by Lauren Smith
“I am.” Emma sighed. “Franny, I don’t care if I’m a spinster or the entire town calls me names. All I’m accomplishing by staying here is being unable to study and keeping Katherine from getting married. I could leave and get a job at the book shop or library and live on my own.”
“But why? You have a perfectly good young man as your suitor. There’s no need for you to be a spinster when Lord Belmont has such an interest in you. You don’t have to be so cold about romance any longer.” The mention of Thomas’ name made Emma tense up, and Frances noticed it immediately. “What’s the matter?”
“I was just thinking about how much I hate romance. That and the fact that I don’t wish to hear Thomas’ name ever again.” Emma stood up from the bed and put her hands on her hips. “I’m not a broken puzzle looking for a missing piece.”
“What happened? You were so happy to see him just a few days ago. Did he say something rude to you, or try something untoward when you met away from the house?” Frances’ eyes widened. “Oh, please say that’s not true. I’ve heard such things about wicked men of the nobility.”
“It’s nothing like that,” Emma replied. “But he’s a liar, and I can’t abide such a man in my life.”
“A liar? What did he say?”
“It’s not important.” Changing the subject seemed most prudent so Emma decided to ask a question that was nibbling at her. “Why did Father say we should go to the police tomorrow? Why not today?” Emma looked at Frances, who took her wrist and pulled her over to the window.
“Because the entire city is iced over. It happened last night, I suppose, but no one is getting in or out of the house today. Take a look for yourself,” she said. “It’s beautiful but I’m sure it’s quite slippery.”
“Is that so?” Emma looked out the window and her heart stopped when she saw a man making his way up the icy path a step at a time, somehow managing not to slip and fall. Frances gasped.
“Who on earth is that?” She put her hand over her mouth. “What sort of thing is so important that a man would get out in this weather?” As she spoke, the man’s slow and careful steps brought him close enough for Emma to see his face and she clenched her hands into fists.
“That’s no man,” she said through her teeth. “That’s Thomas.”
Chapter 16
When he’d woken up that morning to streets covered with ice, Thomas had breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way Emma would be able to get to the police to report the attempted robbery. If she had some time to think about things, there was the possibility that she would decide against it. Perhaps if he talked to her, he would be able to make her appreciate the situation. Emma was a woman who spoke her mind, but she was also understanding.
The ice was the perfect solution. She wouldn’t be able to go to the police and she wouldn’t be able to get away from him. Unless she wanted her family to see her being rude to the reputed Lord Belmont, she would have to listen. There was always the risk she would tell her family what happened and who he was, but it was one he would have to take. Even if he couldn’t make her forgive him, at least he might be able to make her understand.
“What are you doing?” His mother came into the living room from the hall and looked at him in surprise when she saw him by the door.
“I’m going out.” Thomas put on his coat and muffler, then put on his winter gloves. “I’m going to talk to Emma.”
“What’s so important that you can’t wait until the streets are clear?” Elizabeth looked out the window. “You can’t ride a horse out to her house when it’s this icy outside. Do you intend to walk all that way?”
“Yes,” Thomas said. “You don’t have to tell me how slow it’s going to be, either. This simply cannot wait, though. I have to talk to her now, or I may lose her forever.” He sighed. “In truth I probably already have.”
“What have you done, Thomas? Something that can’t be forgiven?”
“I don’t know, Mother. I truly can’t say.” He opened the door and put on the second hat he’d brought with him. “Depending on what happens, I shall return before dark.” Before she could ask him what that meant, he closed the door behind him and hurried down the back stairs.
As he’d expected, the streets were extremely slick. He had to take the smallest of steps to make sure he didn’t slip and fall on his way down the street from the apartment house. He had a feeling his mother was watching him from the window but didn’t look back for fear he might see her worrying about him.
The trip out to Emma’s house was long and difficult, and by the time Thomas got there his legs were exhausted. He was staggering up the drive when his legs began to shake. He needed to get to a chair or he would simply sink onto the ground. As the house grew larger, he wondered how much longer it would take to get there, and just when he was about to give up the front steps presented themselves to him. He picked his way up them with a hand on the stone railing, then knocked loudly on the front door, as if his urgency would get him to a warm room and a chair faster.
Before he was prepared, the door flew open and Emma stood in it. Thomas was so surprised that he tried to take a step forward and slipped on the ice at last. He fell backward onto his rear, and it smacked hard enough against the ice-covered stone to make him cry out in surprise. Thomas had no sooner hit the ground when he heard Emma giggle. He looked up to see her with her hand over her mouth, and when their eyes met she seemed to remember that she was angry with him.
“What do you want?” Her voice was as cold as the air and Thomas tried to scramble to his feet without falling back down.
“Right now I’d like a new arse, but that’s not the reason I’ve come.” He rubbed the part in question and Emma folded her arms over her chest. “I need to talk to you.”
“There’s nothing for us to talk about.”
“You’re wrong. There’s a great deal for us to talk about and I’d like to give you the chance to hear me out.” He looked at Emma, his hazel eyes serious and pleading. “Just listen to me for a few minutes and I’ll be on my way back home, then back to Kent.”
