Saving Percival (The Cousins Book 3)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Hat in hand, Percival did his best not to shift from foot to foot. He'd never felt this nervous before. Though he had been uneasy in the past, it never felt like his entire future hinged on one conversation like it did now.

If he even had a conversation with her.

He had no way of knowing if she was still upset with him and if she would even agree to meet him. If she refused, what would he do? Keep trying? The thought made him uncomfortable. After all, she had every reason to be angry with him. Shouldn't he, as a gentleman, respect her decision instead of trying to convince her to change her mind?

Why was it so difficult to be a gentleman?

Maybe it had been a mistake to come at all, no matter what Mr. Gillham encouraged. After all, Miss Cooper hadn't tried to stop him from leaving. What if there was nothing he could say to change how she felt about him?

His mind was spinning in circles, unsure of what to do. When the door opened, he'd convinced himself he should just leave and had begun to do just that. With a start, he turned back to the door.

"Good morning, Miss Cooper," he greeted.

"Sir Percival," she responded, stepping outside. She pulled the door close behind her as usual. For a moment, they just stared at each other. She finally asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard Miss Steit had taken ill and I wanted to make sure you were well," Percival said honestly. "Are you? Well, I mean? You look as though you haven't been sleeping. Has your aunt taken a turn for the worse?"

She wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "You're the second person today to comment on how terrible I look," she grumbled.

"Oh." Percival felt his face heat up with embarrassment as he realized what he'd said. "I didn't mean it like that. I don't think you look terrible. You look as beautiful as you usually do. Just...tired."

What an idiot he was! Of course a lady didn't want to be told that she looked tired or anything other than her best.

"Well, I suppose that's because I am tired," she admitted with a sigh. She ran a hand over her face. "It is difficult to sleep when there's the chance Aunt Steit might have a relapse in the middle of the night."

"Is it as bad as that?"

She shook her head. "The doctor says she has a good chance of recovering fully, but we shouldn't expect her to have the same level of energy as before. The nurse, Mrs. Sweet, has been a great help."

"But you still worry," Percival guessed, deciding it wasn't worth commenting on the fact that strangers had been allowed in the house. And he still hadn't been permitted to step foot inside.

"Of course I worry. I don't like seeing her so frail, and I know she doesn't like relying on everyone else to do things for her." Miss Cooper straightened her shoulders. "But you still haven't said why you're here."

He had, hadn't he?

Taking a deep breath, Percival tried to gather his thoughts. "I wanted to apologize to you," he informed her. "I should have told you about the debts I inherited, and the debts I made myself from gambling. It was not my intention to offend you by not telling you about them."

"I know," she said, much to his surprise. "I shouldn't have been so quick to get upset with you about your gambling. If you've truly stopped, then it's none of my concern what you did in the past."

He'd come all this way expecting to offer multiple apologies to atone for how wrong he had been. Why was she also offering one of her own? "There's no need for you to apologize," he told her. "I was the one in the wrong."