by Abby Ayles
“Actually, I will be going into town in a little while, to meet with Rosaline,” she said. “I just wanted to let you know that I will be gone for a couple of hours.”
Francis looked at her, eyebrow raised.
“Oh?” he asked, amused. Emma began to think that perhaps Francis suspected what she and Rosaline had been trying to do, but he did not say as much.
“Yes,” Emma said, trying to hide her red cheeks. “I received a letter this morning from her. She asked me to meet her for lunch.”
Francis frowned, seemingly puzzled. Emma cursed herself. Of course, Francis would know how strange it was that Rosaline would summon Emma on such short notice.
Instead of questioning further, however, he nodded slowly.
“Very well,” he said, looking deep in thought. “Enjoy your lunch.” He gave Emma a charming smile, and she noticed how much more relaxed and at ease Francis looked.
His smile was infectious.
“I will, my lord,” she said.
Francis flinched, but he said nothing more as Emma left the room. However, she could feel his eyes on her, and she could sense the unasked questions lingering in the air. She breathed a sigh of relief that he did not ask them.
She passed the time before she had to leave to meet Rosaline reading in the drawing room. To her surprise, the restless night’s sleep was not weighing on her, and she hoped it would remain so.
At first, she had thought herself too anxious about whatever Rosaline might have to say to concentrate on her book, but she soon found herself engrossed in the story. As she read, she found herself amazed at how similar the main character’s storylines resembled hers and Francis’s.
After what felt like mere moments, a knock at the door pulled her from the pages.
“The carriage is ready, Emma,” Margaret said.
Emma looked at the time and was shocked to see that it was after 11 a.m. already. She closed the book and put it on the small table next to the chair where she had been sitting.
“Thank you, Margaret,” Emma said.
“Would you like me to come with you?” Margaret asked.
Emma put her hand on her friend’s shoulder.
“Everything will be fine,” she said. “Besides, the children will miss both if we go into town together.”
Margaret nodded.
“And I very much doubt that Lord Ashfield would give us both the day off,” she said.
The women laughed.
“I will return soon,” Emma said.
“Have a safe trip,” Margaret said.
Margaret walked with Emma to the door. As the carriage pulled away from the manor, Margaret waved goodbye.
Emma smiled and returned the wave. Then, she settled back in her seat and closed her eyes, letting the gentle jostling of the coach soothe her nerves as they made the journey into London.
Bea’s Café was a very fancy little restaurant and tea house. Emma balked at the sophistication of the place and felt ashamed at her plain clothing.
For a moment, she wondered if she would be refused admittance inside because of her poor appearance. Then, she saw Rosaline standing outside.
Emma frowned. Why would Rosaline be outside waiting, instead of holding a table for them?
Rosaline saw Emma’s carriage come to a stop in front of the establishment and rushed to greet it. She barely waited for the coach’s door to open before she started speaking hurriedly.
“I apologize for summoning you so suddenly,” she said.
Emma laughed.
“It is alright,” she said. “Would you like to go inside so we can talk?”
Rosaline looked at her for a moment.
“Actually, this is not the place where we need to go,” Rosaline said. “I just wished to meet you here, so that we can go to where we must go together.”
Emma looked at Rosaline, utterly confused.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “Where is it that we are going?”
Rosaline took her hand, her eyes sparkling.
“It is just a couple of blocks away,” she said. “Follow me.”
Rosaline said very little as they walked, but she was tugging Emma’s hand intently. Emma could not suppress a laugh at her friend’s childlike urgency.
“What is this about?” Emma asked.
She had been so amused by Rosaline’s behavior that she had hardly noticed that their pace had slowed. As they came to a stop, however, Emma looked around and gasped.
“What are we doing here?” Emma asked. “The docks are not safe for two unescorted women.”
It was Rosaline’s turn to laugh.
“We are hardly unescorted,” she said, nodding her head at someone seemingly behind Emma.
Emma turned to see a tall man dressed in an outfit similar to a butler’s uniform. Emma turned to Rosaline, confused.
“This is Gromm,” she said. “He came with me today to escort us to where we need to go.”
“But, Rosaline,” Emma said nervously. “The docks are very often dangerous, for everyone.”
Gromm joined Rosaline in her laughter, but it was not unkind.
“Gromm served in the army for many years,” Rosaline said. “Rest assured that he is quite capable of handling himself.”
