by Lauren Smith
“Have a good evening,” she said, still sounding cool. “Be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Her voice was softer on this last thing and Thomas leaned down to kiss her on the cheek before he left.
“I promise I shall.” Thomas went to the door and put on his hat, then locked the door and went down the stairs to the stables behind the apartments where the visitors to the city who had rented the rooms had been keeping their horses.
“Your horse, sir,” the stableman said, bringing one of the deep brown horses that had been attached to their carriage when they came to London. Thomas handed him some money for having it ready, then rode off into the night.
When he reached the edge of town, he pulled his horse onto the side of the road and took a pistol out of his inner pocket. He checked it by the lights of the city behind him, then took a black cloth out of his pocket and tied it over his face before taking his horse to stand behind a thick tree in the darkness. He took a deep breath as he looked up at the moon.
She can never know.
Chapter 7
Emma was lying in bed with her ankle raised when her door banged open and she slammed her anatomy book closed, startled. Katherine came rushing in with a wrapped book in her arms. It was the thick book they’d quarreled over days before and she had it clutched to her chest, which was heaving with excitement.
“Sister! You’re never going to guess what happened to me while I was at the book shop!” Her eyes were wider than Emma had ever seen them and she sat forward.
“What is it?”
“I went to check if your book was finally there and it was, and so I got it for you, and then I saw your young man from the ball!” She was nearly hopping up and down with excitement, still holding the book. “He was asking about you!”
“He was?” Emma could scarcely believe what she was hearing. “What was he saying?”
“He said that he went to the book shop looking for you because he enjoyed dancing with you and that he wanted to see you again to talk to you. And guess what else?” Before Emma could reply, Katherine shook her head. “No, you’ll never guess. He introduced himself to me and he’s a lord!”
“A what?” Emma’s heart caught in her throat. She wasn’t sure she’d heard her sister correctly. There was no way the man she had been dancing with and spoken with at the book shop was a member of the nobility. Then again, she hadn’t known much about him until that moment.
“We introduced ourselves and his name is Lord Thomas Belmont.” Katherine beamed at her sister. “We can tell Mother we know who he is now!”
“Absolutely not!” Emma reached out as far as she could and grabbed Katherine’s delicate wrist. She pulled her to the bedside and lowered her voice. “If we tell Mother and Father, they’ll never leave the poor man alone. He seems kind enough and we had a wonderful time dancing, but I don’t know that I like him well enough to have Mother harassing him and forcing him to come to dinner.”
“Don’t you want him to come to dinner? Then you could get to know him better. You might even decide that you’re in love!” There was the same starry look in Katherine’s eyes that she got when she was reading a romantic novel and Emma pulled her down onto the bed.
“Katherine, don’t you dare! If we’re meant to see one another again we shall at the Everly Ball. Let’s just hope that he doesn’t feel that he needs to come to our house to call on me because you told him our last name. A lord would be able to find me with ease.” Emma sighed heavily. “This is all more trouble than it’s worth. Perhaps I should have skipped the Opening Ball after I injured my foot.”
“No, of course not,” Katherine said. “You had fun dancing with him, didn’t you? You can’t tell me your heart didn’t flutter just a little when he picked you up and carried you in front of all of London.”
“Well, no, but---”
“I promise not to tell Mother and Father,” Katherine said, sounding only slightly pouty. Emma could tell that she had been excited about the idea of being the one to report she had found out the name of Emma’s potential suitor but that she would respect her sister’s wishes. “Can I at least tell Franny when we see her?”
“Of course we can. Franny would have both of our heads if we didn’t tell her.” As if she had been summoned, there was a knock on the door and Frances looked in. This time she didn’t have Miles and the smile on her face was sly.
“Hello, sisters,” she said, coming into the room and closing the door. The way she put her weight on the door and grinned made Emma worried. “Our Kitten told me some wonderful gossip on the way up the stairs.”
“Don’t call me that!”
“You little blab!” Emma narrowed her eyes at her sister and put her hands on her hips as best she could. “Why did you bother asking if you’d already told her?”
“So you were planning to tell me about your handsome young man, then? How comforting.” Frances sat on the dressing table bench with a grin. “Mother will be so happy to hear about this.”
“Why are both of you so set on telling Mother? He hasn’t even properly introduced himself to me!” Emma couldn’t help being a little irritated that her sister had gotten to know Thomas’ name before she had. It was nice to put a name to a face but she would have liked to have him tell her himself that he was a lord so she could be properly surprised. Not that she wasn’t already, of course.
“He went looking for you, isn’t that romantic?” Katherine looked as if she was ready to swoon and Emma wanted to put a stop to it.
“You two ninnies are getting ahead of yourselves. I’ll decide what’s romantic and what’s merely a silly infatuation.” She picked up her book and put it in her lap, opening it and looking down as if it were the end of the conversation.
If she was honest with herself, it had been a very romantic gesture. Most men’s interest disappeared when she told them that she enjoyed reading more than novels, and this Thomas had done more than just show interest, he had danced with her and even gone looking for her. She couldn’t help but admit that she was interested in what he had to say. She had been looking forward to the Everly Ball already but now she was determined to let her ankle heal and see him again.
