“I . . .” You only have to say you don’t know anything. But the words wouldn’t come. They stuck in her throat like a wad of cotton.
Violet seized on the hesitation. Her eyes went wide, and she looked around to make certain that no one could hear. “I knew it!” she whispered.
“Violet, please, it’s not as you think.” Even though it very much was, only they would not have the happily-ever-after Violet had already written for them in her head.
Violet frowned and pressed a gentle hand to Helena’s arm. “You like him, don’t you?”
“I like him very much, but there are things you don’t understand, that I cannot—” She couldn’t even say the words, and she closed her eyes.
Violet embraced her, almost moving her to tears. Why was she so emotional this morning? She was behaving in a very unseemly manner, unable to gather her dignity around her.
“I didn’t come to talk about that at any rate,” Violet said as they parted. “I came to warn you if you don’t already know.”
“Know what?” This had to be what the silent tension was all about.
“The men and August are ensconced in the library. The doors are firmly closed, and there have been loud voices.”
“Is this about Max going missing?”
“No, it’s Crenshaw business, I think.”
Relief made her shoulders sag. She’d been so caught up in what had passed between them last night that she had completely forgotten what had preceded their portion of the evening. “This is about the argument after dinner?”
Violet nodded. “I believe so.”
Helena had spent the morning dreading the talk she knew she must have with Max and not thinking of the very real hell he must be facing now. “I’m going to go inside. I won’t have Papa browbeating him.”
Her sense of pride in Max holding his ground last night, as well as her own sense of upholding what was right, held her in good stead until she stood facing the group in the library a few moments later. All the men rose when she entered, but only Max appeared happy to see her. Six pairs of eyes watched him cross over to her and take her hands.
“Good morning, Helena,” he said as if the room hadn’t been full of harsh discussion up until the moment they all saw her.
“I’ve come to make certain that Papa is treating you well.” She gave a pointed look to her father, who glared back at her.
“You have no business here, Helena,” Papa said. “This is about Crenshaw Iron and our railroad in India.”
“Good. Then I trust you are not attempting to intimidate Maxwell by threatening to withdraw your support of our marriage. Because it would be my concern should you attempt to sway my betrothed.”
Papa clenched his jaw as his gaze darted between the two of them. “It would be premature to call him your betrothed when there is no betrothal contract.”
“Whether Maxwell and I have a contract is between us. It doesn’t require your signature.” One of the advantages of being a widow was that she had miraculously acquired personhood with the death of her husband. It was a benefit she was loath to give up.
“So it doesn’t.” Papa relented, and she felt a minor jolt of victory. “I expect to see it regardless. I am your father.”
“Of course,” she said, seizing on this unforeseen bargaining chip. “I will send it over the moment it has been negotiated to my satisfaction.”
Papa’s gaze darted to Max at the reminder that his actions here could make those negotiations more difficult.
“Well.” Helena gave a casual shrug. “I am glad to see that all is satisfactory. We do possess the ability to separate business and family, do we not?”
Papa hesitated, but he eventually inclined his head. “We are civilized.”
“Good.”
Max hid his grin until he tucked her hand into his arm and walked with her toward the door. Leaning his head toward hers, he said, “Your interference is very timely. He was doing just that when you walked in.”
“I’m happy I could help.”
The simple act of being near Max made her feel lighter, and she was genuinely able to smile for the first time that morning. Leading him into the corridor outside the room, she closed the door behind her.
“We were never able to talk last night. Might you be free to take a few minutes this afternoon?”
Max shook his head, and his smile softened as he drew his thumb over her bottom lip. “I wish, but no. August has managed to cajole Papa into sharing the contracts he’s written with firms in India, and we are spending the day going over them. I leave tomorrow and couldn’t in good conscience abandon August to face them alone. They’re horrendously skewed to the disfavor of the builders and laborers. She’ll have a devil of a time getting them changed without someone here to back her up.” He shook his head in disgust. “Perhaps it’s because I was left in the dark over much of the negotiations before, or perhaps it’s because Papa’s changed for the worse, but they’re so much harsher than I expected.”
She took his hand, wanting to take the anxiety and grief away from him. “I’m sorry you have to face this part of your father.”
“I want him to pull out of India completely. We have no business there, especially when moving in will cause so much harm.”
She couldn’t believe that she was going to have to give up this very good man. “I agree. You’re doing the right thing.”
He gave a gentle shake of his head, that half smile she loved so much returning to hover around his lips. His gaze settled on her mouth, and she knew he wanted to kiss her. Her lips tingled with the anticipation, so she dropped her head to force herself to ignore the impulse.
“See to that and we can talk tonight. We must talk, Max, before you leave.”
For the first time, concern for her shone in his eyes. “I promise.”
He placed a kiss to her forehead. She closed her eyes at the warm press of his lips and fought to keep herself from leaning into the reassuring comfort he offered.
* * *
• • •
The rest of the day passed in a fog. Helena moved around the estate like a corporal ghost, accomplishing small tasks but never truly present in any of them. Even dinner would remain a blur that she could hardly remember taking part of. The only portion that would stand out for her in the months ahead was that Mr. Crenshaw had made another toast to their happiness and future children. It wasn’t the toast she would remember, but the way Max had looked at her after. As if she was all he had ever wanted. And now she had to break his heart.