by Abigail Agar
No, not normal. Worse than normal. Mary could not let that happen.
“What are you suggesting?” Mary whispered back. “What is your plan?”
“I cannot give you the details now. I hope that you understand that.” Mary did not like it, but she was smart enough to understand. Edmund could not say anything too detailed just in case they were being listened to. She was very confident that they were not, but she could never be totally sure. “All I want to let you know is that I will get you and your sister somewhere that neither of you can be found.” Mary gave him a look, suggesting that she did not think it was possible. “I have a plan. I know what I am doing.”
Edmund reached out to take Mary’s hands, and she allowed him to do so. She stared up into his eyes wishing that he could have all the answers. Mary was tired of trying to work everything out by herself, especially as she could not seem to find any solution. If this could work, it would be perfect. She would be handing the responsibility over to someone else, someone who had access to money, to resources, to areas of the world that Mary could only dream of.
“Do you trust me?” he asked her in a hushed tone. “I mean, really trust me? I know that we have had our ups and downs, but do you really trust me? Do you believe that I can help you out with this?”
“I ...” Mary pondered this for a moment. Did she trust Edmund? There had been times when she had and times when she had not, but he had always pulled through for her. One of the best things that he had done for her was hiring Daisy in his home. He had done that to make her happy. She felt that she could trust him with her friend, her sister, and herself too. But it was not Duke Smith that she did not trust. It was everyone else. “I do,” she eventually finished cautiously. “But what about Lord Jones? How will you make sure that he does not find Charlotte?”
“I have it all under control,” Edmund replied mysteriously. “Where we are all going, he will never be able to find us.”
“We?” Mary’s heart skipped a beat. The dream that she had forced herself to give up on, the love that she did not want to embrace too much because she knew it would all end in heartache, it was now looking like it could be real after all. She had even not allowed herself to think of that kiss they shared, but now the floodgates opened, and it flooded her brain entirely. “You will come too?”
“Of course.” Edmund smiled warmly. “I would love to come with you. Plus, I think that you and Charlotte will be much better off with me by your side. I think it is safer, do you not?”
“Of course, but if we go somewhere we can never return …” Mary gasped, her chest grew tight at the thought of making everyone she cared about leave their old life behind. “Your business, your life, your mother ...” She stared up into his eyes searching for everything that she wanted to see. The scary thing is she could spot it there. It really did seem like Edmund had some answers there inside his head. She could not extract them right now which meant she had to put faith in him. “How can you leave all of that behind?”
“I have worked it all out,” Edmund replied a little stiffly. There was tension in his tone because he did not know what he could say to make Mary trust him. “My mother will be just fine,” he replied, sure that this was the one area that Mary was most concerned about knowing her as he did. “She has Daisy now, and she is very happy with her. I have spoken with her extensively about this. She is very aware of what is going on and is happy with it.”
“Right.” Mary nodded slowly. She knew that she was not going to get any more out of Edmund. Not now. She had what she had, and she needed to decide whether or not she trusted him enough to go with it from that information alone. “So what is it you need me to do? If Charlotte and I go along with your plan?” She wanted to make sure that Edmund knew there was a chance that she would not go along with it.
“I just need you to be aware that there will be a carriage waiting for you and Charlotte at the end of the road at midnight.”
“Midnight?” Mary gasped, shocked. She could not be outside at midnight; it just was not the sort of thing that was acceptable to do. Her initial reaction was to panic, but of course, if she was going to run – if they both intended to escape without anyone knowing where they were. “Yes, of course, midnight. I suppose that makes sense. We cannot be seen.”
Edmund could tell that she was in a panicked state, even if she was trying to act otherwise. Mary’s heart was thundering, he could almost hear it racing. Of course this was going to be scary; it was a big risk for all of them, but if they wanted to do something as drastic as running away and leaving the life of London behind, all while protecting Charlotte, then this was how it had to be.
Edmund was excited as well as nervous; he could not wait to leave the city life behind. All the rules, the reputations, the gossip ... he wanted it gone. Now that his mother was alright and his business was sorted, he felt confident that he could follow through on what he wanted to do and also look after both the Roberts sisters. He knew it would not be an easy challenge to take on, but he felt confident that he could do it.
“Midnight at the end of the road. I know that you shall wish to bring supplies with you because we are all leaving and never coming back, but try to pack light. We do not want to draw too much attention to ourselves.”
“Yes. Of course.” Mary could hardly breathe now; she felt that she was wearing a corset even tighter than the one that Victoria had been wearing when she confronted her. If this had been a while back, then there was no way that Mary could have done it, but she was braver now, stronger inside. She could take on this challenge if she wanted to. “And you are really sure about this.”