Emma was growing more uncertain and confused by the moment. However, at last, she conceded.
“Alright,” Emma said. “But we should be quick, in any case.”
Rosaline did not respond. She simply took Emma’s hand again and continued practically dragging her to some mysterious location.
“Rosaline, will you please tell me what on earth is going on?” Emma asked, almost pleading.
Rosaline did not stop, but she glanced at Emma over her shoulder.
“I am about to see to it that you can marry my cousin-in-law,” Rosaline said.
“But how?” Emma asked, bewildered. “We have been over all our options, have we not?”
Rosaline glanced at Emma again, saying nothing more.
“Please, Rosaline,” Emma said. “I have already endured one great disappointment regarding this recently. I do not feel that I could bear another.”
Rosaline looked at her with a strange expression.
“Disappointment?” she asked. “But Marcus told us about the ships.”
Emma shook her head sadly.
“There are no ships. I paid a visit to my family’s solicitor after we spoke with Marcus,” Emma said. “He said that no ships ever existed, after all. And, he was quite angry that I would suggest that he missed such a large asset.”
Emma shuddered as she recalled Lucius’s livid reaction.
Rosaline’s face paled, her expression grim.
“There is someone with whom you really must speak,” she said.
“What is it?” Emma asked, worried by her friend’s sudden pallor.
“It will be better if he explains it,” Rosaline said.
“If who explains what?” Emma asked.
For the first time, she was beginning to get angry with Rosaline. She knew her friend only wished to help, but there was nothing more they could do, no matter how much they wished to change things.
At last, Rosaline came to an abrupt stop right in front of one of the docked ships. An older, heavyset man limped to greet them. He was holding some sort of paper in his hand, but Emma paid it little mind.
Despite his scruffy, unkempt appearance, he bowed respectfully to both women. Rosaline put one hand on Emma’s arm and gestured with the other to the man.
“Emma, this is Captain Burd,” she said matter-of-factly. “Captain, this is Miss Emma Baker.”
Captain Burd’s eyes lit up in recognition, which Emma did not understand. She did not know any sea captains, and she certainly did not understand why any would know her.
“Ah, Miss Baker,” the captain said graciously. “I was wondering when we would get the pleasure of meeting you.”
Emma looked back and forth between the captain and Rosaline. For a moment, s
he wondered if Rosaline had gone mad. None of this was making any sense, and Rosaline seemed almost feverish.
“I do not understand,” Emma said, nervous and confused.
“Captain, would you mind telling Miss Baker what you told me about those ships?” Rosaline said.
“It would be a pleasure,” Captain Burd said, looking as confused as Emma felt. “We have been receiving orders and making arrangements under those orders to make and receive shipments with your family’s ships ever since your father died.”
Emma laughed.
“You must be mistaken,” she said. “I have already verified that my father did not have any ships. My brother simply made a terrible mistake.”
Emma saw Rosaline exchange a glance with Captain Burd. Rosaline gave him a small nod, and the captain held out the paper he was holding.
“Forgive my impertinence, miss,” he said, “but we have been receiving orders just like this, straight from you. Is this not your own handwriting?”
Emma took the paper, still grasping to understand what was happening. She scanned the paper twice, indeed recognizing the penmanship as hers.
“Yes, but…” Emma said.
Rosaline looked at the captain again and nodded once more.
“And see, right here,” the man said, pointing to a series of numbers on the bottom of the page. Upon closer inspection, Emma could see that the numbers were financial figures.
“This is what I have been paying out to you for the use of the ships. I sign off on your payment each week personally.”
Emma stood staring toward the captain, but she was no longer seeing him. Her heart was racing, and she was trying desperately to make sense of what he was saying.
Rosaline took her hand.
“Emma, darling,” Rosaline said. “You do have those ships, after all. This captain is the one who has been paying to use them.”
Emma slowly turned her gaze to Rosaline. When her eyes met her friend’s, everything suddenly fell into place. Emma felt she might swoon with the impact of the implications.
“So, Mr. Rowley has been lying to me,” she said, her dizzying confusion quickly turning into indignant fury.
“It would seem so, Miss Baker,” the captain said. “I do hope that you can forgive me. I truly had no idea.”
Emma looked at the captain, who suddenly looked more haggard and tired than he did just moments ago. He also looked afraid, which tugged at Emma’s heart.
“You could not have known,” she said. “And, in truth, you have done me a great service by telling me this.”
