Page 46 of Once a Scoundrel

“You don’t have to repay me,” he assured her. Then he added quietly, despite the tightening of his chest at the repercussions of what he was offering—“I think you should remain here at Elmhurst and not leave as we’d planned.”

She shook her head weakly. “I cannot do that.” Sympathy softened her face. “You need to marry and have children, and the last thing a new marriage needs is scandalous rumors that you’re keeping a mistress in your back garden.Ifher father consents to let you marry her at all.”

He clenched his jaw at that brutal dose of reality. She was right. As long as Mary remained at Elmhurst, Strathmore would never consent for Faith to marry him. “I don’t care about rumors and untruths.” Although how he planned on convincing Strathmore to think the same, he had no idea.

“Icare.” She grimaced. “And so will your wife.”

“The woman I marry will be strong. She won’t let a few rumors bother her.” Faith was too strong to let gossip stop her from getting what she wanted. His chest warmed, because finally what she wanted washim.

“She might very well not,” Mary continued, regret lacing her voice, “but she also doesn’t deserve to have what should be the happiest time of her life tarnished because of me.”

Guilt tightened his chest. “I won’t have you leave, Mary, not when you have no one else to care for you.”

“And you can’t have us stay either,” she whispered, blinking at her tears. “So where will that leave your wife, except caught in the middle? Is that really how you want to start your life together?”

He bit back a frustrated curse. “That isn’t at all—”

Her eyes darted to the doorway. Stephen looked up.

Faith stood there, and for several long seconds, none of them moved. His heart pounded. How long had she been there? How much had she overheard? Although judging by the dark frown marring her suddenly pale face, she’d been there long enough to hear far too much.

Forcing a smile, she came forward hesitantly into the room with her hands folded in front of her. God only knew what thoughts were speeding through her mind, if already she was regretting last night and her promise her marry him.

Stephen stood and introduced quietly, “Mary, this is the woman who’s been caring for you. Lady Faith Westover. Faith—” He hesitated as she came to his side. “This is Mary Halstead.”

Mary sat up and leaned heavily against the pillows. “Thank you for caring for me. I owe you my life.”

“It wasn’t as desperate as that,” Faith answered with a faint smile. An obvious lie meant to make Mary feel better.

“And Jeremy? Did you care for him, too?”

“No, my mother took care of him.”

Mary’s eyes moved between Stephen and Faith, as if searching for answers. “You know...who I am, then? Stephen’s told you?”

“Yes. You’re the woman Daniel loved,” Faith acknowledged softly. She drew a deep breath and whispered, “I’m so sorry that you lost him.”

“Thank you,” Mary whispered, unable to find her voice as her eyes glistened with tears.

“Daniel would have been so proud of Jeremy,” Faith commented. She sat on the chair beside the bed. “He’s a beautiful boy.”

Her face broke into a proud smile over her son. “He’s a handful, but smart.”

“I’m looking forward to getting to know him, and you.”

“Me, too, my lady.”

She smiled gently, and the awkwardness between the two women melted away. “Please...call me Faith.”

Stephen watched as they fell into conversation about Jeremy and how rambunctious he was, even for his young age, and how rambunctious Polly was for hers.

With every smile and soft laugh that came from Faith, his chest squeezed tighter around his heart. Unable to remain in the room a moment longer, he walked into the hall and stopped only when he reached the stairs, where he leaned heavily against the banister and drew a deep breath.

Faith and Mary...he’d never realized before exactly how intertwined their lives would become. Oh, he knew that the gossip which surrounded Mary and him would make it difficult for Faith to marry him. But knowing how strong Faith was, he’d focused his determination on gaining her love anyway, believing that he could move Mary away, set her up in the life she would have had if Daniel hadn’t died, and send away the rumors right along with her. That whatever gossip lingered after that could be ignored until it vanished completely.

But Faith had been right that day during the pall mall game that simply giving Mary a new home wouldn’t be enough to break from the shadow of his misspent youth. How ironic her solution had been—that he needed to marry as well. Yet she’d had no idea that he’d already determined to do just that. With her. He’d thought that had solved their problems. Confident of it enough, in fact, that he’d arranged that picnic in the stables with the sole intention of proposing to her.

He’d been so very wrong.Solvedtheir problems? Their troubles were only beginning.