Elisa frowned. “Dr. Sparrow and I are just friends.”
Avery’s blue eyes were watchful. “Well, he seems to enjoy you.”
“As a friend,” Elisa said. She didn’t want to talk about her time with Sparrow, especially since the illness had been a lie. “I would like to go to the library.”
“We can go today if you’re up to it.”
Elisa smiled. Her brother was being awfully kind to her, gentle even. She thought he’d refuse. He hadn’t let her out of the house since their arrival to London. “I am. Thank you.”
“Are you certain you feel nothing for Dr. Sparrow?”
Elisa gasped. “Avery! Why are you so insistent that I do?”
Avery shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just… if you both thought one another a good match.”
Elisa had no words.
And then she had many words. “I thought you only found Lord Upton suitable for me? Or is it that any man but Lord Nicholas is suitable?”
Avery ran a hand through his hair. He tensed before he said, “If Lord Nicholas is still your desire then I will not stand in your way.”
Elisa’s spine snapped straight. “What? Avery, what is going on?”
“You nearly died, Elisa.” He took her hand. “I won’t let my personal issues get in the way of your happiness. I was foolish to try and do so before. I will put my difference with Lord Nicholas aside in order to make you happy.”
Elisa could not believe her ears, yet at she looked in Avery’s eyes she saw many things there. An apology overtook his blue gaze.
“I thought him a coward for not going near you the other night when we found out what you had, but at least he went up to see you. I can respect that at least. Also, he protected you when I couldn’t, so even if I don’t think him the most upstanding man, I think him able to keep you safe.”
“You’ve been given this a great amount of thought, haven’t you?” Elisa asked. “What did you tell Father about my absence?”
“Father has been ill, very ill. His doctors know nothing. After this miracle, I’m tempted to let Sparrow see him.” Avery squeezed her hand. “One of us should marry before he goes. It should be you. He should see one of us happy, Elisa. That’s you.”
Elisa’s heart raced. Her eyes burned with despair. “Is he awake?”
“Sometimes,” Avery said. “But the doctors give him laudanum for the pain.”
“The moment we are home, send someone for Sparrow,” Elisa said.
Avery nodded.
* * *
Nicholas arrived at the coffee shop before Sparrow managed to make an appearance, but Upton was there and waved him over to a table in the back of the noisy crowded space. Nick wove his way through the bodies and cigar smoke.
Finally, he made his way to a chair and sat.
Upton grinned and Nick thought that if circumstances were different and the man wasn’t standing in the way between him and Elisa, he’d like him.
Over the last few days, he’d found out much about the man, along with a few others. Nick had spent his mornings and evenings as he’d once done a few years ago, Foraging for information. He’d stood in the backs of halls and in the corners of drawing rooms, he’d attended routs.
He’d slipped into closets and under the beds of every lord and lady who knew Lord Bush, all in the hopes of learning the one thing the man truly wanted.
And finally, he knew.
It was why when Nicholas had originally arranged this meeting between Upton and Sparrow, he’d had no intention of attending, and yet here he was.
He and Upton exchanged greetings and Nick ordered his coffee.
“Where’s Lord Sparrow?” Upton asked.
“He prefers to be called Dr. Sparrow,” Nick said. “He’s on his way, I imagine.” He imagined the man seeing Elisa away, back to the arms of her loving family and another step away from Nicholas.
“I can respect a man who wishes to be known by his profession, choosing to be seen by his accomplishments and not his birthright.”
Nick grunted. “I think it’s a simple matter of Sparrow wishing everyone to think he knows everything.”
The men laughed and Nick thought again that in another life, he and Upton would be friends, indeed.
Nick had bought a paper from a boy on the street. He opened it then and pretended to take interest. “Are you following this Prime Minister business?”
‘Not really,” Upton said. “Most of the time my mind is on another Continent. I don’t plan to be in England long enough for much to affect me.”
Nick looked at him. “I hate politics.”
“As do I,” Upton said. “It’s a game of wit that I’ve never been interested in.”
Nick nodded. Then he rolled the paper and tapped it on his chin. “Still, you’re close to one of the gentlemen who wishes to have the position.”
Upton smiled. “I believe Avery will be a good fit.”
“And Lord Bush?”
Upton shrugged. “He’s a good man too, but of course, if I had a say, I would choose my friend.”
Nick smiled. “And not the man who was almost your father? Forgive me, but I heard a rumor…”
Upton laughed. “Oh, you heard that story, did you? It’s no rumor. My mother used to speak of it all the time. She was quite cross when Lord Bush married Lily instead of her.”
Lady Upton was what Bush wanted.
Nick had heard Bush and his friends speaking about it just last night. Nick had been hiding behind an Asian screen and had listened to everything. “Do you think there is any hope for them? I do enjoy a happy ending,” he added in order to keep Upton talking. “Your father has been gone for how many years?”
“Since before I had any true memories of him.” Upton narrowed his eyes and then shook his head. “No, I don’t see them getting together. My mother’s pride will not allow it, I believe. In one of the letters she sent me, she claimed he made an attempt a few years ago.” Upton was clearly very close to his mother.
