by Lauren Smith
“Hmph. Respect.” Emma folded her arms over her chest. “Well, then, let’s hear it.”
“I was planning to ask you if you’d do me the honor of giving me your first dance at the Everly Ball. I wanted the chance to take your hand before any other man.” He shrugged. “If your answer is to be no, then I won’t hold it against you. You won’t have to give up your night by refusing me.”
“I didn’t say I was going to refuse you,” Emma said hurriedly. Her face was still red and it didn’t look like it was going to go away anytime soon. “Just that, oh, never mind!” She turned on her heel and stomped toward the door with her book held to her chest.
“Don’t step too hard on that ankle,” Thomas called after her, laughing. “Otherwise who you dance with at the ball will be of little consequence.”
“I can take care of my own ankle,” snapped Emma, wrenching open the door. “And I would be happy to give you my first dance if you’ll kindly stay in your own home until the Everly Ball!” She stormed out and Thomas laughed harder, knowing he looked like a crazy man and not caring.
“Good luck with that one, mate,” a man he’d never met said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a stronger man than I.”
“She’s worth it, I’m afraid,” Thomas said, grinning. The implication of what he’d just thought hit him and he shook his head, though he was unable to stop smiling.
No matter how much he liked her, and how enjoyable it was to laugh about her prickliness, nothing could ever come of it. If he were to marry any woman, she would find out his family’s secrets. Not just what he did on the highways at night, but the secrets he had inherited from his father. Ones buried so close to home that if a stranger scratched the surface they would be able to find out the truth, and such a thing could break his mother’s heart.
I can still dance with her, he thought as he left the book shop. It wasn’t as good as taking her with him back to Kent, but at least it was a good reason to stay in London for the rest of the Season. He would be able to send even more money back to George with his takings, and the thoughts of that and Emma made him smile. Thomas resolved to have as much of a good time as possible for the next few months and damn whatever happened next.
Chapter 9
“It seems that highwayman that’s been robbing people coming into London has moved on,” James Sellars said to his wife as Emma came down the stairs with her sisters. They looked at one another and Frances shook her head before their parents saw it.
“I’m not surprised he took a place on the road here with the opening of the Season. The ton aside, there were plenty of wealthy members of Parliament coming in as well.” Beatrice shook her head. “Criminals will always come where people are having a good time to ruin it for everyone. I was so hoping the police would catch him first.”
“At least we don’t have to worry about our girls being victimized again.” James looked up at his daughters. “There you are! Are you going about before breakfast?”
“We were planning to take our breakfast in town,” Frances said with her usual gentle smile. She had been nominated by her sisters to tell their parents because they knew Beatrice would never say no to their older sister. “I miss having a leisurely breakfast with my sisters.” She kissed her mother’s cheek.
“I understand completely,” Beatrice said, nodding. “I haven’t seen my own sisters in a year and only one will be coming in during the Season.” She sighed. “Your Aunt Rose will be here in January, though why she wants to travel during that horrible month is beyond me. Thank God that highwayman is gone, else she would never come back to London again.”
“Thank you, Mother!” Katherine leaned down and kissed her mother’s cheek, followed by Emma, though in a less bubbly manner.
“My! Kisses from all three of my children! What a blessing, and it’s not even Sunday.” She smiled at them. “Take care, girls, and stay together. Emma, make sure you’re careful with your ankle. The last thing we need is for you to hurt it again and have to sit out the evening at the Everly Ball.”
“Yes, Mother,” Emma said. She wanted to smile at her mother but knew if she did, Beatrice would know that something was amiss.
The sisters put on their coats and went out into the snow to get in their carriage, which had been already pulled up to the front of the house. As soon as they were inside the cab and away from the wind, Katherine turned to Emma.
“Well? What’s this news you wanted to tell us?”
