What You Desire (Anything for Love 1)

Marie smiled. “And I will, when I return. But in the meantime, I would like you to take care of it for me. Only if you want to.”

Sophie did not know what to say.

Marie handed Sophie the key. Then she fastened the brooch to the inside of her dress and began counting out the notes. “I prayed for the day when I would be free from Victor,” she said. Separating the notes into two piles, she folded the larger pile and thrust it down the front of her dress, before handing the other pile to Sophie.

“I cannot take this,” Sophie objected.

“You will,” Marie said firmly, putting the notes into Sophie’s hand and covering it with her own. “You have given me back my life and now I must make amends for all the wrongs I have done.”

Sophie jumped up and hugged Marie. She was so grateful to have somewhere to go, somewhere where she would not have to suffer the pain of seeing Dane. Even if it was just for a few months. It would suffice, just while she decided what she was going to do.

“I want you to have a choice,” Marie said. “The marquess is a good man, but you have to be true to yourself. If you decide to go to Marlow, you will find Hope Cottage on the lane to the right of the church.” She kissed Sophie on the cheek, picked up her bag and then walked to the door.

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“I will not come down as I could not bear to wave goodbye,” Sophie said. “Please tell Lord Danesfield I was tired and have gone to bed.”

“Very well,” Marie nodded.

“And promise me you will not say a word about the cottage.”

Marie hesitated and then said, “I promise.”

Chapter 30

At the sound of a gentle rap on the study door, Sebastian lifted his head off the desk, the hard surface being a most unsuitable place to sleep, brushed his hands through his hair and bid the caller to enter.

Dudley Spencer poked his head around the door and asked in his usual amused tone, “Is it safe to come in?” The response Sebastian gave was nothing more than a grunt and Dudley stepped into the room and closed the door. “I thought Haines was exaggerating when he said all you do all day is growl and grumble.” Dudley drew a chair up to the desk and sat down. “It seems we can add grunting to your newfound repartee. As you’ve come back to town, I take it you have still not found your wife.”

Sebastian stared at him intently. “You know very well she is not my wife. Yet you still insist on tormenting me,” he replied, his bitter tone reflecting his mood.

Dudley inclined his head. “I must admit I am not used to seeing you so out of sorts. I find I rather like it. It makes me feel vastly superior, knowing you have made such a mess of everything.”

“What do you want?” Sebastian barked, which was a polite way of saying leave me the hell alone.

Dudley raised a brow as his mouth curved into a sardonic grin. “I merely came to update you on the progress of our new finishing school.”

“It is not a finishing school,” Sebastian corrected. He sat back in the chair and folded his arms across his chest. “And if you think I am writing another letter to Marie to relay any more good news about the social advancement of her girls, you can think again.”

Indeed, the woman had refused to offer any insight into Sophie’s whereabouts. A whole month had passed since he’d returned home from Dover to discover that Sophie had already left for Marchampton.

He had raced on ahead of James, driven by a need to be with her, to hold her in his arms and claim her as his own. He should have known something was wrong when he discovered she had left before breakfast and without her brother’s knowledge. If he had bothered to check her room, he would have known she had taken nothing other than the clothes she had arrived in. If he had bothered to stop and call in at the mews, instead of insisting that Altair be brought out quickly, he would have known she had not taken Argo.

Instead, he had ridden all the way to Marchampton to discover, to his disappointment, that she was not there. He had waited three days, three days of pacing and worrying before James rode over to Westlands with the letter. A letter she had been written and sealed in his blasted study. He must have read it fifty times or more and still it did not make any sense.

“I take it Marie still refuses to say a word about Miss Beaufort’s mysterious disappearance.”

Sebastian stretched across the table, picked up the crystal glass and swallowed what was left of his brandy. He did not bother to ask if his friend cared for any refreshment. “Miss Beaufort has not disappeared,” he sighed in agitation. “Her letter stated quite clearly that she had enjoyed her freedom in town so much, she did not wish to return home. She wants to break free from society’s constraints and live independently.”

Dudley pursed his lips but could not prevent a small snigger from escaping. “You mean she found you far too domineering. I always knew you would have to settle for one of those wallflower types.”

Sebastian jumped up out of his seat and threw himself across the desk. “How can you sit there and jest about such a thing when you know my feelings on the matter. I’m in love with her, damn it,” he said prodding his own chest. “Me, the man who is always practical, the man who was going to choose a bride based on status and wealth and a host of other stupid notions. The man who would choose any reason to avoid making the same mistake as my father.” Sebastian dropped back into the chair and sighed. “Yet here I am, suffering a pain that rips and tears at my heart, suffering in the knowledge I have lost everything.” He was quiet for a moment and looked past Dudley to an invisible point on the wall. “If she walked through the door I do not know whether I would strangle her or kiss her until she could not breathe.”

Dudley cast him a pitiful look. “The problem is, you do not know how to deal with women.”

“If that’s all you’ve come to say, you can go.”

Dudley ignored his blunt reply. “You expect Marie to break an oath she made to a friend. Would you break such a confidence? No, you would not,” Dudley continued, answering his own question. He sat back in the chair with a smug grin. “You should have been far more cunning in your approach to the matter. Indeed, with a campaign involving a degree of delicate moves, it was not difficult to discover that Miss Beaufort has hidden herself away so you may marry someone deemed more worthy. Marie provided the opportunity for her to do so.”