by Abigail Agar
She sat back in her seat and stared blankly forwards with a serious expression. The funny thing was now that she actually had some time to think, her brain was the blankest that it had been in a very long time. There weren’t any thoughts racing through her mind. Instead, she was sitting in the knowledge that she might well have messed everything up in an irrevocable way.
“Are you ready to leave?” Charlotte finally asked her once she had a bag of clothing in her arms. She was sick of the store, she had been feeling sick the entire time that she was there, and judging by her sister’s face, Mary was not doing much better herself. She looked like she was about to throw up all over the store floor which would be very humiliating for the both of them. “Mary, are you alright?”
“Hmm? Yes.” Mary bolted up and tried to rearrange her expression so that she could at least look normal. She had almost forgotten where they were because she had gotten so lost in her thoughts. “I am ready to leave.” Just before they could leave, Mary grabbed onto Charlotte’s arm and stared deeply into her eyes. “Actually, before we go home, is there any chance we could stop somewhere on the way? There is someone that I wish to speak with.”
Charlotte did not know what her sister was talking about, but she could tell from Mary’s expression that this was something very serious, something that could not be denied. After everything that Mary had done to help her, she would have done anything to reciprocate. “Of course,” she gushed trying to be helpful. “Whatever you need.”
Mary rushed off to the carriage and sat very stiffly in her seat while she waited for them to leave. She reeled off the address that she wanted to visit to the driver and then remained frozen with her back straight until it took off. She could feel her sister shooting her odd looks as they moved, but still she had nothing. She needed to think of nothing while they travelled because she needed a clear brain. It was the only way she was going to do this without completely losing her head.
Chapter 26
To give Charlotte her credit, she had not asked once where they were going; she had simply gone along with what Mary wanted, allowing her to stew the entire time. Mary knew that she was doing the right thing; there were so many things that really needed to be spoken about, and the timing felt right ... but she was anxious too. This felt like a bold step, even for the brand new her.
“Do you wish for me to come with you?” Charlotte asked as the carriage finally came to a halt. “Or would you prefer me to wait out here?”
“You ... you may come if you like, but you do not have to.” Mary did not wish to be rude, but this was something she felt that she needed to do alone. “I will not be very long, so if you wish to remain in here, I do not mind.”
Luckily, Charlotte could see that Mary needed her independence here. She did not know exactly where they were, but she had a clue. She was not sure why Mary would suddenly want to see the Duke now, but she did not want to get in her way. Of course it would be hard for her if Mary wanted to get married and move on, but she knew that time would come. She could not remain there as her buffer forever.
And once she left ... well, the idea of being left on her own with her very angry husband made Charlotte shudder painfully. The idea of raising a baby in that environment was utterly unthinkable, but that was her problem, not Mary’s.
“I shall wait here.” She shifted back in her seat. “You take as long as you need.”
Mary’s pulse raced as she walked towards Edmund’s front door. This was surely breaking all of the invisible rules that polite society abided by every single day, but after everything that had happened to her, Mary no longer cared. Walter had stripped her of her life; he had ruined her and taken everything from her, what more did it matter?
Her anxiety intensified as she reached up to knock on the door, but she did not allow that to stop her. While all of this was racing through her, she needed to speak to Edmund. If she did not, she thought that she might burst. She bounced on the balls of her toes as she waited impatiently for that moment when she would finally make eyes with him again. The anticipation raced through her body as the idea filled her mind and chest.
Then the door swung open, and there was a familiar face on the other side of it, one that made Mary gasp.
“Daisy!” Without much thought, Mary stepped forward and embraced her friend. In all her nerves, she had all but forgotten that her friend now worked here. “Oh, my goodness, it is so good to see you again.”
It had not been that long, not really, but it felt to the girls that it had been forever. Everything was so different now, and things had moved forward. It was good but scary all at once.
“Oh, it is wonderful to see you too,” Daisy gushed. “I have been hoping for a chance to speak with you.” She peered behind to check that there was no one there. There was not, but she still lowered her voice into a whisper, just to be on the safe side. “The Duke ... he is not a bad man. I am sorry that I made you think otherwise.”
Mary stepped back and smiled at her friend. “I know. I have discovered that myself too. I think ... I think that is why I am here.”
Daisy led Mary into the house and took her into the room where Iris was sitting. The Lady had clearly not been expecting guests since she was not dressed for it, but she did not look panicked at all. As soon as her eyes fell on Mary, her entire expression lit up into something that was so warm it managed to make Mary feel welcome in this house that she had never been inside before.
Mary was shocked by how much Edmund looked like his mother. They both had the same striking features and happy eyes. It was like looking at the same person in a way.
