by Lauren Smith
Her parents were going to be furious with her for staying out so late, she knew that as surely as she knew her own name. Incurring their wrath had become a regular part of her trips to the library, mostly because it usually meant she was out of the house and on her own with some regularity. Not wanting to be lectured, she usually left before her parents knew she was gone. Katherine reported on their reaction later, and it was rarely pleasant.
Not wanting to think about what was waiting for her at home, Emma thought about her foot instead. It was well enough to walk around with her sisters until she turned her ankle the day before, but she wasn’t sure if it was well enough to dance all night at the Ball. She didn’t want to miss it, in spite of the boredom she feigned when Katherine got excited. Though she rarely wanted to get ready for it, she always enjoyed it by the time she was dancing with a handsome cousin or her brother-in-law. To miss that because she had thrown a tantrum made her more upset than anything else.
She wondered idly if the man who had spoken to her the day before would be at the Ball, then scoffed at herself. Of course he would be there. His clothes and accent had marked him as a member of the nobility, and he seemed as if he was of an age with her so he was likely as excited about the Ball as everyone else their age. It wouldn’t be so bad to dance with him. He hadn’t seemed offended by her bad mood, and he had taken the time to follow her and talk to her. Emma wished she had gotten a better look at him. For all she knew, she could dance with a perfect stranger and think it was him.
What are you thinking, you jingle-brained twit? He is a perfect stranger. She sighed and shook her head. I don’t need a man to complete my life anyhow. He may have been kind, but they’re all trouble in the end.
Emma was thinking of an excuse for her parents when the horse pulling her carriage shrieked in fear and the whole works stopped abruptly. Not having prepared in time, Emma slid into the floorboard of the carriage in a mess of skirts with her book alongside her.
“Stand and deliver!” The man’s voice from outside the carriage made her blood turn to ice. She remembered reading in the newspaper about a series of highway robberies that had taken place outside of Kent but she’d never thought she would be a victim, and she was a woman alone to boot.
Scrambling out of the floorboards, she sat with her arms folded over her chest, a petulant look on her face. She was scared out of her wits but she couldn’t let him see that. Weakness was dangerous, especially in this sort of situation.
“What have we back here?” The voice came closer with the sound of leisurely hoofbeats and she made sure her purse was nearby. The highwayman came into view, dressed entirely in black with a cloth of the same color tied around the bottom half of his face. All she could see was a pair of hazel eyes as they scanned her up and down. “A young woman on her own, I see. Well, it’s all the same to me. Turn out your purse for me, love, and you shall be on your way.”
“And what if I don’t?” Her fear notwithstanding, Emma didn’t appreciate being called anyone’s ‘love.’ It lit the same flame in her that an insult would, and she narrowed her eyes at him. In response to her question, the highwayman put a pistol through the window of the carriage and pointed it at her.
“I would hate to have to kill a woman,” he said, almost lazily. “It would truly ruin my day.”
“Hmph.” Emma reached for her purse, trying not to let him see that her fingers were shaking. She opened it and took out her wallet, then removed the money from it and handed it to him along with her coin purse. “I’ll thank you to let me keep my wallet. It was a gift from my little sister.”
“That seems reasonable,” the highwayman said, stuffing her money into his pocket. “Are you wearing any jewelry?”
“No, I prefer not to.” It was the truth. Katherine was the one who liked wearing jewelry and at that moment she was entirely grateful for it. She would have hated to fight this man over keeping some family heirloom safe.
“How about that?” He pointed with his pistol at the book in the floorboard. Emma picked it up and he looked at the cover. “Human Anatomy and Physiology? What sort of book is this?”
“It’s a medical textbook,” Emma said, holding the book to her chest protectively. “It belongs to the library, so I’ll thank you to leave it with me.” She held her breath as he looked it over, then looked at her appraisingly. “What are you looking at?”
“All right, I’ll leave the book. Won’t fetch much anyway. I’ll take something more valuable instead.” The tone of his voice made Emma nervous. She didn’t know much about the way men spoke when they were alone together, but she had a bad feeling that she knew what he wanted to take.
“Please, sir, you have my money. Won’t you leave me to go on my way?” There was a tremble in her voice that she hated but couldn’t get rid of. The highwayman laughed and put away his pistol, then moved his horse closer to her carriage. Before she could protest further, he reached in, grabbed her face roughly, and kissed her.
Emma froze. She’d never been kissed before, not for real, and certainly not the way this smug man was kissing her. He was not only giving her a sample of his passion, he was claiming her as his own. She was afraid she would drown in it, and when he let go of her, she drew breath as deeply as if she had been underwater.
“Just as I thought,” the highwayman said, and Emma could tell he was grinning behind his mask. “Very sweet. Thank you for that, madame, ‘twill truly brighten my night. I bid you safe travels.” He snapped his horse’s reins and it took off in a flurry of hooves while Emma pressed her fingers to her lips, dazed. She vaguely heard the driver clambering down from his bench and opening the door of the carriage.
“Are you all right, miss? He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
“No, nothing,” Emma said, shaking off his kiss, but not her blush. “He took all my money but nothing else.” The driver sighed with relief. “He even left my wallet.”
