The Spare by Carolyn Jewel Page A

all I know, they fought with cudgels."
    "You have no guardian and the man who ought to be responsible for you is not. How, then, do you support yourself? Are you a charity case? A burden upon the parish?"
    "I have a small stipend from teaching in Far Caister." She stared at his neck cloth in a vain attempt to avoid the chill blue eyes.
    "And yet," he said in words sharp enough to cut paper, "you are compelled to carry away food from my kitchens."
    Her eyes snapped to his, and she felt her face go hot. "My Lord?"
    "Do not play the fool with me. I well know you are not."
    "What does this have to do with your brother?"
    "A great deal, since it speaks to your character. Or lack thereof. The fact is, I have been asking after you, and I am no longer at ease with my previous opinion of you. You're not at all what you seem. What you pretend to be. I will call you to account for that."
    "I hope, my Lord, that you will not blame your staff for their generosity."
    "Do not concern yourself with my staff. They understand their duties."
    "If you will send me your bill, I will repay you. My Lord."
    "Have you ever been robbed, Miss Willow? Of possessions. You or your mother, perhaps."
    "No."
    His eyebrows rose. "Proper respect, Miss Willow," he said softly.
    "No, my Lord."
    "Perhaps you aren't aware of the loss. Perhaps you believe certain valuables of yours were merely mislaid."
    "No."
    "Are you certain?"
    "My Lord." She took a trembling breath. "I regret my recent actions exceedingly. You have made me understand I should not have done so. I assure you, I will not in the future."
    "Why aren't you married? What was it you said? 'Never loved and never in love'?"
    "Yes. My Lord."
    "Is that why you jilted Mr. Verney?"
    "I beg your pardon?"
    "Don't waste my time, Miss Willow. Why did you jilt Mr. Verney?"
    "I did no such thing." She watched him walk to the door and close it. The lock engaged.
    "He tells me you broke off the engagement. One of you is lying."
    Her voice fell just short of a whisper. "He made his reluctance more than plain, and so I released him from his promise. A clergyman cannot have a wife connected with scandal."
    "And your heart?" Tiern-Cope returned to her and stopped six inches from her knees. "Was it irreparably crushed?"
    The words lodged in the back of her throat. She swallowed hard. "I thought he loved me. I was wrong."
    "Did you jilt him because someone better came along?"
    "No one did, my Lord. Isn't that plain enough? I have red hair," she said.
    Something flickered across his expression, consternation perhaps, or surprise. "Believe me, your hair is not the impediment you think." He gave a short laugh. "I dare say some men find your hair quite compelling."
    "Red hair or not, I am nearly twenty-five." The familiar pain of loss hit hard. "I am too old and too poor."
    "Not the first blush of youth, I agree, but not so decrepit that you might not find a protector should you set your mind to the matter. Why, I do believe there's at least one man here who would happily put himself forward in just such a capacity." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Not so long ago, my brother, perhaps?"
    The room went quiet as the grave. Instead of making an imprudent retort, which she was quite certain he would have been pleased to crush beneath his metaphorical boot heel, she folded her hands on her lap and regarded him thoughtfully. "I think, my Lord, I deserve to know what you mean by that."
    "How long did Andrew support you?"
    "He didn't. Why would he?"
    Tiern-Cope curled the edge of his mouth at her denial. "He was generous."
    "Yes, of course. But what on earth does that have to do—" Then, she understood. Two spots of color flamed in her cheeks, she felt them hot as embers. "What a vile thing to suggest." She spoke softly because everything in the world depended upon her remaining calm. "That I would deceive Lady Tiern-Cope, who was my friend, in such a despicable manner."
    "Miss Willow, let me make myself quite plain."
    "I think