“Nae. I’m just a hired hand who needs to get paid.”
Guthrie arched a brow. “Hmm…And yet you are her dearest while she remains affectionately yours. I hope she doesn’t address all her male servants thus.”
Blayne bristled. “What the hell are ye implying?”
“Merely that you need to clear your head.” He set the letter aside on Blayne’s desk and calmly crossed his arms. “You’ve twisted yourself into a chaotic mess over what she wrote in the middle because that’s where she’s pushing you away.”
“Exactly,” Blayne sneered. “She’s pushing me away, Guthrie. Which obviously means she doesnae give a rats arse about—”
“Easy now,” Guthrie told him sternly. “There’s a woman present.”
Muttering a curse beneath his breath Blayne swiped his hand across his brow and puffed out a hard breath. “Sorry, Daisy.”
“It’s quite all right.” Her voice was weak with apprehension, but that didn’t stop her from adding, “Miss Russell cares for you very deeply, Mr. MacNeil. It’s not what you think. She’s not adding distance because she wants to. It’s…”
To Blayne’s frustration, Daisy shook her head and fell silent. Frowning at her, he snatched the letter back and attempted to read it without allowing the implication of him being nothing more to Charlotte than a man in her employ give way to anger. His frown deepened. Apart from the warmth with which she’d opened and closed the letter, one sentence resonated with importance. An unexpected complication has kept me from our meeting this morning.
Her butler – no, her parents’ butler – had informed him he wasn’t welcome. Even in his confusion, while he’d walked away from her house that morning, Blayne had felt as though something was wrong. He’d even sent out scouts in the hope of discovering what had happened and to make sure Charlotte was all right.
But then he’d gotten word from her and instead of it being the cry for help he’d expected – the chance for him to come to her rescue and prove his regard – it had denoted the end of their relationship. It had felt like a thousand lashes across his back, the sting so acute he’d been blinded to the truth.
Determined to do better, he took a deep breath and strove for a more relaxed tone as he spoke to Daisy once more. “What happened?”
“I can’t say.” Distress marked her eyes.
“Cannae or willnae?” Blayne asked.
Daisy swallowed and reached for Claus’s hand, clasping it until her knuckles turned white. “She demanded I keep silent about it.”
It took tremendous effort for Blayne to hide his irritation. Returning to the chair he’d vacated upon Daisy’s arrival, he snatched up the half empty glass of brandy he’d left on his desk and downed the remainder.
“And you don’t wish to betray her trust,” Guthrie murmured. “I understand and I’m sure MacNeil does too. Isn’t that right?”
“Aye.” He set the empty glass aside. “Ye’re loyal to yer mistress, Daisy, and I commend ye for that. But if she’s in some kind of trouble, as I’m beginning to suspect she may be, then I’d like to help.”
“She made me promise.”
“Fair enough. I’ll respect that.” Even though he wanted to tear his own damn hair out in frustration. “If ye’re certain of her well-being and ye’re sure I shouldnae interfere, then I shall stay away as requested and let her handle things on her own.”
A very fleeting look of doubt caught Daisy’s eyes. She pressed her lips together and stared back at him, the wheels in her brain spinning so fast he could practically hear them clicking. “She doesn’t want you to know what’s going on.”
“Because?”
“I don’t think she believes you can do more than what she’s already asked of you. And to my way of thinking, she doesn’t want to give you more trouble.”
“We may not be the pinnacles of respectability,” Guthrie said, “but if your mistress needs help, she’ll have not only Mr. MacNeil’s assistance, but mine as well.”
Blayne appreciated his stepping in. A duke always wielded more influence than a common man. When Daisy still refused to speak, however, he prepared to send her back to Charlotte with a note of his own. Opening his desk drawer, he grabbed a sheet of paper, then dipped his quill in the ink well and started to write.
My sweetest lass,
I cannot accept your money any more than you can accept my support. Whatever reason you have for putting a sudden end to our arrangement, please know that this past month has been—
“They know who you are,” Daisy admitted in a whisper.
Blayne froze, unable to move as he stared down at his own writing. His pulse quickened. It was just as he feared then. Lady Warwick’s comment had brought the truth to the surface and the Russells had chosen to take a closer look.
Needing to have her confirm it, he raised his head. “What do ye mean, Daisy?”
She knit her brow. “Lord and Lady Elkins know you’re not the gentleman you’ve been posing as. Mr. Cooper had you followed. He told them about your true identity yesterday morning.”
Blayne shared a quick look with Guthrie before giving his attention back to Daisy. His heart eased into a steadier rhythm. Not his true identity then. Just the one they believed to be true. “So now they’re refusing to let their daughter see me.”
“No.” When Blayne raised an eyebrow, Daisy stepped forward, away from Claus. “I mean yes.”
“She cannae leave the house, can she?”
Daisy shook her head. “They’ve threatened to sack me and Everet if she does. But it’s not just that. You see, they’re now demanding she marry Mr. Cooper. According to what Miss Russell told me, her father has lost most of his fortune, including her dowry. Mr. Cooper is prepared to help him out of trouble though, in exchange for my mistress’s hand.”
Slowly and with a great deal of care, Blayne set his quill aside before he gave into temptation and snapped the thing in two.
“Blayne,” Guthrie said, a clear note of warning in his voice.
Blayne scarcely heard him as blood rushed into his ears, continuing to the top of his head where it started to gather with forceful pressure. “The viscount is selling his daughter?”
“It’s awful, I know, but at least Miss Russell was able to make a deal with Mr. Cooper.” Daisy quickly explained the details. “It’s not ideal, but it has bought her some time, useless though it may be when she’s prevented from leaving the house.”
Muscles straining across his back, Blayne fought for clarity. “A visit to the publisher is obviously in order. She’s asked me to go there so naturally I’ll do so. I’m just nae sure one week will be enough for me to prove she’s the author and acquire the earnings she needs to fix her father’s situation. I mean, if I were the publisher I’d nae take my word for it – I’d at the very least want to hear it from her.” He glanced at Daisy. “I dinnae suppose she’s willing to let Lord Elkins rot in hell?”
“Her sense of duty would never permit her to do so, no matter her father’s wrongdoing.”