Iris stood and moved towards Mary with her hand outstretched to shake hers. “Now, you must be Lady Mary Roberts,” she said warmly, looking so happy to meet the Lady. “I have heard enough about you to know that this is you already.”
“You ... you do?” Mary gushed. She could not imagine Edmund ever speaking about her to his mother. He did not seem the type to talk about that sort of thing. Even as she tried to picture it, it felt strange. “Oh well, I have heard a lot about you too.”
Iris rolled her eyes knowingly. She could tell that Mary was only trying to be polite. “I am sure that you have not. I know that Edmund does not speak of me much.” She indicated behind her. “Please, take a seat, and then you can wait here while Daisy goes to get Edmund to speak with you. Would you like a drink?”
Mary shook her head and took a seat. “No, thank you very much. I do not intend to impose on you for too long. I know my visit is unexpected. I just ... I have something to say to Edmund.”
Now that they were alone, Iris felt that she could speak to Mary candidly. The beautiful Lady was utterly awe-inspiring; she could understand why her son felt very strongly for Mary. Seeing her in real life only proved to Iris what she had suspected all along. That Mary and her son would be the most amazing couple ever. She could just see that this was the sort of woman who would make Edmund very happy. He needed someone just like her in his life. Someone beautiful with a bit of fire.
“My son feels very strongly for you,” she almost whispered, needing Mary to understand. “He likes you a lot. I have never seen him this way about anyone before.”
Mary was taken aback. She did not expect those words to come out of Iris’s mouth, and they stunned her. People did not talk about their emotions so freely and certainly did not discuss the emotions of other people. She did not know if she was supposed to reciprocate or not, and she also was not sure if she wanted to express her feelings to this woman who was essentially a stranger to her.
Luckily, she did not get the opportunity to do any of that because, at that moment, Edmund walked into the room with wide, very shocked eyes. “Mary, you are here?” he said questioningly. “I was not expecting you.”
“I am sorry about that.” Mary stood up and moved to shake Edmund’s hand. After everything that they had been through together, it felt such an odd, formal gesture, but it was expected of them, and Iris was watching on.
“I know it must be a surprise; I just hope that I can have a few moments of your time.”
Edmund could see the seriousness in Mary’s eyes which intrigued him massively. He would not have turned her away for whatever reason she had come for a visit; he liked her far too much for that, but now he was really intrigued. He could sense that this conversation required some privacy, which he was more than happy to comply with.
“Shall we go into my office? We can talk there.”
Iris was half disappointed to see the couple go because she wanted to know what was going on too, but she was undeniably pleased as well. It seemed that there was something positive going on between them, and judging by the way that chemistry circled around them as their eyes met, that was a good thing. She just had to take a step back to let it happen.
Mary kept her eyes fixed on the floor as she followed Edmund to his office. She knew that she should have spent a bit of time planning what to say because now that she was here, her mind felt blank. All she could concentrate on were the feelings that Edmund gave her when she was near to him. He heated her up; he made her stomach flap and tilt over, and she could feel that powerful magnetic connection to him growing stronger by the moment.
How was she supposed to act normally when he was overloading her with sensations?
“Here is my office,” Edmund said smoothly as he stepped inside his small room. As he did not think that anyone was coming, he had paperwork scattered everywhere. He was a little ashamed of himself, but Mary did not see it as a mess. She could only see it as intriguing and interesting. She wished that she had time to search through it all, to find out more about Edmund and what he did with his life. “I am sorry about the chaos; I am in the middle of working on a new deal at the moment ...”
Mary wanted to ask more about this, but she could not. This was not the time or place for that. She had something that she needed to say and wanted to say it. “Thank you for meeting with me,” she said quietly. “I do appreciate it.”
“It is absolutely fine; I am more than happy to spend time with you.”
“I saw Lady Victoria Hartmon today,” Mary blurted out without thinking too much about it. “She spoke to me.”
Edmund bristled; he did not like the idea of Victoria being anywhere near Mary. She was toxic; she was angry, and she wanted to destroy him. He knew that she was doing all that she could to take him down. If Victoria had gotten to Mary just after they had sorted everything out, then it would crush him ... but if that had already happened, then he did not know what he could do to stop it now.
“What, erm ...” Edmund coughed and made an awkward sound. “What did she say to you?”
“She told me that you are horrible and that I should not marry you.” Mary smirked at the irony of this statement since they were not getting married at all ... much to both of their dismay. “She said that you tried to ruin her, but of course, I told her I knew that was not the truth at all.”
Edmund’s spirits lifted as he heard that. Not only had Mary not been sucked into Victoria’s spiteful web of lies, but she had also stood up for him as well. As he looked at her proud expression, even more feelings flooded him. He liked her, everything about her, and he could not shake that even when it seemed that nothing was going to go his way. He could not help wishing that everything was different and that he was back to the place where he and Mary were actually planning a wedding.