“I met Lord Belmont at the book shop yesterday and he asked me if I would give him my first dance at the ball on Saturday.” She couldn’t keep herself from grinning. “He’d been going to the shop every day looking for me so no one would get to me first.”
“Really?” Katherine’s bright blue eyes widened and Emma nodded.
“Yes! Now that’s a romantic gesture.” Resisting the urge to sigh, Emma looked out the window. “I’ll admit I was a bit snappish to him but I’m rather looking forward to seeing him if he’ll still have me.” She leaned back against the seat cushion, then jumped forward as she remembered something else she hadn’t told her sisters. “Oh! With everything that’s been going on, I completely forgot to mention something that happened when I was being robbed!”
“Something that happened?” Frances frowned. “Something more than being robbed?”
“Was it something absolutely scandalous?” Katherine leaned in, and Emma could see that her little sister was holding her breath.
“Yes,” Emma said, looking back and forth between her two sisters, “to both of you. The reason I hadn’t told Mother and Father was because it was scandalous. They would never let me hear the end of it or get into a carriage alone again.”
“Don’t keep us in suspense! What happened?” Katherine moved closer and Emma dropped her voice as if there was someone else in the carriage listening to them.
“When the highwayman came to our window, he wanted to take my book but I refused so he kissed me instead.” As she’d expected, both of her sisters gasped. Emma nodded. “He did, with not so much as a warning!”
“What did you do?” This time it was Frances, looking for all the world like her fifteen-year-old self again.
“What could I do? I simply sat there and let him have his way until he was satisfied.” Just after she said it, Emma realized how it sounded and her face turned bright red. “I mean I let him kiss me. And would you like to know the most awful part?”
“Yes!” Both of her sisters exclaimed as one and Emma felt the blush creeping down her throat.
“I’m ashamed to say that I enjoyed it.” She expected the further gasps from her sisters and Emma’s eyes shifted to the window again. “There, I’ve said it! I’ve wanted to say it since it happened, and I’ve finally told you.”
“Oh my goodness!” Katherine reached over and clasped Emma’s hands in her own. “What did he say afterward?”
“I honestly can’t remember,” Emma said. “My head was spinning from the kiss and the next thing I remember our driver was asking if I was all right. For a moment I felt quite special before I realized he likely does this to all the women he robs.”
“Was it a good kiss?”
“Katherine!” Frances looked at her little sister with her mouth hanging open. “How would you know the difference between a good kiss and a bad one?”
“The same way you do,” Katherine said, and this time it was her turn to blush. “Don’t tell me you never kissed anyone before you married Henry.” She turned to Emma. “Well? What was it?”
“I’d never had much experience with a kiss before this,” admitted Emma. “Aaron Parker kissed me when we were children but this was quite different.” Emma put her fingers to her lips, trying to remember the kiss. She could remember the highwayman’s passion and the way her head had felt like it was floating while her body sank, and the heat in her cheeks that lingered after he was gone. “I was amazed that such a kiss existed.”
“Then we know what you must do now.”
Determination on her face, Katherine nodded. “We have to find a way to get Lord Belmont to kiss you to see if he kisses better or worse than the man who robbed you.”
“He didn’t just rob her, he stole her lips as well,” Frances said. “We can’t just have our sister kissing every man in London to make up for it, though. No matter what the reason, Mother and Father would never forgive any of us.”
“I didn’t tell you to ask you for advice,” Emma sighed. “I told you so because you would have smothered me in my sleep if you found out I hadn’t told you. Besides, I wanted to get it out and my sweet sisters were the only ones I trust.”
“Now what do we do?” Looking between her sisters, Katherine’s eyes were still wide. “If you won’t let me set her up to kiss her lord, then what should we do next?”
“Keep it to yourself and pretend I never told you,” Emma said with another sigh. “Unless you want me closed in my room and forced to take you everywhere with me for my own safety. I don’t mind your coming with me but I daresay you won’t much enjoy accompanying me to the library to study.”
