“Well, give me one moment before you leave.” She raced down the stairs with a slight smile.
Simon nodded. “As you wish.”
Once she reached the hall, she grabbed his hand and led him to the receiving salon. Closing the door to the room, she backed up against the door, blocking his departure.
“Duchess, people will talk,” he teased.
Louisa giggled. “Simon, please. I want you to consider a request I have.”
“You’re married to my brother, darling lady.”
“This is serious!”
“What do you need?”
“Harry and I are heading down to Worth for a fortnight,” she started slowly.
“Of course, the duke’s death was nearly three years ago,” Simon said, knowing the anniversary of his death was only a week away. While Simon had never known the man, Harry had loved his father for all his faults, of which there were many.
“I would consider it a personal favor if you accompanied us.” Louisa looked over at him. “I know it’s not an easy time for you with your natural father’s death and your mother’s so close in time.”
“Will it just be us?”
“Yes,” Louisa said with an endearing smile. “Harry would not want company while he mourns his father’s suicide. But I think it might help him if you were there, too. He rarely speaks of that night. Perhaps you might encourage him to talk about his father to you.”
He could deny her nothing. “Of course, I will come down. But I cannot promise more than a week.”
She flung herself into his arms. “Thank you, Simon.”
He disentangled himself from her arms. “Enough of that, Duchess, or your husband will suspect something untoward.”
Louisa giggled again then gave him a quick peck on his cheek before racing back upstairs.
Simon had never loved a woman in the manner he did his sister-in-law. She saw him for who he was, faults and all, and accepted him. He loved her like a sister, which made his attraction to Emma even more unseemly. Both ladies had seen him at his worse, and Emma had condemned his behavior. She was tentative, where Louisa would have been bold.
Except lately, he considered.
Miss Drake’s recent behavior bordered on brash, and even around him, she stammered less, gossiping to him of the widows’ availability. Something had changed in her. Perhaps that transformation caused his lust for her. He walked out of his brother’s home with a sigh. No, he had desired Emma Drake from the first time she stood trembling in his office while her sister demanded answers about Harry.
Simon almost laughed with the thought as he drove back toward Hell. She was an innocent lady, and that is how she would stay until she married some fine, poor lord. With the dowry Harry had set aside for her, Emma would get her wish and marry a titled gentleman. And Simon would find a welcoming widow to satisfy his lust.
The carriage slowed to a stop and he disembarked in front of his salvation from his childhood. He smiled as he looked up at the building. The small old church, barely more significant than a chapel, had been abandoned for over a century ago when St. James opened and was now buttressed between the rectory and a newer building. Most people would walk by this building without a thought. That was exactly how he wanted it. He didn’t need a sign out front since everyone knew where Hell was located.
His favorite spot was looking out at the gravestones that stood like sentinels guarding the back entrance. Sometimes he even would sip his coffee out there, enjoying the peace. This was his place, his home, his work. He’d poured his heart and soul into Hell. It was all his...all him.
“Back already, King?” Riley asked as he opened the door for Simon.
“Yes, any issues tonight?”
“No, just the normal crowd. Wellesley won a substantial sum, but it all seemed normal to me.”
Simon shrugged. As much as he’d made off Wellesley over the past two years, Simon supposed it was time for him to win a little. “How much?”
“Just over a hundred.” Riley followed him down the hall to Simon’s office.
“Good for him.”
Riley laughed. “I said the same. The poor man hasn’t won more than ten pounds in years.”