It was a shame ... a shame that it had all come far too late.
“Well, I do appreciate you doing that for me,” he said kindly, trying to push all of his emotions down. “It means much to me.”
They both sensed that there was a whole lot that needed to be said between them but that there was not much point in saying it, not when nothing had changed. Charlotte was still in danger, Mary did not feel ready to leave her yet, and much as Edmund wanted to push her into what she wanted to do, he knew that he could not.
If he wanted Mary, the woman that he just knew he was in love with, then he would have to be patient and hope that one day things changed.
As Mary faced Edmund with nothing else to say, she wondered what on Earth had made her come to his home. That was pointless; it did not change anything, and she should have kept the information to herself.
“I am sorry.” She pushed her chair back and stood up as redness tainted her cheeks. “I know now that I should have written to you with this; I guess I just did not want you to hear about my meeting with Victoria from someone other than me. We both know how vicious rumours can be.”
Edmund knew that it was time to let Mary go, but he could not just yet. He stepped closer to her and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, and he stared deep into the pools of her eyes. She was so beautiful that she made him feel absolutely swallowed up by love. It was all that he could want and more.
Then, before either of them knew it, and neither of them could stop it, the magnetism had pulled them together, and their lips had connected once more. Their lips connected rapidly, and they were kissing like there was no tomorrow. There was so much more at stake this time; the kiss was even more taboo than before which only made it even more delicious for the pair of them. They were trapped together, encased in their own little bubble where they could express their true love for one another for just a brief moment. Reality wasn’t in the way, and there was nothing telling them that this was a bad idea – no rules, no expectations, no commitments. It was just them two, and it felt incredible.
I don’t want this to end, Mary thought strongly. I wish I could just stay here and be with him. If only it were that simple.
Of course, all good things could only last so long. Soon they had to pull apart once more. Despite the fact that neither of them felt quite ready to. This time, they both hoped that although it felt like the very last time, it wouldn’t be.
“I have to go,” Mary whispered. “My sister is outside waiting for me. I shall ...” She looked up at him questioningly, but Edmund did not know for sure what he was supposed to say, so he said nothing. “Goodbye, Your Grace.”
“Yes,” Edmund whispered sadly. “Goodbye, Lady Roberts.”
They shared another look, one that only filled him with even more determination than before. He had to do whatever it took to help Mary. He was more than happy to help Charlotte too. He had an idea, it was something that he had been working on for a while and just needed to pull off.
If he did not manage to, then his chance to be happy with Mary would be gone forever more.
Chapter 27
“It has been good doing business with you, Your Grace,” the older gentleman, Harry, with mottled skin said seriously. He tugged down his glasses to look at Edmund more gravely. “I am glad that we have now managed to agree on everything and that the contract has been drawn up. I wish you much luck. I am sure that a man as ambitious as you will have no trouble in making a success of your new venture.”
“Well, I am used to overseas trade,” Edmund answered, still keeping a lot of his cards close to his chest. He was not like the other men who enjoyed bragging about themselves as if they were a gift to the planet. He enjoyed his business and loved talking about it to interested parties, but bragging was something else entirely. “But yes, some of this will be a new area for me. I am looking forward to it.”
He did not feel the need to express his real reason for the business. Harry was a nice enough man, but this was something that he had to keep to himself and to do in the shadow of darkness. It was the only way that it would work and keep everyone safe at the same time.
“You are an honest man.” Harry tipped his hat at Edmund with a bright smile playing on his lips. “The last man I tried to do business with swindled me. Luckily, it was not too much, but the damage was enough.”
“Oh, yes?” Edmund was barely interested now; he had gotten what he came here for, but he felt the need to ask out of sheer politeness. “Who was that?”
“A man named Walter Thompson.”
Walter. His eyes
snapped up, and he looked at the man with sheer horror in his eyes. Harry did not know anything about the inheritance and the incident with Walter Thompson. Nor did he know about Edmund’s connection to Mary. There was no way that he could be saying this with some kind of hidden agenda. This had to be a coincidence, just another story of Walter conning someone out of their money. This horrible fiend had clearly acted before.
“What happened?” Edmund asked, feeling ashen and shocked. “With Walter, I mean.”
“Oh, it was all some scam business.” Harry waved his hand dismissively. “It was a long time ago now. But he got a lot of us with his fake lawyer bit. I think it was his charisma that caught most of us in his web.”
Including Mary’s father, before he died, Edmund thought with a swimming head. Only that has come to light now. Years later.
“How has he managed to get away with it for so long?” Edmund felt angry now. Maybe if these men had done something about it at the time, then Mary would still have her home now. “Why did he not end up in jail?”