“She refused him?” Nick asked. They were not the words he wished to hear.
“Indeed,” Upton said. “No, I think there is only one way for that man to get my mother’s attention.”
“How is that?”
Upton never had the chance to respond.
Sparrow joined them, and Upton’s attention switched to travel.
Nick decided he would bear the conversation for a few minutes and then leave, yet as the men went on, Nicholas found himself fascinated with what he was learning. He could hardly imagine the warm beautiful places the men spoke of.
Nick wondered if Elisa would like to travel.
The party was interrupted when one of Sparrow’s footmen came and delivered him a message.
“Lord Goldstone requests that you come to see his father.”
‘Now?” Sparrow asked even as he began to stand. When medicine called, he answered.
“As soon as possible,” the footman said.
That didn’t sound good.
Both Nicholas and Upton stood as well and then followed the doctor out of the coffee shop.
Nick wondered if the man was concerned for Lord Reddington or Elisa. Nick admitted he was concerned for them both. Though Nick had taken lives, he knew death was a terrible thing.
When they arrived, the situation was not good.
∫ ∫ ∫
4 7
* * *
Elisa stopped listening as her father’s doctor spoke to Avery. They were in her father’s receiving room. He rested in the bed on the other side. Elisa had stood by him just moments ago and hadn’t recognized him at all.
He was so pale.
He was truly dying.
Her vision was blurry as she stared out the window into the gray morning. Sorrow pressed upon her heart.
In the back of her mind, she heard raised voices. She jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder.
Blue eyes, the same shade as butterfly wings in summer, greeted her vision. She blinked to clea
r her eyes and the rest of Nicholas came into view.
What was he doing there?
He was speaking. Her eyes followed his mouth, the motion of it was comforting. Did he know what was happening? Did he know that the man who’d taught her to read, to truly read far better than her governess had been able to do, was dying?
She remembered sitting on his lap. He’d point at a word and she’d say whatever it was. He started with the easy words at first. She’d felt so accomplished. But then the words had become harder.
Reading was love to her. It always had been. That was why she gave it away. She wanted everyone to feel as she did.
Nicholas turned his head away and she lost sight of his eyes. His mouth moved. He was speaking to someone in the room. His body remained close. It sheltered her from the rest of the room.
If he were still hers, she would lean into him, but she’d pushed him away. She hadn’t seen him in a week. What was he doing here?
Her father was dying. It seemed everyone left eventually.
Nicholas turned back to her. He was speaking again.
His hand touched her cheek and shocked her from her thoughts. “Elisa, will you marry me? Right now?”
“What?”
“Your brother wants to know if you still wish to be my bride. We can wed before your father goes. It’s important to Avery that your father leave knowing you’re happy.”
Elisa looked around him at her brother.
It was the wrong decision to make.
Avery sat in a chair, his face buried in his hands. Upton sat on the chair’s arm. He had a supportive hand on Avery’s shoulder. His other hand covered his own eyes.
A sob broke from Elisa’s lips, and she wondered if she could ever be happy again.
Nicholas wrapped her in his arms, and she buried her face in his hard chest.
She wrapped her fingers in the wool jacket, fisting her hands until it was painful and begging God not to let this happen.
She’d do anything, give anything to make this day go away.
A hand touched her back and she looked over at Sparrow.
The doctor’s gaze was tender. “I’m sorry, but you don’t have much time. You must decide now, and I don’t wish for you to regret missing the opportunity later. Do you wish your father to see you wedded before he goes?”
Her belly tightened. She nodded. She needed to be strong.
“Breathe,” Sparrow told her.
She took a breath and then another before she turned to Nick. “Would you—”
“I’d do anything for you,” he said. “Give you anything.”
Tears blurred her vision again. “But the other night, I told you—”
“I heard. I listened.” He touched her cheek. “But you have taught me to listen with my heart as well, Elisa, and my heart will always think you mine. The details are up to you. Shall we marry now or marry in a few months when you are out of mourning? I can wait. I can wait an eternity.”
She closed her eyes and allowed Nick’s words to cure some of her pain.
He would wait for her. She held his heart, yet not his trust.
That was something she would have to live the rest of her life understanding. She would have his smiles. She would have his gifts and his body, but not his trust.
She was Maria in his eyes, unable to care for herself. A woman with a child’s mind.
He spoke of needing trust but could not give it himself.
Yet she had a decision to make.
Nicholas was patient. His eyes were locked with hers and he waited.
He had to know she had doubts, doubts she’d not had when they first met.
But there was no denying her love for him or the fact that it made her weak. Eventually, she knew she’d have given in. He called and she would always answer.
There was no point in waiting.
“I don’t want to mourn alone,” she told him. She didn’t want to be without Nick for months. She didn’t want to be without him for another day, even if there were still issues between them.
“You’ll never feel alone with me,” he told her.
She hoped that were true. A part of her felt complete when he was around. Elisa had been watching people at parties for weeks, but with Nick, she wasn’t watching, she was one of them.