“Thank God. He took my money as well but I was more concerned about you. Let’s hurry home. I’d hate for anything else to happen tonight.” The driver closed the door and returned to his post while Emma tried to slow the beating of her heart.
It was still flying when they got home, owing in part to the fact that the driver had taken the liberty of driving at top speed through the streets of London. When they arrived, Emma grabbed got out of the carriage before the driver even left the bench and hurried toward the house. She scarcely had put her hand on the doorknob when the door flew open and Katherine’s wide eyes met Emma’s.
“Sister, where were you? Mother and Father have been so worried!” She grabbed Emma’s free hand and pulled her into the house. “You said you were going to the library and didn’t come back!”
“Oh, Katherine---”
“There you are!” Emma’s father came hurrying to her side. “Are you all right?”
“We were returning from the library a bit late,” Emma said as her mother joined them. “It was my own fault for not noticing how late it was. On the way home, though, we were robbed by a highwayman! He stopped our carriage and demanded our money.”
“A highwayman! Were you hurt at all? Did you get a look at him?”
“No, he was dressed all in black and had a mask over his face. He had a pistol that he pointed at us, so Robert and I gave him our money.” She shook her head. “Thankfully he didn’t seem to want to hurt us and left after he got what he wanted.”
“Good Lord. I’m so relieved that you’re safe.” Emma knew that this wasn’t all her father wanted to say to her. James Sellars was normally a man of few words but on this topic he had much to say. “This is what comes of all this studying of yours.”
“Father, I---”
“No, not another word about it,” James cut her off. “It’s all nonsense anyhow. You’re never going to be a doctor. There’s no medical college that would allow a woman, and you know it. No matter how much knowledge you fill your head with, the best you’ll ever be is a nurse or midwife and I’m not al
lowing my daughter to do something so unsuitable to your family name.”
“I would be proud to be a nurse and help people!” Emma stood with her back straight, the fright of the robbery gone. “There’s nothing unsuitable about it!”
“I’m not going to argue further with you. I’m putting my foot down about this. You’re going to find a husband by the end of the Season and that’s the end of it. If you don’t find one yourself, I’m going to find one for you and I doubt we’ll agree on the choice.” His words set Emma ablaze again and she shook her head.
“You can’t make me marry someone, and you can’t make me stop going to the library to study. I can do what I wish, I’m more than old enough to do so.” She could hear that her voice was rising with every word and knew it wasn’t going to win her any favor with her father, but couldn’t stop herself.
“While you live under my roof, you’ll do as I say! I won’t hear any more of your bluestocking nonsense.” His face was red from arguing and he pointed at Emma. “I may not be able to stop you from studying but you will follow some rules. If you must study, do it during the day. I’m not allowing either of you girls to go anywhere of a distance at night any longer.”
“That’s completely unfair!” Before Emma could say another word, the carriage driver came from the hall that led to the servants’ entrance.
“Forgive me for the interruption,” he said, bowing his head. James motioned him forward and he went to Emma. “Here’s your book, miss.” The driver handed her the medical text she had left behind in the carriage and she took it from him, feeling hollow.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. The driver left as quietly as he’d come and Emma’s father scoffed at the heavy book.
“This is what all the trouble was over?” He reached for the book. “I should take this back to the library first thing in the morning.”
“No!” Emma hugged the book to her chest. “It’s mine for now and I’m going to read every last page.” She turned on her heel, making her injured foot twinge with pain, and ran up the stairs.
Emma slammed the door to her room behind her and sat on the edge of her bed, hugging the medical textbook to her chest. The fear she’d felt at being robbed finally overcame her and she began to cry. It mingled with her father’s words and made her cry all the harder. There was a small knock on her door that she knew belonged to her sister but she didn’t want to talk to anyone at that moment.
“Go away,” she said tearfully. “Just leave me alone.” Footsteps walked away from her door and she hugged the book hard enough that the corners cut into her chest. “Just leave me alone.”
Chapter 4
The Season’s Opening Ball was as grand as ever, with music filling the room and young women’s skirts twirling about them like flowers. It was always one of the most beautiful things Thomas saw all year, whenever he went. His family lived in Kent, so it wasn’t always worth the trip to London for the Season, and he had no business to call him there.
“My, my,” Elizabeth said, looking around from her place on her son’s arm. “I haven’t been to a ball in so long. It’s like a whole other world, isn’t it?”
“That it is,” Thomas agreed. “Let’s find a place for you to sit. It may be difficult as we’re a bit late but I’m sure some gentleman will give up his seat for a lady.” They walked to the tables set against the walls a distance from the dance floor. As if he’d been heard, a young man in a yellow jacket and striped trousers stood up and gestured to his chair. “Thank you, good sir.”
“Of course. It wouldn’t do to make this fine young woman stand.” He smiled at Elizabeth and went to dance.
“Young woman!” Elizabeth laughed. “How funny the young people are here. Anyone can see that I’m easily of an age to be their mother. It’s kind of him, though, isn’t it?”
