She shook her head. “I’ll not adhere to society’s rules and restrictions and suddenly become biddable just because we slept together.”
“So, he has shared your bed then?”
Fanny closed her eyes, annoyed that she’d fallen for Father’s little trick and revealed the truth of her association with Jeremy. He’d made a guess, a correct one, and she’d confirmed it. She’d thought she’d grown out of that sort of thing long ago.
But Father looked pleased with himself. “Can’t wriggle out of that confession, my girl. A few nights, I would you say.”
“Yes.”
“Of course, you know there’d be gossip about him,” Father warned. “He’s no connections or real wealth. You risk losing the respect of your peers. Marriage would of course make any scandal disappear.”
Fanny was shocked by her father’s suggestion. “I am certainly not going to marry to avoid a scandal.”
“Of course you shouldn’t when you have the choice of marrying for love instead. Imagine if he presented himself to his theater manager once word spreads, I bet he would land a starring role. Imagine the crowd he’d draw. The man who had tamed Lady Fanny Rivers. He’d be a valuable commodity.”
“He would not seek to benefit in that way,” she insisted.
Father seemed surprised by her response. “Why shouldn’t he earn his way in the world? Or have you paid him so well for his company that he might never need to perform again?”
“The sum I have given him is fair,” she promised. But it might be wise to revise the terms of their arrangement to ensure he wouldn’t seek to profit from a scandal.
“There’s more to him than meets the eye then, as you claimed from the beginning.” He shrugged. “Secret affairs do not last forever, and it is my fervent hope that Dawes will not cause a fuss.”
The idea of that happening sent a shiver down Fanny’s spine, but she gritted her teeth to hide her fear. Jeremy’s role in her life was fleeting. Father’s warning was timely for her not to forget that. Not to be swept away by her growing infatuation. She had no future with Jeremy. They were acting the part of friends and lovers. “Have you seen him this afternoon?”
“I saw him talking with Wilks earlier,” Father said in an offhand way. “I’m sure he’ll come back. He usually does.”
“Yes,” Fanny agreed, starting to climb to her feet.
Father smiled. “Well, I’d best go find my Gillian.”
“Yes of course. Give her my love.”
“I will.”
Father sauntered out ahead of her.
Fanny waited a beat then hurried upstairs, looking for Jeremy. She went first to her own chamber, finding it still locked, and then went to her safe. She’d made a careful study of Jeremy unlocking her safe, and she’d learned the trick of opening it up herself very quickly.
Once she had what she required, she slipped along to the guest bedroom Jeremy had been given and tapped on his door, then let herself in.
Jeremy appeared caught by surprise, quickly shoving whatever he’d been reading behind him.
Fanny narrowed her eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing important.”
“Show me what’s behind your back.”
His cheeks turned red as he reluctantly produced a slim volume. Fanny snatched it up to read the cover.
It was a book for children, surely not his, but a well-read one taken from the family library downstairs. She handed it back. “Are you not a bit old for nursery tales?”
Jeremy grimaced. “What did you want to see me for?”
For so much that she almost for a moment doubted her decision. But it was the right thing to do to protect her reputation. He could stay in her life but he would advance his career because of his own hard work. She’d always doubt his affections otherwise and that would grow and spoil any friendship between them. “I want to honor your work.”
A frown creased his face, and he stood. “Why?”