“I’ll marry you,” she told him, for there was really no other choice.
Everyone went into action around her. Nicholas stayed close as he and Avery worked out what would take place. Her brother managed to pull himself from his own despair to have a clergyman called for.
Nicholas was then forced to leave in order to purchase a special license. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. You’ll be fine without me, won’t you?”
Elisa was sitting in a chair. Nick was at her side. She nodded. “You better hurry.”
He left then.
Avery took his head. “Even under the circumstances, I thought you’d be happy to wed the man you choose.”
There was no point in telling her brother that she’d decided against marrying Nicholas just days ago. Those thoughts she’d keep to herself. There was already so much sadness in the room. The entire point of the marriage was to bring happiness to her father’s last moments.
Another thought came to her. “Would Father not be more pleased if I married Lord Alguire?” She wouldn’t marry him, not even to see her father smile before he went, but it was a thought.
Avery shrugged. “Respectfully, Lord Alguire came the morning after you left for Sparrow’s home. He canceled the contract. Father knows you two would not wed.”
She smiled bravely as Avery. “I love Nicholas.”
Avery nodded and sniffed. His eyes were red. “I’m sorry I got in your way before.”
“You had your reasons.”
He again nodded.
It was hours before Nick returned. Sparrow had managed to encourage their father not to take any more opium so that he could be present during the ceremony.
Weak as he was, he smiled at Nicholas but didn’t speak. He was far too weak for words.
Nicholas knelt down by the man’s bedside. His gaze locked with the duke’s. “I want you to know that I love your daughter and have every intention of making her the happiest woman in the world. I am honored that she would take me as her husband.”
Lord Reddington lifted a hand and Nicholas moved closer so he could be touched. Elisa thought it was the duke’s blessing.
She nearly broke down into tears again, but then the ceremony was taking place. Avery, Lord Upton, and Sparrow all stood as witnesses.
Elisa held Nicholas’ hands just as tightly as he held her gaze.
They spoke their vows and then it was done.
Elisa looked over at her father and found him to have a soft grin on his lips. She sat at his side and then bent over to kiss his cheek. “I love you.” She took his hand.
Avery went to the other side of the bed and took their father’s other hand.
The duke closed his eyes, and Elisa felt the moment he was gone.
She was taken away later. She remained in her own bed that night. Nicholas held her and said nothing. She didn’t eat, but his presence gave her strength and the comfort she needed to sleep.
As a lady, she was not allowed to attend the funeral two days later, but Nicholas did. Then he left for other business, all the while regretting that he had to do so.
“I’ll be back soon,” he vowed that morning. “I have to set another matter right.”
He returned sometime later, and Elisa only realized it was night when he opened her curtains. “Come.” He wrapped her in a blanket and carried her outside.
He sat on the stone bench on her balcony with her on his lap.
Elisa breathed in the fresh air that she’d denied herself for days. “Did you set the other matter to rights?”
“I hope so,” he said. “It’s really up to Lord Bush now.”
She recognized the name from the papers. He was the other gentleman who wante
d to be Prime Minister. “What did you do?”
Nicholas adjusted her so she was more comfortable. “I told him what he needed to do in order to gain the attention of a woman he likes very much. I’m not entirely sure it will work, however. You can’t force two people to make it work.”
She looked at him. “You tried to play Cupid. Why?”
“In order to have Lord Bush drop out of the race. The woman he is interested in is Lady Upton.”
“Michael’s mother?”
Nicholas nodded.
Elisa thought about that. “And how will that get Lord Bush out of the race?”
“If you recall, Lady Upton has made travel arrangements.”
“Oh, yes, she’s to leave for the Continent with Michael.” Elisa smiled. “It’s a very clever plan, but what if Lady Upton decides to stay?”
Nicholas shrugged. “I may have left a few things around his property to persuade him that travel would be a good idea. Neither of them is young. There’s an entire world to be seen.”
“That sounds like a brilliant plan.”
“I may have had help coming up with it.” He smiled.
“Belle?”
He nodded. “I did the logistics myself, however.”
Elisa wondered when her friend found the time to think of such things. “Belle said nothing to me about this.”
“Belle holds many secrets and though you’ve known her longer than I have, I still count her a friend.”
“Why are you doing this for Lord Bush? Is it for my brother?”
His eyes turned sad. “No, it’s because I took his son away from him.”
Elisa sat up. “What do you mean? How do you take someone’s son?”
“Apparently, I fought him, and he didn’t survive. It was long ago.” He told her the entire tale and then said, “I’m sorry that I’ve brought more death to mind. We can speak of something else.”
Elisa wiped at her tears. Lord Bush’s tale was tragic. She sniffed. “So much death, but I’m glad to know you’re trying to make things right with Lord Bush. He’ll have much to thank you for if all goes well.”
“I’ll never tell him it was me,” he said.
“You won’t?”
“Nothing can replace a child,” he said. “Also, this act is more about seeking forgiveness from myself than Lord Bush.”
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