to living within the law,” Richard warned.

“They are all up to something shady,” Morgan warned.