“Quite.” Thomas looked around. His mother’s black mourning garb stood out against the pastel colors and puffed sleeves of the young women moving around her but he thought it made her look regal, and likely why the young man had allowed her to take his place. “There are people of all sorts here. Perhaps you’ll find a widowed man with thousands of pounds in his pockets.”
“Thomas, don’t be silly.” She sighed. “Can you imagine, though? I used to be as young and fair as any of the young women here.”
“Of course I can. You’re still quite fair.” It was the truth. His mother didn’t look nearly as old as she made herself out to be. She had given birth to him when she was older than many of her friends, but her hair was still mostly brown and there weren’t a great number of lines on her face yet.
“These clothes! I’ve never seen a young man in such an outfit. Is this what the fashion is today?” Elizabeth completely ignored what her son said in favor of looking at the young man who had given up his seat and Thomas put a hand on his hip.
“It is for some of the ton, not all. Don’t expect to ever see me wearing anything of the sort.” He looked around. “Would you like to dance, Mother?”
“Oh no, not at all. I’m happy just watching the young men and women. Besides, you should find someone your age and have fun.” She did seem content watching the dancers and the music was making Thomas want to get on the dance floor.
“Would you like some wine before I do?”
“That would be lovely, thank you dear.” Elizabeth looked back at the dance floor and Thomas smiled, then went to get his mother something to drink.
He was on his way to find a waiter when he saw someone he recognized. His heart quickened when he saw the dark-haired young woman from the dress shop. Emma, he remembered. She was with her sisters again, and he immediately wanted to go talk to her. His mother’s wine forgotten for the moment, he went toward her as if she was a magnet.
“I’m so glad your ankle feels better, Emma,” he heard the blonde girl he had assumed she was the youngest sister say. “How is it after a dance or two?”
“Not too badly. I should think I’ll be able to have a nice evening and not spend all my time sitting down.” She smiled at her sister and her blue eyes sparkled. They looked beautiful with her dress, a very soft green color with silken flowers decorating the corner of the neckline, white kidskin gloves, and her dark hair was in an updo. “Where is Frances?”
“I should think she’s with Henry.” The blonde giggled. “Perhaps they’re trying for another baby.”
“Katherine Marie! Remember where you are!” Emma looked shocked and Thomas tried not to laugh. She glanced around the room to see where her sister was, but her eyebrow raised when she saw Thomas instead. “Oh.”
“Good evening,” he said, closing the distance between them. “Are you enjoying yourselves?” Emma’s eyes moved up and down him, and he was glad he’d worn his nicest trousers and waistcoat.
“Immensely,” the younger girl, Katherine, said. “It’s nice to see you again, sir.” A red-haired man came to their side and for a moment Thomas was afraid he was going to ask Emma to dance and his chance would be lost.
“Pardon me, miss.” The red-haired man bowed to Katherine. “Would you do me the honor?”
“Oh, yes!” Katherine reached down and squeezed Emma’s hand before taking her new partner’s hand and walking to the dance floor, leaving her sister alone with Thomas.
“It’s good to see you again,” he said with a smile. The sparkle in her eyes was gone, and he decided to try a different tact. “I believe it may be fate that’s brought us together again.”
“That’s a novel approach,” Emma said, the sarcasm in her voice hard to miss. “Nearly everyone in London is here for the ball, it’s nothing more than this party that’s brought us together.”
“I overheard that your ankle is feeling better.” Thomas motioned to her foot, so delicately encased in a soft green slipper that matched her dress. “That’s good to hear. It shall make it much easier to ask you to dance without feeling guilty.”
“Ah.” Emma looked annoyed by this backhand request but he knew she wouldn’t b
e able to refuse without ruining her entire evening. “And once I dance with you, will you do me the kindness of leaving me alone?”
“If after you indulge me you no longer wish to dance, I shall leave you to enjoy your evening. I can’t promise we won’t meet again, though.” As expected, Emma sighed.
“I suppose that’s as good as I’m getting from you.” She nodded. “Very well, then. Shall we join this dance or wait until the next?”
“The next, I believe. I must bring my mother a glass of wine. I promised to do so, then disappeared. She may be concerned about me.” Thomas knew it wasn’t true, but he didn’t want to sound like he was an ungrateful son.
“Do you bring your mother to all the society parties?” Emma’s eyebrow went up again, this time higher, and Thomas laughed.
“Not all. She recently lost my father and wanted to come to the ball, so I happily consented to bring her.” He smiled back in Elizabeth’s direction. “She’s always been so kind to those around her, I couldn’t say no.”
“I see.” Something in Emma’s eyes softened and she smiled. “Hurry back, then, and we shall have our dance.”
Grinning, Thomas went the rest of the way across the room to find his mother a glass of wine. He very nearly ran the length of the room to his mother, wanting to make sure he got back to Emma before the next song began. When he got to her, she was grinning just as brightly.
“Here’s your wine, Mother,” he said, handing her the glass.
“Thank you, dear.” Elizabeth took the wine from him, then craned her neck slightly to see something across the room. “Who was that pretty young woman you were talking with?”