Read The Sinner for Free Online Page B

herself.” She sat on the bench and extracted a small purse from her reticule. “A lady came to visit your sister once we got back in town last week. She said that you had given her these jewels recently, as a parting gift. Having heard of your circumstances, she does not feel right keeping them.”
    She opened the little purse and revealed two amethyst earrings.
    He gazed at them. “No doubt you think it reckless of me to have used my last guineas in such a way.”
    “I think that you decided those guineas would not make much difference, and it was important to maintain standards.”
    “Very open-minded of you, Fleur.” He took the purse. “And very good-hearted of the lady. Now you must go. This is no place for you.”
    She refused to budge. A night of debate and panic had driven her here, and she would see it through. “I also came to visit with you, Dante. It is rude to throw me out.”
    “My apologies. Of course Saint Fleur would want to bring comfort to the imprisoned. I have not even asked after your health. You are better now? If Charl brought you to town from Laclere Park, I assume that you are healing properly. You look lovely today. That blue brings out the color of your eyes.”
    The courtesies tripped off his tongue in a slightly sarcastic voice. The dark ridge had bared itself. Yes, his pride was hurt to be seen here. He clearly wanted her gone.
    “I am well healed, thank you. I have been staying with the St. Johns while I recover.”
    “And Farthingstone?”
    “St. John held him off. For now.”
    His hard expression broke. The man she remembered, the Dante who had been her friend for a day in that cottage, looked down with concern. “What is he up to?”
    “He is going to Chancery to ask that all my finances be put under his control, due to my erratic emotional state and my inability to make sound judgments. St. John’s solicitor thinks he may succeed. The way that I ran away, and the discovery that I was with you in that cottage will not help my case. Along with control of my finances, he also will request guardianship over me.”
    He sat beside her. “Damn the man. If it comes to it, maybe you should request someone else get the authority. My brother should be back in a month. He will agree to do it.”
    “While I would trust Laclere with my life, I do not like the idea of putting those responsibilities on his shoulders, or of being answerable to him. I have been thinking of a different solution.”
    “If I can help in any way, I am at your command.” He rose with solicitous grace. “Now, this is an unhealthy place, and if it is learned that you came, Farthingstone will only have more odd behavior to describe. It was good of you to visit, Fleur. I confess that I have worried about you a bit during my days here. However, you really must leave.”
    “Please sit, Dante. I want to tell you my solution and hear what you think of it.”
    He complied with a sigh. She angled away from him so she could watch the chickens and pigs and not his reactions. She was very sure that she would not want to see them.
    “Dante, did Laclere ever tell you why he and I never married?”
    Stillness instantly occupied the space where he sat.
    “Of course not,” he finally said. “I assumed it was because of Bianca.”
    She had known Laclere would never speak of it to Dante, but she had rather hoped he had anyway. It would make this easier.
    “It was not because of Bianca. There was never a true courtship between Laclere and me. It was all a pretense. I did not want to marry, and acting as if we were going to wed each other spared me for a year.”
    “That explains quite a lot. I always thought that Verg treated you badly. Love excuses much, but you and he were all but engaged before Bianca came to England.”
    “It was a feint from the beginning. I planned never to marry. Ever since I was a girl, I have been very sure of that.” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and plunged forward. “Except, as our