“It’s been a few days now,” Frances said, changing the subject tactfully as usual. “Do you think your ankle will be ready to dance by next week?”
“I should hope so. It’s already feeling better and I plan to stay off it just as long as possible until then.” There was an ice pack on her ankle and she made a show of shifting it around before looking back at her book.
“The doctor only said you needed to rest for three or four days,” Katherine said, then realized she was still holding the book she’d picked up at the shop. “Here, this is yours.”
“The doctor is wrong.” Emma set aside the book she was reading to take the wrapped one from her sister. She tore the wrapping and folded it neatly, tucking it under her lamp before lifting up her new book. “It’s just as I hoped it would be.”
“What do you mean, the doctor is wrong?”
“I need to have more time off my ankle. Perhaps a week, otherwise I could injure it worse, maybe even break it. I’m going to stay here as long as Mother will let me so that I can dance with Thomas all night if he wants.” Emma opened the new book, reveling in its smell and the bend of its spine. She wondered if Thomas liked reading as well, and if it was something they could share.
“But Sister---”
“It’s all right,” Frances said, cutting her off. “You’ve seen all the medical books she’s read, if she says she needs more time, then she likely does. You know Emma’s going to be a doctor one day.” If anyone else had said it, Emma would have assumed they were making fun of her. Frances, on the other hand, had always been the kindest and most supportive member of the family. The last thing she would do was be cruel to her little sisters.
“Of course I am.” It was hard for Emma to keep herself from grinning. “Doctor Emma Sellars, and I’ll take care of both of m
y sweet sisters and their families first.”
“What if you end up marrying Lord Belmont?” Katherine wasn’t letting go of the romance she’d spun in her head so easily and Emma sighed. “What would we call you then? Doctor Lady Emma Belmont? Lady Doctor?”
“Just Doctor will do fine,” Emma said. “It’s beside the point unless he doesn’t mind having a doctor for a wife, and most men would. Especially men of nobility.” She shrugged. “Why can’t I just enjoy dancing with him and perhaps getting to know him over the Season? Everything doesn’t have to be marriage immediately.”
“Emma?” Beatrice’s voice silenced all three of the girls, and she came through the door with a smile. “It does my heart good to see all my girls here together. Why don’t the three of you come down together for tea?”
“I believe I should stay in bed and rest my ankle,” Emma said. “I want it to be in perfect order for the Everly Ball.”
“You’ve been in bed quite long enough,” Beatrice said with a shake of her head. “The doctor would agree. There’s no need for you to still be in your morning gown at this time of day. Get dressed and come down to tea.”
“Emma was saying she has a bit of a headache as well,” Frances said, getting up from her seat. “I believe she may have a fever as well.” She put a hand on her sister’s forehead. “It’s slight, but it’s there. I’m worried she may be getting a cold.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised, as much as you girls go out in the winter.” Emma was relieved to see that her mother didn’t come to confirm her ‘fever.’ “If that’s the case, she needs her rest to be well for the ball. You girls go downstairs and let her sleep.” Beatrice looked at her closely and Emma wondered what she was going to say. “No reading in bed, either.”
“Yes, Mother,” Emma said, putting aside her book. Her mother shook her head and went over to take the two thick books from her bed and Emma’s breath caught in her chest. Her political pamphlet was inside the anatomy book and if her mother found it she would no doubt be locked in her room after the Everly Ball until she got married.
Luckily for Emma, the pamphlet stayed in place and her mother set the books on the top shelf of her wardrobe instead of taking them with her. Forcing back a sigh, Emma rearranged herself in bed so that she was laying down and let Frances adjust her pillow and ice, then pull the covers over her and tuck her in. When her back was to their mother, she winked at her sister and Emma grinned at her.
“Have a good rest and I’ll check on you before dinner.” With that, she steered Katherine out of the bedroom, followed closely by Beatrice. She seemed to approve of her eldest daughter acting like a nursemaid as she had when they were girls, and Emma was glad. It would give her the extra time she needed to heal so she wouldn’t have to leave Thomas in the middle of the ball again.
Lord Thomas, Emma thought disdainfully. His nobility could be troublesome, but she was still willing to give him a chance. With a yawn, she closed her eyes. All she had to do was get to the ball and things would sort themselves out.
Chapter 8
Three days before the Everly Ball, Thomas woke up close to noon. He yawned and ran a hand through his dark hair as he stood up, then went to his dresser. Rather than take out clothes, he opened the bottom drawer and lifted up a jacket to reveal his pistol, the black cloth he put over his face, and several wallets and money purses. There was also an envelope that was nearly bursting with notes, and he couldn’t help grinning.
Money was nice, though he didn’t plan to spend it on himself, but there was a rush to robbing people on the highway that nothing else could compare to. Riding up to a carriage, delivering the threat, then taking money from people who had just as much or more than him all made him feel as though he were completely invincible. If, when he stopped a carriage, it looked as though they were poor or beneath his station he let them pass, and if it was just a cart he didn’t bother them at all. All he ever took was money and jewelry; he left their baggage and other such things alone.
