Until You

Chapter Six

Biting down on her lower lip as she watched Ethan storm out of the room, Gretchen fought against the overwhelming urge to go after him and give him a piece of her own mind. Leaning further into her seat, she clutched the armrest tightly, threatening to rip it in pieces as his words from earlier echoed in her ears. He had no right; he had no right to disrespect her in such a way! Perhaps it was true that her decision to take on the job of a nanny in his home made her a peasant of some sorts. Still, she was deserving of the respect that was due to every human being! Especially if that human being happened to be a lady!

Springing to her feet once she was certain his presence no longer posed a threat to her sanity, she began pacing the length of the room. Everything in her wanted to go in search of Ethan and throw his job offer in his face, for how was she supposed to work for an arrogant bastard like Ethan Williams?! She wasn't certain she could stand to be insulted once again and she didn't believe she could bet on the fact that his behavior toward her earlier would not be a regular occurrence. Perhaps it was how he treated his staff – with disrespect and contempt?

Groaning, she shook the thought away; she needed the job. She couldn't afford to be thrown out on the streets without a plan of what it was she needed to do next. She was not only in a foreign country, she was stranded.

She thought of Ellie, the child's obvious need for love and care, further weakening Gretchen's resolve to leave. It seemed unfair to punish Ellie for her father's uncultured behavior.

Weighing her options, Gretchen decided to stay in the house ran by the lord of arrogance – Lord Ethan Williams – even if she knew her survival in his home would depend greatly on her ability to avoid him completely.

~*~

Slamming the door shut behind him, Ethan crossed the room and settled behind his desk. He ran trembling fingers through his hair, a combination of rage and shame pumping through his veins with alarming speed as he fought the desire to break something.

For a brief second, he considered storming back into the parlor and withdrawing his job offer, but he thought better of it; he needed Gretchen, it was painful to admit, but it was the truth. She was good with Elizabeth and whether he liked her or not, he knew he needed to put Elizabeth's needs above his own.

He hated the way he felt; the shame that came with knowing that the whole world was laughing at him for his misfortune of having married a disloyal woman – a woman who not only chose to run off on him, but a woman who had been cruel to return a few months later only to dump a child on his doorstep in the middle of a rainy night.

Heaving a frustrated breath, he shoved the thought of Juliet aside and rose to his feet, combing his fingers through his hair – he needed a break. For the sake of his sanity, he needed to get away from London and its insanity. He needed to get away from the side-talk and gossip. He needed to get away from his house and its cruel reminder of Juliet. The entire building was accursed with memories of Juliet and it felt as if he was drowning in them. He should have left months ago, but his own ego had forced him to trap himself in his study in a failed attempt to get away from the shame. Then, Juliet had added fuel to the fire by dumping a needy child on his doorstep. Now that the needy child had someone to see to her care, Ethan decided it was time to leave.

Ringing for his valet, he ordered him to pack a bag for his trip out of town, away from everything.

~*~

Gretchen considered the possibility of avoiding dinner that evening, dreading the thought of having to sit through an entire meal with Ethan glaring at her from across the table. Perhaps he might even hurl yet another teacup at her?

She shook her head, reaching into the crib to take Ellie in her arms; she needed to eat and she couldn't possibly avoid a man in his own house, could she? They were certainly going to run into each other and she didn't believe herself capable of enduring yet another argument with him once he requested to know her reason for neglecting to dine with him. She would simply avoid having a conversation with him or making eye contact with him.

Turning to face the door, she began making her way down the long hallway and down the curvy stairs. Dread and fear made it nearly impossible to force one foot after the other forward, but she fought against them. She fought to keep her shoulders straight and her chin up as she made her way into the dining room.

Pausing by the door, her gaze swept the empty room in shock; where was Ethan?!

She entered the room slowly, settling on a seat two chairs away from the one he had occupied that morning. Confused by his absence, she imagined he was simply being late and would join her shortly.

A maid entered the room a few minutes later, setting the plates before her. Noticing that the maid had walked out without placing a plate before Ethan's empty seat, she frowned. Perhaps she must wait for a while longer until he arrived? Was she allowed to eat in his absence? She glanced at the entrance, almost certain she would find him making his way into the room with a frown on his face.

Several more minutes passed and forced by Ellie's fussing to dig into her dinner, the two began eating in Ethan's absence.

Time passed slowly, bringing their dinner to an end. Gretchen glanced at Ethan's empty chair, slightly concerned by his decision to boycott dinner. A part of her believed he must have been busy, hence his inability to attend dinner. Still, there was a part of her – a very large part – that truly believed he was avoiding her.