“I can’t guarantee us any privacy, but if you’re so certain you won’t mind my sisters hearing what you have to say.” She narrowed her eyes at him and he sighed. If Frances and Katherine heard everything he needed to say, Emma wouldn’t have to report him to the police. Someone else surely would. It seemed it was time to take his punishment.
“If I’ve no other choice, then. What I have to say to you trumps all else.” He sighed with relief when Emma nodded and stepped aside so he could come inside, his breath making a cloud around his face. “Thank you.”
“Hmph.” Emma leaned in close to him. “If we find one single piece of china or jewelry missing, I’ll have Father lock you in the cellar until the streets clear and we can take you to the police.”
“Understood.” Thomas stepped into the Sellars house and finally relaxed when the warmth began seeping into his bones. The butler appeared to take his hat and coat, and he quickly stuffed his gloves into his coat before they disappeared. Then Emma led him down the hall and into the main room, then into the sitting room where her sisters and brother-in-law were sitting.
“Lord Belmont,” Henry said, standing up. “How on Earth did you get out here in this weather?”
“I walked,” Thomas said simply. He noticed both women turning to Emma, whose face was frozen in a mask of temper. Frances jumped up as quickly as her husband had, turning to him with a meaningful smile.
“Why don’t we go check on Miles? He’s been awfully quiet.”
“Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea,” Henry said. Both of the Dicksons looked at Katherine, who was still sitting on the couch. Frances gave her a wide-eyed look and the youngest sister popped up as well.
“I’ll come along too! You know how much I love to play with him.” She followed Henry out of the room and Thomas saw Frances go past her sister, squeezing her arm as she did.
“Don’t worry about Mother and Fath
er. I’ll keep them company so you may have some privacy,” he heard Frances say. She tipped her sister a wink, then disappeared with the rest of the family, leaving Emma and Thomas alone in the sitting room.
“You may as well have a seat,” Emma said. “Not on the couch.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Thomas sat down on the wing chair while Emma sat on the couch, her arms folded over her chest. She looked at him expectantly with poison in her eyes.
“Well? If it’s so important, tell me and I’ll decide what I’m going to do next. Don’t expect me to forgive you, though. That’s impossible.” She very nearly spat the words at him and his stomach clenched, but he nodded.
“I understand.” Thomas took a deep breath. “The majority of it is my fault, but you can put the blame squarely on my father’s shoulders that I had to start in the first place.”
“Oh? And how does that happen?”
“After he died, I discovered that my father had been unfaithful to my mother, most likely for years. This wasn’t surprising, as they never seemed particularly well-suited to one another. What was surprising was that he’d fathered at least one child.” He paused to gather his thoughts. “I suppose I should explain about George first.”
“Who is George?” For the first time since he’d gotten to the house, Emma seemed interested in what he had to say, and he was glad he’d brought his friend up.
“George is a friend of mine from when I was a boy. He was the cook’s son, and now he’s the cook at our estate. My mother doesn’t think it’s particularly fitting for a man of my station but he and I are still friends and we spend time together regularly. As you can imagine, he’s quite poor, in part due to the slave’s wages my father had been paying the servants.” This also had captured Emma’s interest from the way she was looking at him and he continued. “At first George was too proud to take money from me. Then his wife died.”
“Oh,” Emma said, putting a hand over her mouth. “The poor man. Did he have children?”
“Two,” Thomas replied. “A boy, who has a lung ailment that keeps him ill nearly all the time, and a baby girl with no one to take care of her while he works. His wife, Lily, died in childbirth.” He took a deep breath. “She died having my father’s child.”
As he expected, Emma was struck silent. Her blue eyes were shimmering with tears and she shook her head. “No. Oh, no.” Thomas nodded.
“I’m afraid so. My mother doesn’t know. I haven’t been able to bring myself to tell her, nor have I been able to make myself tell her about the servants and their pay. Up until last night I thought she held him in such high regard that it would break her heart.” Thomas laughed bitterly. “When we return home, she and I are going to have to have a long discussion.”
“What does any of this have to do with why you robbed us?” Emma wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and they were steely again.
“My mother is still in charge of the house in several ways, but I don’t let her see the financial records. She does have access to the bank accounts, though, and she would notice money missing. Without an outside source of money, I wouldn’t be able to pay the servants what they’re worth or give George money to buy his son medicine or have a nursemaid for his daughter. I feel especially responsible for the baby, since it was my father who got George’s wife with child.” Closing his eyes, Thomas felt his stomach turn slightly. “Before she died, Lily told her husband that her affair with my father was coerced. She made one mistake and he used it to keep her under his control.”
“How disgusting,” Emma said. “The poor woman. Men simply can’t be trusted, no matter how noble their motives might seem in their heads.” Her eyes flashed at Thomas. “I don’t care if you did it to help your servants and your – your half-sister, you still robbed people. Not to mention you made my baby sister cry. I can’t forgive you for that.”