My solicitor may be a lying cad, she thought, but at least my brother’s mind is not being claimed by some terrible madness.
“If you will allow me,” the captain continued, “I would love to continue using your ships. I really need them, to tell the truth.”
Emma gave him a small smile, though inside she was screaming.
“I will be happy to discuss future business arrangements with you, Captain,” she said. “However, I have one small matter to sort first. But I promise you that I will be in touch, and very soon.”
She gave the man a brief curtsey and started to walk away, but she stopped.
“Please, captain, do me one favor,” she said.
The captain nodded.
“Continue your business as you need in the meantime,” she said. “But, do not do any new business or pay out any more money unless I come to you for it in person.”
The captain nodded gravely.
“You can count on it, miss,” he said.
Emma nodded, turning on her heel.
Rosaline walked quickly to keep up with Emma’s pace.
“Let me come with you, Emma,” Rosaline said.
Emma could not tell if she shared Emma’s anger, or if she was concerned about it. Regardless, she could not allow Rosaline to become more involved than she already was.
She did not know how deeply this apparent secret went, but Rosaline should stay as far removed from the situation as possible.
“No, Rosaline, that is not necessary,” Emma said. “I believe that I must speak with Lucius Rowley alone.”
Chapter 26
Francis awoke the next morning to find that the children were not still in bed.
He checked his pocket watch and saw that it was just after 8 a.m., and he realized that it must be close to breakfast time. He smiled as he envisioned his children sneaking quietly out of the bed so as not to wake him.
He thought back to the night before, holding his children close to him as they cried. But instead of feeling renewed pain, he felt a sense of pride and love.
He had been there for them when they needed him, and he had felt nothing but a powerful love for them.
For the first time since Caroline died, he felt that he and his children would at last be able to move on and begin living once more.
He stood up, stretching out the stiffness from the position in which he had apparently slept all night. Surprisingly, he was also quite hungry. He exited the room and went to his own to change and prepare for breakfast.
The children were, indeed, already seated at the table and eating when he walked into the breakfast room. They had been talking animatedly, and when he entered, they both looked at him and smiled brightly.
“Good morning, Father,” Winston said.
“Good morning,” Rowena echoed.
Francis smiled. He was still amazed at the feeling he now got when looking at his children.
“Good morning, you two,” he said, moving to his seat at the head of the table, where he saw that a plate of food already awaited him.
Winston jumped from his chair and moved to pull out his father’s.
“Here you go, Father,” Winston said proudly.
Francis laughed.
“What is this about?” Francis asked, still laughing.
“We just wanted to say thank you,” Rowena said, her face growing more serious. “For staying with us last night.”
“Yes,” Winston said. “We told the servants what we thought you would like to have for breakfast and asked them to go ahead and fix your plate.”
Francis smiled warmly at his children. He realized just how lucky he was to have such wonderful children, even after the way he had treated them in the past few months.
“Thank you,” he said, blinking back tears. “Both of you.”
“So, you are happy, Papa?” Rowena asked.
Francis nodded.
“I am very happy,” Francis said.
Just then, Emma walked into the room.
“Good morning, everyone,” she said.
Francis rose from his chair as she entered.
“Good morning, Miss Baker,” he and the children said in unison. His smile faltered as he saw that her expression was a flushed, harried one.
“Forgive my tardiness,” she said. “I had to prepare to go into town again this evening after lessons have finished.”
She smiled warmly at the children before taking her seat, but Francis saw that her face remained tense and red.
“Is everything alright?” he asked.
Emma looked at him, forcing a smile.
“I just must speak with someone about some matters at home,” she said.
Francis sensed that there was much more that she was not saying, but with the children present, he decided not to pry. That might, in fact, be the reason she did not say more just then, so he made a mental note to ask her about it later.
“Papa slept with us last night,” Rowena announced proudly.
Emma’s face changed; whatever troubles she was feeling temporarily forgotten.
“Oh?” she asked.
“Yes,” Winston said. “He came to read to us, and we all fell asleep.”
The children looked at him, sharing a secret look. He nodded knowingly at them.
“Indeed, I did,” he said.
“That is wonderful,” Emma exclaimed. She looked at Francis with great approval, and Francis felt hi
s heart skip.
“We are sorry that we did not ask you to read to us,” Rowena said, looking at Emma carefully. Francis thought she had noticed Emma’s expression and thought it was their fault.