That's Why the Lady is a Tramp (The Unsuitable Brides Book 1) by Merry Farmer

Author:Merry Farmer [Farmer, Merry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-02-10T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

The only way Sam knew to win Alice back after the Gordian knot of misunderstandings that blocked the way between them was to approach his beloved wife on her own territory and to make certain she knew that he only wanted what was best for her. He left his family home early in the morning after the wedding—barely saying good morning to his brothers and refusing to say a single word to his father—and headed up to Marylebone with hope and determination in his heart.

However, his plans for spilling his heart out to Alice and making things right between them took an unexpected turn right from the start.

“Oh! Good morning, Mr. Rathborne-Paxton,” Mrs. Knox, Alice’s landlady, met him at the door of the building as she swept the front stoop. The harried-looking woman eyed him nervously, and for a moment, Sam wasn’t certain she would let him pass. “What brings you here this morning?” she asked, as though playing gatekeeper for her tenants.

Sam put on the humblest smile he could manage. “Good morning, Mrs. Knox,” he said, showing the woman more respect than he needed to. He winced slightly, then said, “I take it you heard about the events of yesterday?”

Mrs. Knox planted her broom and leaned against it. “After the sort of proposal you made in front of my building, how could I not take an interest in it?”

Sam could tell from the pucker of her lips and the lines of her brow just what the woman thought of him. He let out a sigh, removed his hat to push a hand through his hair, then said, “I made a terrible mistake, Mrs. Knox. So many things went wrong yesterday. But I love Alice dearly. You must know that. You’ve seen the devotion with which I’ve attended her these last few years. I want the best for her.”

That seemed to soften the landlady a little. “I suppose every man deserves a second chance.”

“That is precisely what I am here for,” Sam said, heart lifting with hope. “In fact, I wanted to start out that second chance with a gesture of good faith. What do you think I could do to make amends to my beloved?” He figured it was as good a start as any to ask a woman who knew Alice what his bride might need.

Sam wasn’t disappointed. Mrs. Knox’s face lit up at once. “You could pay her rent,” she said. “That’s what the poor bird needs most right now.”

Sam sucked in a breath as a twist of guilt shot through him. Had Alice struggled to pay the rent on her two flats? But, of course, if she was bankrupt, as Montrose had suggested she was, that would be one of her deepest concerns. The logic of the situation fit together like a puzzle, but it also squeezed his heart with worry. If Alice truly had been in such dire straits, she shouldn’t have hidden as much from him.

“I can pay you right now,” he said, reaching into the interior pocket of his jacket for his wallet.

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