“Ugh, no.” Katherine pulled a face. “All right, then, we shall keep it a secret. I wouldn’t want Mother to get mad at you as well.”
“You’re quite right. The last thing we need is for our parents to have another reason to try and marry Emma off, and finding her a husband before someone finds out about her being kissed by someone as low as a criminal definitely counts as a reason.” Frances shook her head. “For your sake, though, I hope they don’t catch the man. There’s always a chance that he would list kissing you among his list of conquests, then everyone would know about it.”
“No one else needs to know,” Emma said. She looked out the window at the snow, hoping the cool air would blow the blush from her cheeks. Now that she was remembering it, she didn’t want to forget the kiss. It made heat wash over her and pool in certain places that she never told her sisters about, no matter how much else she did.
She wondered if it was possible for Lord Belmont to kiss as well as the highwayman had. On the positive side, she was able to see his face and it was quite handsome. Even if he was to kiss her and it wasn’t nearly as pleasant, at least he was someone she would be able to see and spend time with in public. No doubt a lord would have a fine reputation.
While her sisters quibbled and speculated, Emma closed her eyes and tried to imagine the face behind the mask. Nothing came to her and she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She supposed she could always hope to see the persistent man at breakfast. It would be nice to see him somewhere besides the book shop for a change.
Chapter 10
While the ladies were on their way to breakfast, Thomas was still in bed with his head under the pillow. He’d tried to go to bed early to keep his promise about not working the highway so he would be well rested for the Everly Ball but as he’d been awake until dawn nearly every other night they’d been in London and at the Opening Ball until late dancing with Emma, his body hadn’t wanted to cooperate.
Around nine, he decided to stop trying to force himself and got up. As he had every morning since he took up his clandestine occupation by the road, he checked his pistol and the money he’d stolen to make sure they were there. It was easier at home where he and his mother didn’t live in such close quarters but he would make the best of it as long as they were in the city.
He supposed he really should go post some money to George while he was looking at the envelope full of notes. No doubt he would be needing the money for Michael’s medicine, and for someone to watch Angelica while her father worked in the kitchen. Not to mention the fact that his need for house staff would be greatly reduced with their master and mistress in London. Unbeknownst to his mother, Thomas had ordered them to stay on and keep the house clean so he could pay them, and he decided to send just a little extra.
Taking a handful of notes from the envelope, he folded them and put them into the inner pocket of his jacket so he could go post them while he was out. Rather than getting dressed, though, he put on a dressing gown and went toward the kitchen and the heavenly smell of coffee. He was always much more alert after he’d had some and considered that he might like to have two cups.
When he got into the living area, he saw his mother sitting at the table with her breakfast and his stomach growled loudly enough to get her attention. Rather than going into the kitchen, he sat down with her and she sighed.
“How late were you out that you’re still in such a state?”
“I didn’t go to see my friends last night, but I wasn’t able to sleep.” The maid came into the dining area with a cup of coffee and Thomas grinned at her. “Thank you, that’s exactly what I was coming to find.”
“Will you be wanting breakfast, my lord?”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll have the same as Mother.” The maid nodded and went to fetch it, leaving Thomas and Elizabeth alone again. “I should probably try to rest a bit in the middle of the day so I’m fresh for the Everly Ball tonight.”
“I agree. You want to look your best if you’re going to see your lovely young Emma.” She smiled and buttered a roll. “She really is quite pretty. Tell me a bit more about her if you please.”
“A bit more? What shall I tell you?” Elizabeth looked at him expectantly, not giving him a hint of what she wanted, and he held back a sigh. “Let’s see, then. I know for certain that she’ll be at the ball tonight because I saw her at the bookstore again.”
“Again? She must be quite the reader indeed.”