Edmund bit down on his bottom lip as he tried to decide whether or not it was the right moment to say it. He did not want to put the pressure on Mary, but he also needed her to hold it. “I do not mind what I do,” he told her seriously. “As long as I can be with you, Mary. I love you. I want to be your husband. That is not the only reason that I am doing this. I wish to help Charlotte as well, but I am prepared to sacrifice anything for you.”
Mary’s eyes welled up, but for the first time in a very long while, she was not crying with sadness. The romance of Edmund’s words hit her hard, and they made her realise that he truly did love her. She loved him too, so this was perfect. It was not something that she had intended; she assumed that all the complications were about to get in the way forever, but it was there right in front of her.
All she needed to do was be brave enough to take it.
She moved closer to Edmund and wrapped her arms around him for a brief second, forgetting all about the rules. If they were going to leave London, it hardly mattered anyway. It did not matter if the people around them judged and whispered about them if they were not going to be around to hear it. They were being talked about enough anyway; it was hardly the biggest shock ever.
“I will need to persuade Charlotte,” she whispered into his ear. “I do not know if she will go for it. I know that she wants to leave and escape, but I think that she is afraid.”
Edmund held Mary close, loving the feel of her soft body against his. This is how it could be for all time if she would only let him look after her. He knew that this was not an easy choice to make, but if Mary and Charlotte worked up the bravery to take this step, then he knew that they would look back on it forever as the best decision that they had ever made.
“I have faith in you,” he said back just as quietly. “I am sure that you will help her to escape her horrible situation. She really needs it.”
“I do not want to see her hurt again,” she breathed deeply, almost not quite forming the words at all. “I thought that she was going to die. It was the scariest moment of my life.”
Edmund squeezed her, hating that she was in such a terrible situation. He would have done anything to take her away from it even before he knew that it had gotten so bad, and now he felt even more desperate to make this work.
“If you come with me, I will make sure that nothing bad happens
again; I promise you that much. I know that it is scary, and I am aware how much I am asking of you, but I want you to know that it will be worth it. I can promise you that.”
“I know.” Mary nodded against his chest. She knew that Edmund would be true to his word. The more that she talked to him, the more that she realised that she could definitely trust him. She just hoped that Charlotte felt the same way. “Thank you, Edmund; I appreciate everything that you have done for me. I know that you are risking a lot too. I appreciate it a lot.”
“I would do anything for you,” he murmured, filling Mary’s heart with warmth. Never had a man said anything so romantic to her, and it felt wonderful. She knew that she wanted to do this, however terrifying it was, because it would give them a chance. After the kisses that they’d shared and the hardships that they’d faced together, she knew that given the opportunity, they could definitely make it work. “I hope you know that.”
I just hope that I can do this for you, Mary thought, too emotional to say that aloud. I really hope that I can make this work.
Chapter 29
Charlotte’s head throbbed every time that she tried to move it. The large cut that she had across the back of it was awful, utter agony, but she did not care too much about that. She could survive with being injured herself as long as her baby was alright. When she woke up with the doctor in front of her, and she heard mention of the word ‘blood’, she feared the worst; unbridled panic raced through her system, but as it turned out, the blood was from her. It was from the cut, and her little baby had survived.
Her child was already her little hero, and she wanted to do whatever she could to protect him or her. The fact that she had not seen her husband since the attack was a good thing. In all honesty, she did not ever want to see him again. The idea of looking at his face made her feel sick. She could not even begin to comprehend the idea that she would have to spend actual time with him or act like she adored him out in public. The concept was utterly unthinkable.
“Do you need anything?” Mary asked as she returned to the room to see Charlotte trying to move into a sitting position. “Are you alright? Would you like a drink or anything?”
Mary had been by her side the entire time. She had taken over caring for her, refusing to let even the house staff help. Charlotte knew that she should tell Mary to continue living her own life rather than worrying about her, but she did not. She loved having the familiar face by her side, and in all honesty, Mary was the only person that she felt safe with.
“I am ...” she croaked before coughing a couple of times. “I do need a drink, thank you.”
Mary handed her a lukewarm glass of water which Charlotte sucked back rapidly. The liquid slid rapidly down the back of her throat and filled up her chest with something that almost felt like a normal sensation. All she really wanted to do was stand up again so that she could start reverting back to how she was supposed to feel, but the doctor had told her that bed rest was essential, and Mary was forcing her to stick to that.
As Charlotte finished drinking, and she glanced up to where Mary loomed over her, she could see that there was a definite strain in her sister’s eyes, and it was a new one. One that did not seem to relate to her condition at all.
