by Emma Brady
“Have I seen you before?” he leaned in so that the entire room would not hear him.
“You might have seen me in London with my husband.” She replied.
“No, that wasn’t it. This would have been a long time ago. You were much younger I believe.”
Kitty laughed nervously. “I’m still quite young. Were you watching me in my schoolroom?”
She hoped the joke would distract him, but it didn’t.
“No, I’m certain I have seen you somewhere else. In Bath perhaps. I visit my aunt there often.”
Now Kitty squirmed in her seat. If another person recognized her, she might not even make it to the end of the game.
“There are so many people from that area.” Kitty said. “I don’t think I have ever been there.”
“Strange. I thought I heard that is where you met your husband.”
Kitty was going to get trapped in her own lies if she wasn’t careful. “Oh yes, but I was only there that once and for such a brief time.”
Andrews stared at her, with his eyebrows pulled together. She pretended not to notice and tried to focus on the cards being played. The moment she realized she was going to win, Kitty looked across the table to see Henry. There was a twinkle in his eyes and the corners of his mouth were turned up. He knew they were going to win as well. Kitty resisted the urge to smile as they laid down the winning pairs. The room began to applaud and Kitty felt a rush of relief.
“Impossible!” Christopher erupted, jumping up and pounded his fists on the table. “They cheated!’
Viscount Andrews also stood, only in slow deliberate movements. “That is a severe accusation to make against a lady. Do you have any proof?”
“I don’t need proof and she isn’t a lady.” Christopher said, smug expression on his face. “If you knew about her past, you wouldn’t even allow her to sit at the table.”
“Are you sure you want to talk about the past? You never know what might come to light when you do that.”
The tone Andrews had was a warning. Clearly Kitty wasn’t the only one with secrets. If Christopher continued to make a scene, he was going to suffer as well. Christopher mumbled under his breath but stormed out of the room. Kitty felt like she could breathe again.
“You were an excellent player.” Andrews shook hands with Henry and Kitty. “I believe this is yours.”
A servant appeared with velvet bag, that looked heavy with coin. Andrews leaned in to put it in Kitty’s hands without bothering to look at Henry. As he got close enough to speak where no one else could hear, Andrews whispered to her.
“You were lovely in the Shakespeare play. I saw you in Bath a long time ago and you are still mesmerizing.”
Kitty was too shocked to say anything. Andrews pulled back as if he hadn’t said anything at all.
The first thing Kitty wanted to do was tell Patrick the good news. The rest of the party went into the ballroom to enjoy the final night of the party, but she slipped away go upstairs. She knocked softly, worried he might be sleeping. Instead she heard his voice calling her in. He looked much better than he had early in the day.
“Since you are not sobbing, I presume we won the tournament?” His sense of humor was back.
“Oh yes!” She lifted the bag up so that he could see the heavy weight of it in her hand. “It’s ours Patrick. It’s all ours. We have enough to leave London and find a new life somewhere.”
He smiled but the emotion it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m glad my dear.”
His words said he was glad, but his tone said he wasn’t.
“Are you not happy? We are free to go anywhere we want and get away from the past.”
Patrick sighed. “There are some parts of the past I don’t want to get away from.”
“You mean Ephram?”
“Yes.”
“But he’s gone Patrick. It’s just us now.”
“I know, but his memory still lingers. I can still feel him when I walk down the streets of London or through the park. I sometimes stop for a lemon ice in that little shop he always loved and for a moment pretend he is sitting across from me. I will miss that when we leave.”
His eyes drooped as he spoke, and a single tear slid down his cheek. Kitty felt her own chest tighten with the feeling of loss over the death of her husband. Kitty went to sit beside her friend on the edge of the bed, letting him cry against her shoulder.
“I know it will be hard to leave, but we have no other choice. If we stay and society finds out the truth, they will turn on us. We need to leave while we still safely can.” Kitty said softly, as she stroked her friend’s forehead.
“I know. I wish there was another way.”
She was about to tell him that she wished for that as well, when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. The two of them exchanged nervous glances, since she was alone with him in his room. Even being sick and in bed, rumors might be started. Kitty felt relief that it was Henry at the door.
“I wanted to give you a few moments to celebrate before I came to talk to you.” Henry came into the room. “How are you feeling, Patrick?”
“Much better, thank you. I appreciate you lending us your assistance.”
“No trouble. May I speak to Kitty alone?”
“Don’t see how I could stop you even if I wanted to.”
Patrick laughed.
Kitty felt she should have some say in her own actions, but Henry was already pulling her towards the dressing room at the back of the bedroom. They were still within sight of Patrick but were out of hearing. That was as close to alone as she was going to let him get. She pulled her arm free of his hands.
“I think it’s best if we don’t bother with long and emotional good-byes.” Kitty said, as she could already feel the sting of tears in her eyes. “We will be leaving first thing in the morning.”
“Is Patrick well enough to travel?”
“You saw that for yourself.”
Henry’s cheeks were red and there was a wrinkle in his forehead between his eyes. Those bright blue eyes that shimmered with his own raw emotion.
“If you are here to ask me to say, you can save your breathe. I have no desire to stay and become your mistress. Even if I hadn’t won the tournament, I would never agree to such a future.”
“Now you don’t need to.” Henry added.
“No. Now I have the means to get away from a past I can’t seem to get rid of.”
“Is that what you want, to leave the country?”
Unlike Patrick, Kitty had few fond memories of living in England. Some were better than others, but all of them were tainted by secrets, fear and anxiety. A fresh start in another place sounded like a dream to her.
“There is an entire world out there that I have never seen. I think travel might agree with me.” She tried to keep her tone light in hopes it would hide the cracks in her voice.
“Then let me come with you.”
Kitty gasped; she couldn’t help it. That was the last thing she expected to hear.
“If you want to leave, then I want to go with you. We could travel the continent first, but if that’s not enough then there is always going across the sea.” Henry spoke faster now and with a great deal of passion. “We would have to get married first, but I know how to get a special license quickly. I can have things arranged by the end of the week.”
Kitty could barely keep her head up as she began to feel dizzy. There had been so much excitement, between Patrick and the tournament. Now Henry proposing was too much and she felt her body fall backwards, only to be caught in Henry’s arms. He pressed his lips to hers and she leaned into him.
“That looks like a yes to me!” Shouted Patrick from the bed, laughing.
“This means that Patrick can stay here if he likes.” Kitty said when she finally was on her feet again. “He can use the money form the tournament to stay in London like he wanted.”
“He isn’t worried about the rumors if your history comes to light?”
&nbs
p; “No, he’s never been concerned about his reputation.” Kitty paused. “Are you worried about the truth? Christopher was too frightened to say anything tonight, but he might tell someone later. Or someone else might recognize me eventually.”
“You are beautiful and talented. You made the best of a bad situation and I am proud of you for it. If the truth does surface, I will still be proud.”
Kitty hadn’t realized how much she missed the feeling of freedom that came from letting go of her secret. Her husband had never made such a bold declaration, even though he rescued her from her difficult life. The romantic side she never knew she had soared from those words.
“Will you let me come with you?” Henry asked again.
“Yes, we were made to be partners.”
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Next From Emma Brady:
The Beastly Duke: Book 4 in the Sinners Club
Releasing November 1st
Sinners Club Series:
The Blind Duke
The Unlucky Viscount
The Rough Lord