“Oh yes, and not just novels. After the Opening Ball, she was in bed for quite a while according to her little sister, who I met at the book shop. She was picking up a book Emma had ordered and it was quite thick. A scientific text, her sister told me. On another occasion I saw her with a book of anatomy.” He decided it was the better part of a lie not to tell her when he’d seen the anatomy book, and was set to continue when his mother set down her knife.
“A book of anatomy? She had a medical book?”
“Yes. I believe she is interested in the sciences, though we haven’t spoken much about it. She seems very clever as well, and has a biting wit.” Thomas couldn’t help grinning. “I’m quite fond of her already.”
“And you’re certain she’ll be at the ball tonight?”
“I am. We met at the book shop again the day before yesterday and she agreed to give me her first dance. I went ahead and asked her before we even arrived at the ball so that no other man could get to her before me.” There was a sort of thoughtful look on Thomas’ face as he tried to imagine what she would wear that night.
“How lovely,” Elizabeth said. “It sounds as though she’s looking forward to dancing all night with you again. Do be careful and make her rest every now and again like before, if you’re able.”
“I shall. Pleasurable though it would be to pick her up and carry her again, I’d prefer to spend my night dancing rather than sitting at a table with her. Though I suppose that would allow us to talk just as well as dancing.” He smiled as he remembered talking with Emma through the slower songs and her spirited and skillful dancing during the quicker ones.
“You’ve no idea how happy I am that you’ve found yourself a lady whose company you enjoy. I’ve been worried that you’d never find a woman who measures up to your standards. A reader of scientific books, though. That’s quite interesting.” A faraway look came onto his mother’s face and Thomas looked at her curiously.
“Is something the matter, Mother?”
“Not at all,” she replied, turning her attention back to him. “I was simply thinking of my own interest in medicine when I was a girl.”
“You had an interest in medicine?” This was the first Thomas had ever heard of the subject and he sat forward in his chair. Elizabeth nodded.
“In a way. When I was about thirteen years old, I helped my mother birth my baby sister.” She laughed. “It was an accident, of course. Mother was heavily with child and while she was in t
he garden her waters broke. She called for help and I came, but before I could run for the midwife the baby was coming. Rather than force Mother to give birth alone, I did the same as I’d seen a midwife do when my brother was born. Once Anne was out, I wrapped her as I remembered in a towel from the house, then ran to get the midwife to do the rest.”
“How brave of you! Why did you never tell me this before, Mother? It’s a fascinating story.” An image of his gentle and kind Aunt Anne came to his mind, laughing and setting a crown of daisies on his girl cousins’ heads.
“There didn’t seem a reason to tell it. In any case, I decided at once that I wanted to be a midwife. The idea that I could be there when someone’s life began was so magical. Babies are gifts from God and to help bring them into the world seemed the most noble of professions.” Elizabeth smiled as she remembered. “My parents weren’t happy but I defied them for a bit and began a sort of apprenticeship with the midwife who delivered me. In my life I’ve delivered nearly twenty babies.”
“If you enjoyed it so much why on Earth did you quit?”
“Well, just as my parents had hoped, they found a suitable husband for me in your father. For a family such as ours, my desire to be a midwife was the subject of the wrong kind of gossip. They were so pleased to have found a noble willing to take a woman who was considered a bit peculiar that they married me off right away.” She shook her head, but the smile didn’t move from her face. “Your father put a stop to what he called ‘that lower-class nonsense’ and less than a year later I was pregnant with you. I put aside my silly ideas and concentrated on taking care of the affairs of the house and you.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Thomas said. “You clearly enjoyed it, why would he take that away from you?”
“You’ll understand when you have a wife of your own. If you were to marry your young lady, I’m sure you wouldn’t want her going to the library or spending all her time with her nose in a scientific book. You’ll want someone to help manage the servants, make sure that things are done properly in the house, and be a companion to you, all as I have been since your father died.” She picked up her coffee. “I shall be happy to teach any wife of yours how to manage the house, of course. As nice as it might be to retire myself and relax, I must make sure your estate is well in hand.”