The one exception had been kissing Emma. He’d done it because after their encounter at the bookstore, he’d been unable to stop thinking about her. When he’d stopped her carriage, he’d been surprised to see her in the seat but not robbing her hadn’t been an option for him. A highwayman wouldn’t stop a clearly wealthy woman on her own and not take everything she had, but her boldness and the fact that she hadn’t been afraid of him in the least had made him want to kiss her even more.
Now that he’d gotten to know her better, he wanted to kiss her again. When they met on the street or when they danced together he found himself looking at her lips, wanting to feel their softness and warmth again but as himself instead of the highwayman that had now been reported in the newspaper with a bounty on his head.
Thinking about Emma made him want to see her, so he hid his weapon and ill-gotten gains, then dressed and splashed cologne on himself with a light hand. If he found her today, he wanted to look his best. He went into the living area where his mother was sitting at the table reading the newspaper.
“Good morning, Mother,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “I’m sorry for sleeping so late.”
“You’ve been going out so much to visit with your friends,” Elizabeth said, smiling up at her son. “I know it’s the only time you’ll see them for nearly a year but you should slow down a bit. Especially with the Everly Ball coming up and your young lady friend no doubt looking forward to seeing you.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Thomas replied, thinking privately that she was right. There were only so many nights that he could stay out until dawn, but the only time there were this many people on the highway was during the Season. There were a few that traveled between London and Kent but they weren’t nearly as thick as the roads were at that time. Still, he wanted to see Emma more than he wanted to haunt the highways so he resolved to spend the next few nights getting some rest. “Speaking of the young lady in question, I’m going into town for a bit.”
“Oh? Hoping to see her at the book shop?”
“How did you know?” Thomas laughed heartily and his mother gave him a rather crafty look. “Do you fancy yourself a detective now?”
“Because you keep bringing me novels and pamphlets to read along with my flowers, though you know I’m not much of a reader. It can only be that you’re stopping by the book shop to look for her.” His mother was grinning now, and the smile on her face made him feel a surge of emotion so strong it was hard to think of anything else.
“Mother, why don’t I bring you something to wear besides mourning garb? It’s the Season, you should be dressed gaily like the other lovely young women.” This made his mother laugh and he smiled. “Perhaps something in a light yellow, like your favorite roses.”
“Thomas, you know it’s not been nearly long enough for me to be out of mourning. You should be doing the same, and you know people in Kent are talking about you.” Her tone wasn’t one of scolding; she’d done plenty of that when he started wearing regular clothes again.
“I don’t care what people are saying about me,” he said, shaking his head. “You know that. All I care about is that we both have a good time in London. I’m going to the book shop. I’ll bring you back some flowers.” Thomas went to the door and put on his coat, then left the apartment.
He’d known his mother wouldn’t agree to changing her clothes. She didn’t know his father for the scoundrel that he did, and he wasn’t going to tell her for fear that he might estrange himself from her or at the very least break her heart. Thomas didn’t want either of those things to happen, so he supposed he would keep yet another secret until he passed away himself.
Not wanting to think about that, he walked quickly to the book shop through the brisk air that already tasted of snow. The sky was overcast and the clouds were dark but it was as if there was a ray of sunshine through them when he saw Emma’s face through the book shop window. She seemed to be deep in discussion with the book seller and he immediately opened the door
.
The shop wasn’t as packed as it had been the last time he was in it, and he went directly toward Emma, drawn to her like a wave to the shore. It was as if he was afraid she would disappear if he took his eyes off her and when he was standing behind her, his heart thundering in his chest.
“Good afternoon, Emma.” As soon as he spoke, she turned to him and much to his relief a half-smile tugged at her lips.
“Ah! Good afternoon, Lord Belmont.” The smile turned to a smirk. “You were withholding quite a piece of information from me.”
“I swear to you it wasn’t intentional. Neither of us had much time to introduce ourselves formally before I had to carry you to your sisters. I fully intended to do so as soon as I saw you again, which is why I’ve been visiting the book shop in the hope of seeing you again.”
“Have you been coming to the book shop every day looking for me?” Emma seemed incredulous that anyone would go to such lengths to find her and he grinned sheepishly.
“Perhaps not every day. It seemed much more polite than simply coming to your house. I didn’t wish to frighten you before we’re really gotten a good chance to talk to one another.” He moved out of the way of two men who walked into the book shop and Emma followed him into a corner that was unoccupied.
“Coming to my house? How would you know where I live?” She looked scandalized and Thomas could scarcely keep himself from laughing.
“Your dear little sister let your last name slip when she introduced herself to me.” Emma started to open her mouth and he raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I did notice that you neglected to give it to me when you left the ball. Did you fancy yourself Cinderella?”
“No, I just didn’t wish for you to come to my house, as you so thoughtfully reminded me.” Her entire face colored and when he saw it he couldn’t help laughing.
“You are quite lovely when you’re being thorny,” he said. “I was waiting to speak to you out of respect, as a matter of fact.”