She rushed to the door leading out to the garden, but she couldn’t see him if he was still out there. Discreetly turning the lock, she pressed her hands to the cold glass, hoping for some sign that he was waiting for Mrs. Huxley to leave. There wasn’t one.
Chapter 16
There is nothing like a dream to create the future.
Victor Hugo
Max checked his watch again. Half after twelve and she wasn’t here yet. He was starting to worry that she wouldn’t show. The note he’d sent over that morning via messenger—Come alone. Leave at noon. Penhurst Priory. P.S. Best to bring Ostler—had been reminiscent of the first note she had sent him, the one that had led him to her drawing room and their first meeting. He’d thought she’d appreciate the inherent humor, but now he realized that she might have wanted something softer and more romantic after last night.
He was not very good with romance. In fairness, he’d not ever had to be. He had never seriously courted a woman before, so all of his affairs had been just that, temporary and casual. There had been flirtations with daughters of family friends, but he’d quickly learned to discern which women were intent on serious pursuits and which were frivolous. He’d opted to only pursue the lighthearted ones, because even at a young age he’d understood that his position as heir to the Crenshaw fortune brought out the worst in many. He had vowed early on to only marry a woman whom he could respect, who wanted more from him than his various bank accounts.
Helena was happy with her life as a widow and didn’t want to marry him at all, so she should have fit nicely in the temporary and casual category, but nothing about them felt nonchalant. No matter how he tried, he could not relegate their sex to mere play. It had felt deeper and more profound than anything ever had. His only regret was that her maid had interrupted them, so he’d had to leave rather than face the risk of her getting caught with him. It meant that today he was uncertain and lost, feelings he despised more than any others. He ordered his life around certainties, but without knowing how she felt about them—about him—he was out of his element.
“Sir? Mr. Crenshaw?”
Max only realized he’d been staring at his watch when his assistant’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Tom?”
The man gaped at him with a perplexed expression before nodding toward the road. Max’s heart stopped before he even saw Helena alighting from her carriage with the assistance of her hired man, Ostler. Unable to contain his happy grin, he hurried over the soggy ground to greet her. Thankfully, the rain had stopped soon after he returned home.
“Helena.” He raised his hand in greeting, quietly pleased with how she glanced up at him, flushed a bit, and then spent an inordinate amount of time staring down at the path she trod as she crossed the cobblestones to meet him. “You came.”
Raising her chin as she stopped before him, she said, “With a note such as yours, how could I not?” Her eyes sparkled with humor, so he was assured she wasn’t angry with him, but he couldn’t tell beyond that how she felt about last night. She was too good at hiding behind the polite mask she had perfected years ago. One might think her cold, but only if one were too stupid to see the fire shining in her eyes.
“My thoughts exactly.” He took in a breath, nearly struck dumb by how beautiful she looked today. She wore black from head to toe, no doubt because of the inevitable mud and mess left by the rain, but it made the pink in her cheeks stand out more against the paleness of her face. There was a radiance about her that he knew he had put there. Pride and satisfaction at how he had made her come apart last night roared inside him. Realizing he was staring, he cleared his throat and said, “Last night—”
“Why have you brought me here?” she asked before he could finish, her voice mild.
Disappointment tightened his chest, but he understood this wasn’t the time or place. Dozens of carpenters and masons moved around them, and then there were Tom and Ostler, who hovered a few yards away on either side of them. Their seconds at this strange duel to see who could be the most proper. “I assume Sir Phineas came to see you this morning before leaving town?”
She nodded. “He stopped by briefly, yes, and left the name of the man handling the donation of the property.”
“Good. I’ve asked you here because I want to discuss the improvements on the priory, or foundry rather.” He walked in that direction, and she fell into step beside him.
“You’ve given more thought to my request about employing the women?” There was the edge of a challenge in her voice.
“I agree to your terms, but I’ll leave it up to you and August to work out the details.” He had gone to visit August early this morning to let her know what had been decided with the priory. Of course, she had demanded to come with him. With time being so short, they had to get working on the improvements right away. He glanced across the courtyard to where his sister was currently engaged in an exchange with a mason and crew hired to repair the stone wall. She didn’t like whatever the man was telling her, if the way she was scowling at him was any indication.
Helena followed his gaze as they walked toward the priory. “The unfortunate fellow doesn’t seem to know who he’s dealing with, does he?” Wry amusement filled her voice.
He laughed but all the while wondered why this felt so strange. It was as if they were playacting at being amused and content with each other. Part of it was the facade she used socially—the same one it was so gratifying to see come tumbling down last night—but part of it was his own uncertainty with how to proceed after what had happened. It seemed impossible that the world could continue on as before, and yet, here they were.
She let out an undignified gasp as they turned the far corner outside the priory. Nearly the entire wall had been torn down by an army of men who had been working since sunup. With the wall gone there was a gaping hole in the end of the building.
“What have you done?” she asked.
“August and I have decided that we need to expand capacity, which means we’ll have to expand the building for the new machinery. Don’t worry,” he added when she continued to stand there and gape. “The wall will be rebuilt in a few weeks.”
Her eyes were wide as she slowly looked from the wall, as if only realizing the scope of the work being carried out around them. Much of the wall surrounding the courtyard had already been torn down, and the sounds of at least twenty hammers banging rang throughout the area.
“How have you accomplished so much already? Did you not sleep?”
Pride made his chest swell the slightest bit at the awe and respect in her tone. “I couldn’t sleep much last night.” He glanced at her, noticing the pleasing flush that colored her face. “So I was up before the sun paying exorbitant sums to gather as many men as possible to begin the work.”