Once a Fallen Lady by Pendle Eve

Author:Pendle, Eve
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-01-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Alfred’s comment that he wasn’t a cock had kept a tiny smile on her face throughout the night and the next day. As she’d failed yet again to sleep sitting next to Annie’s bed, she’d relived their conversation over and over. There was a chance that upon reflection he’d be disgusted by her loose morals. In the dark of the night she’d seen how reckless it had been to tell him she wasn’t a widow. Her lapse of judgement might cost her everything if he gossiped in the village. But he wasn’t a cock.

It was embarrassing how much she looked forward to his arrival in the late afternoon, after school had finished for the day and he’d run whatever errands a man like him needed to. He’d started to run her errands now too, as though they were a team. Obviously she couldn’t marry him. He was still a gorgeous man who would break her heart. But he was becoming an integral part of her day. A necessity.

Today, instead of sitting down with Annie, he stood at the door on the landing, coat still on. After a few light exchanges with her daughter, he turned to her.

“How long is it since you went out?” he asked.

“Err.” The question took her aback. She had no idea.

“When did you walk and look at the sky all around you?”

“I don’t have time for that. I have a poorly child.” That wasn’t an excuse, it was true. “Besides, yesterday we went outside.”

“I had to persuade you to leave the house, and we only got as far as the back garden,” he stated. “What about into the village, or across the fields? You have to take care of yourself, too.” He tilted his head to the side. “It won’t help Annie if her mother is weak from lack of air and light.”

“I don’t want to leave Annie.” Her daughter was the only priority

“I know,” Alfred said gently. “But she’s safe with Elizabeth.”

“I’ll look after her,” Elizabeth interjected. “And I’ll call you back if necessary.”

“We’ll stay within calling distance of the cottage,” he assured Lydia.

“You want to come outside with me?” What did he mean, we? The thought of the two of them in public together shook her. What if someone saw them? The sinner and the saint.

“Yes. I’d like to walk with you. Please.”

“I.” She ought to stay strong, but the movement of his throat, almost a gulp, before he said ‘please’ and the steady gaze of his brown eyes melted her resistance. “I’ll get my mantle and gloves.”

The navy wool of her mantle was threadbare beneath her fingers as she picked it from the drawer in her bedroom then tugged on her gloves. At the top of the stairs she paused to wrap the mantle around her. Mr. Lowe waited for her by the front door. Their gazes caught together as she took the first step down toward him. He was staring up at her with reverent intensity. A flush heated her whole body.

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