“How are you doing?” Charlotte asked carefully. She blinked a few times as another burst of headache raced through her temples, but she forced herself to keep focused. “You look very pale. Are you sick yourself?”
“I am alright.” Mary gripped tightly onto Charlotte’s hand and leaned down so that she could whisper directly to her. “I have just been speaking to Duke Smith, that is all. He came to visit me.”
“Again?” Charlotte was excited and nervous all at once. It was blindly obvious to her that Mary and Edmund were meant for one another. “What did he have to say?”
“He has a plan,” Mary answered in a breath. “One to get us out of here. You and I, both of us. He has a place to take us where your husband will never be able to find us. He will keep us safe.”
Charlotte’s breath caught in her throat. It all sounded far too good to be true. That was exactly what she needed, a way out from this mess, one with no consequences, but actually acting on that fantasy was far too terrifying to consider. Charlotte had heard of divorce before, but she did not know a single person who had been through it. It would not be something that she could instigate anyway; it would have to be her husband, and she could not see Lord Jones putting himself into the spotlight of gossip to free her from him.
It would be better off if she were dead. That was the only way that she could see an escape becoming a realistic possibility. If only she did not have her child to consider, then maybe that would be a solution.
“Is he certain?” she panted with a swimming head. “Is he sure that his plan is one that will work? What did he tell you about it?”
Mary knew that she had to be mostly honest in this part. She did not want to scare Charlotte, but at the same time, she could not give details about the plan that she did not know herself. She needed to persuade her sister that this was the right thing to do without telling her everything.
“The plan is a good one,” she said reassuringly while accidentally darting her eyes downward. “Edmund knows what he is doing. I cannot give you too much because I do not want to risk being overheard, but if it is something that we wish to go along with, then we need to be ready to leave at midnight tonight.”
“Midnight?” Charlotte could barely stand that; it was too terrifying a concept for words. “We have to leave tonight? We do not even get time to think about it?”
“We do not get time for certain people to figure it out. It has to be now.” Mary needed Charlotte to understand; she needed her to realise that this was her one and only chance that she had to get away from the horrible man who had done nothing but ruin her life. “I understand that it is sudden, but what else can we do? We do not have any other options. They have all been taken from us. I can only see this.”
Charlotte nodded slowly as she focused on steadying her breath. She could hear what Mary was telling her and knew that she was right. If she waited, and her husband stopped hiding away in his office from her, then she would never get the chance to go. It really was now or never. “I see.”
“You do not need to decide right this second, but you will need to make a choice very soon. We will have to pack light so that should not take too long.” Mary hopped anxiously from foot to foot as the urgency of the situation coursed through her body. “I just need to know. I need to know what I am doing.”
“You ... you can go without me,” Charlotte stammered because she did not want all the pressure to rest on her shoulders alone. “I will understand if you wish to leave.”
Mary shook her head vehemently. “I cannot leave without you, Charlotte. All of this is for you.”
When Charlotte thought back to the stilted relationship that she had once shared with her sister, this felt almost overwhelming. The fact that Mary was willing to risk everything to rescue her was wonderful. She wondered how she had managed to survive all the years without her.
“I do not know what to say,” she said faintly. “This is all too much; it is just so overwhelming. It is ... it is ...” It was everything that she ever wanted, but now that it was right there in front of her, she did not know how to grasp hold of it. “I think I might need to go to the bathroom.”
Mary helped Charlotte to stand, and she watched as her sister staggered from the room. She shook her head sadly, hoping that she would make the right decision. She knew that Charlotte wanted to go, how could she not? But she also understood that fear. Mary was experiencing it too, and she had less at stake. She did not have a husband to lose or a baby in her belly ... but the baby was in danger if they remained. If only she had more time to persuade Charlotte; she just knew that she could do it, but unfortunately, it had to be quick. That was the only way that it could work.
Please see sense, Charlotte, she begged inside her mind. Please re
alise that this is the best thing for the both of us.
Heavy footsteps rang through the house which instantly brought Mary’s heart up into her throat. She had not heard those steps for a long time and knew that they could only belong to one person. Lord Jones had finally ventured from his office and at the absolute worst time too. Charlotte had just left her alone; she was by herself and vulnerable, and also seeing him would change her mind back again. Mary did not want Charlotte to remain here just because she had seen his awful face again. Her pulse pounded in her throat; she tried her hardest to gulp it down, but it remained there, stuck.
What do I do? she thought desperately. Do I intervene again or will that end as badly as the last time?
She stood up and tiptoed towards the door where she stood with her ear pressed against it. Her heart raced as she heard whispered tones, but the acoustics in the house were not good enough for her to pick up anything that was being said.