“I understand that, and I’m sorry. I just wanted you to know why I turned to being a highwayman in the hopes you wouldn’t tell the police if I swore to never do it again.” He reached for Emma’s hands and she pulled them away. “I mean it. My mother and I shall go back to Kent as soon as the ice thaws, the highwayman will disappear, and I’ll find an honest way to take care of the people in my care. I just didn’t know how to do it before when my father died and I was suddenly responsible for a number of people whose misery he caused.”
“You truly promise to give it up?” Emma raised an eyebrow and he nodded. She sighed deeply. “Then I shall keep your secret to myself so long as you return to Kent. When you leave this house, I never wish to see you again.”
“And you won’t. There’s one more thing I need you to know, though, before I leave.” He was relieved to see that Emma gave him an indulgent look. “The time I’ve spent with you has been the best of my life. I’ve never known anyone like you, much less a woman, and every moment we were together was better than the last. If I weren’t such a damn fool, we could have danced together all Season but that’s no longer possible and I’ve only myself to blame for losing the woman I love.”
“Love?” Emma stared at him with her mouth open. “Are you trying to tell me that you’re in love with me?”
“I’m not trying, I am. I thought it was a ridiculous idea for me to be falling in love with someone after knowing them just a bit over a month, but you broke through the walls I put up around myself because I never thought anyone would understand what I was doing. Before I knew it, you had made a home for yourself in my heart.” When he tried to take her hands this time, Thomas was surprised to find that Emma let him. “I hated deceiving you, Emma, but I hated the idea of breaking your heart more.”
There was a long silence between them and Thomas let go of her hands and stood up on his shaking legs. He reached out and touched her face, cupping it in one palm. Emma leaned into it with an innocence that nearly brought him to tears. No matter what he said or did, this woman would never be his and it was all his own fault.
“Good-bye, Emma. I hope someday you’re able to remember me fondly, or at least the times we danced together because though I may have lied to you about some things, my love for you has never been anything but true.” He pulled his hand away and turned to go, already dreading the walk back to London proper and his mother.
Thomas had just reached the sitting room door when Emma stood up.
“Wait,” she said. He turned to see her frowning at him.
“Yes?”
“You’re just going to leave like that? Without kissing me one last time?” There was a disgruntled look on her face and she strode toward him, much like a man would but with an undeniable femininity. Confused, Thomas turned fully to her. She put her hands on her hips and he stepped closer, put his hands on the sides of her face, and leaned down to give her a kiss so passionate that it made the one he’d given her before look chaste. If this was going to be their last memory of one another, he was going to make it one that would last. Emma put her arms around his neck and pressed herself to him, kissing him back with equal passion, and when they parted this time they were both breathless. “This doesn’t mean I forgive you,” she said.
“I don’t blame you,” Thomas said. He didn’t want to let go of her but he didn’t know how else this could end. To his great surprise, Emma smiled at him.
“I’m going to spend the rest of my life making you make it up to me.” The implication of her words made his eyes widen and she laughed. “Unless you truly plan to go back to Kent and leave me with no dancing partner for the rest of the Season.”
“I would never dream of it, my lady,” he said, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. “Would you do me the honor of accompanying me and my mother to the Peltiers’ party?”
“Of course I shall. Perhaps I shall even let you become a member of the family some day.” There was a giggling from behind the door, followed by a ‘shhhhh!’ that could only belong to Frances. Emma sighed. “If you can cope with these jingle-brained women and their antics, that is.”
&nbs
p; “Nothing would make me happier.” Thomas kissed her again and heard another faint giggle. Emma half-pulled away as if she was about to go give someone a piece of her mind but Thomas grabbed her arm instead. “Just let them be. It’s more interesting in here.”
“I should say so,” Emma said. “And thank goodness for that.”
Landing a Laird
Jane Charles
Jay and Christy
* * *
Jane
Chapter 1
Mr. Fiske bets Lord Alston fifty pounds that Lord Lydell will allow encourage
be compromised by Lady Moira Kirkwood and be hauled off to Scotland
before the end of the Season. ~ April 19, 1813
Lady Moira Kirkwood stretched her arms above her head, opened her eyes, and immediately sat up. “Goodness, what time is it?”
Beatrice, her maid, popped her head out of the armoire. “It is close to noon, Lady Moira, but I am not surprised you slept so late, last night being your first ball and all.”
If Moira hadn’t insisted Beatrice not wait up for her, the maid would have known she hadn’t been out until the wee morning hours. In fact, she’d barely made an appearance at the Heathfields’ ball before her mother determined it was time to leave. The only friend she had seen was her dear friend, Pippa, Lady Philippa Casemore, and that was from across the vast ballroom. They’d barely shared a quick wave before her mother had pulled Moira away. Once what her mother deemed the most important introductions out of the way, Moira had hoped to find Miss Patience Findley and join Pippa, who seemed to be having a grand time, but her mother insisted on leaving.
“It adds mystery,” Mother had insisted.
Mystery? “This is my first ball. May I at least stay long enough for one dance?”
“No, you may not.”