“Oh? Why’s that?”
Max hesitated for a beat, but then explained. “Like you, he doesn’t have a particularly pleasant father. That became clear to me when he showed up to work every day with fear in his eyes and fresh bruises.”
Charlotte gasped. “Poor child. That’s awful.”
“I thought so too, which is why I convinced his father to let him stay with me. Tim is doing better now. He’s still very shy. That might never change, and I reckon it’s all right if it doesn’t. He’s a good lad.”
She smiled. “Careful, Max. I’m beginning to think you’re a nice man.”
He grinned back at her. “Well, we can’t have that.”
“No,” she agreed, and picked up her saucer and teacup. She sipped her tea daintily.
“I’m not too worried though. I have a feeling your impertinence will often bring out a side of me that’s distinctly not nice.”
She set her tea on the table. The china rattled. “You think I’m impertinent? This coming from the most impertinent man I know?”
“I guess we make a good pair,” he said, leaning back and chuckling.
“Is that what we are, Max? A pair?” she inquired with a shy smile, hoping he would confirm it.
Before he could answer, however, Simon Evans appeared next to their table. Charlotte noticed his clothing for the first time. In Boston, he would have fit right in with his well-pressed trousers and silk brown vest over a starched white shirt. He held in his hand a clean hat that matched the color of his vest. In Weston, he looked fancier than every other man, much as Charlotte did every other woman.
“Hello again, Max,” he said.
The smile left Max’s face. He nodded curtly. “Simon.”
Charlotte felt herself tense up when the man turned his attention to her.
“And hello again to you, Miss Rose. I gather your illness was not long-lasting. I see you feel well enough to entertain a new gentleman only hours after your first. I’m most pleased by your speedy recovery.”
Charlotte felt like she’d been caught doing something wrong, and she felt embarrassed by his words, which made her sound like she made a habit of spending time with multiple men. She glanced at Max.
“You were unwell?” Max asked, scrunching his brows together.
“Yes. I mean no—I had a headache,” she finished lamely.
Max observed her with an unreadable expression.
She sat a little straighter and tried to sound unruffled. “My head feels better. Thank you for asking, Mr. Evans.”
“My pleasure, dear. We can’t have the prettiest woman in all of Weston unwell. How else will all the men you see find satisfaction?” He flashed a perfect white smile at her, which didn’t reach his eyes.
Charlotte looked down at her plate and blinked, humiliated by the thinly veiled insult. She wouldn’t have minded so much if he’d said it just for her ears, and she probably would have battled it out and set the man straight if he had. Max’s presence, however, rendered her speechless and distraught. She feared what he might think of her, and her cheeks burned.
Max stood from the table abruptly, his chair scraping loudly across the floor as he did. “Are you finished with your meal, Miss Rose?” His voice sounded angry, which made Charlotte’s spirits sink lower. He was displeased with her.
She nodded and stood as well, her eyes cast downward.
Max addressed Simon, his voice hard as steel, without the lilt of false cordiality used by the other man. “If you need a table to sit at, you can use this one. We’re leaving.”
“Thank you, Max. How very generous,” Simon said with a sneer.
Max stepped around him and took Charlotte’s elbow. He led her away from the table without another word and strode to the front of the restaurant. He released her arm to pay the bill, thanked the waitress, and then held her arm again. He only let go of her when they were alone inside the schoolhouse. That’s when he spoke, his voice heavy with disapproval.
Chapter Five: Obedience Required
“Charlie, have you become friendly with Simon Evans?”
Charlotte shook her head emphatically. “No, Max, not in any way other than polite. He stays at the same boardinghouse as I do. He invited me to breakfast this morning and I accepted. I had a headache, though, and he left before the meal’s end.” She looked pleadingly into Max’s eyes, which flashed with fury. “Please don’t think ill of me. I don’t make it a habit to dine with two men in one day. He made me seem like a loose woman. I’m not, I assure you.”
His expression softened slightly. “Of course you’re not, Charlie. I don’t think ill of you. I think ill of him. He’s a cruel man. Listen carefully to what I say now. You’re not to dine with him again or spend any time alone with him. Is that understood?”