by Abigail Agar
Miss Blackwell struggled to respond at all, and he wondered if he had spoken too soon. Perhaps he ought to have waited until they had already found peace between them. Maybe he was foolish for thinking that they could have any sort of affection when he still had not managed to convince her of the simple fact that he was not still trying to steal her work.
“Mr. Brooks, there is so much to be said, and yet, I find that I am utterly incapable of saying any of it,” she finally replied.
“You may say it anyway. I care not if your response puts me to shame. I just want to know how you feel. I think that it is the only thing in the world which matters now. Please, Miss Blackwell. Tell me what is in your heart,” he said.
“My heart is still…confused. You say that you love me, that it was love which led you to make the right choice. I want to believe that Mr. Brooks, I truly do. And yet, I find it a struggle because I also worry that I would be a fool to trust you again. I do not know how long it is going to take me to find any sort of trust in my heart. You have proven yourself to be changeable.”
“Yes, yes I have. I was never the sort of man who would make such cruel and arrogant decisions, but, as I said—”
“Desperation and selfishness. Yes, I understand that. I know what it is like to make choices out of a desire to benefit oneself. I, too, am human. I have hopes and dreams and desires. You need not feel bad for wanting your own benefit, but you do need to accept that it is going to take me time to figure out whether or not I believe you,” she said.
“What will it take?” he asked.
“So many things, Mr. Brooks,” Miss Blackwell replied. “I have to find a way to learn the full truth. I thought that coming here would be the answer. I thought that speaking with you would reveal exactly what had happened. Instead, I find that I am still confused because now I have just another story to try and muddle through. I am wading the waters of stories and I do not know where the fact and fiction meet and part.”
“You need further evidence?” he asked.
“If you have further evidence, it will certainly help. I have already seen evidence which proves that you were lying, so I must admit that it would have to be rather compelling if you want me to believe anything different,” she said.
Doyle was confused. What evidence had she seen?
“May I ask—if you will not admit that it was George who told you out of jealousy—what evidence is it that has led you to this conclusion?”
She paused and looked away fora moment before looking back at Doyle.
“I saw the flyers you have put out. I saw that the date you told me was a lie. You intended for me to come after the book had already been published under your name so that no one would believe me if I insisted that I was the author,” she said.
The flyers! Of course! He had tried so hard to be careful, but it was only a matter of time before she spotted one. Whether George had anything to do with this or not, she could have easily made the connection with the flyers.
“Miss Blackwell, that was a part of my surprise for you,” he said.
Just as Doyle was ready to spoil the whole thing, Miss Blackwell put up a hand to silence him.
“That is enough for now, Mr. Brooks. I think I should like to take some time and think about everything we have discussed. I would like a bit of space away from you for now.”
“But you came here for an explanation. You have allowed me to tell you only part,” he said.
“That is because I can only handle so much of this information at a time,” she replied.
“Do you want evidence? Fine, I shall help you find it. There is one way in which you may find out the truth. It is simple and it shall cost us nothing. Are you truly willing to have answers?” he asked.
Miss Blackwell looked at him as she considered and finally gave him a nod.
“Yes. I want answers.”
Chapter 33
Shocked by the declaration of love, Pippa was still overwhelmed by everything that had just taken place. She wanted to know more, to hear more of these words form Mr. Brooks. She wanted him to tell her how deep his love ran and how much she meant to him, how he longed for them to be closer and to continue getting to know one another.
Pippa wanted to tell him that she loved him as well. She wanted him to know that he had come to mean more to her than almost anything in all her life. She wished that she could simply tell him that he was the loveliest man she had ever met, that she adored his shaggy hair, the scruff on his chin, the clothing which looked as if it belonged to his grandfather’s generation.
She wanted all these things and more.
Unfortunately, that could not happen until she fully trusted him. She had made a promise to herself that she would not give in and let him sway her until she had evidence that he was not guilty of this awful thing he had done. So far, there was no proof that he was anything other than the rude, haughty thief that he had been revealed as.
Of course, she wanted to believe his story. Not only that, but he said that the printer was aware he was not the only author. Did that mean that he really had ensured that her name was also on the book? Could it be possible? Was George simply unaware of it?
“We must get to the shop early in the morning tomorrow. Are you able to do that? Will your mother and father take issue with you going out?” he asked.
“No, I can simply tell them that I am out with Fiona or that I wish to go for a walk,” she replied.
“Excellent. I want you to be at the shop by eight in the morning.”
Pippa nodded. She could do that. She was not yet certain why and she didn’t want to give in so easily and trust Mr. Brooks, trust that he was going to have evidence for her. However, she needed to be able to trust him again because she loved him so much and truly wanted to have faith that he was going to be honest with her.
“I shall be there. I promise,” she said.
“Good. I am going to prove to you that George knows the truth. Whatever you say—or rather, whatever you are choosing not to say—I know without a doubt that he has something to do with all of this. I am sure that he has told you these things because he knows that I love you and he is worried that I am going to try and come between the two of you,” Mr. Brooks said.
“Very well. I shall be there in the morning and you may prove to me that I am a fool for believing these things,” she said.
With that, Pippa stood from the chair and took her last sip of tea before putting down the cup and turning away from Mr. Brooks. She did not want to leave, but she had to. It was the only way she was going to stop herself from falling into his arms and telling him that she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone or anything in all the world.
Besides, she would see him again the next morning. Perhaps, after that, everything would be different.
***
Pippa arrived at the bookshop and her heart raced in her chest. This was it. She was going to learn the truth! She would soon have the answers she needed, and it was going to be clear whether she could trust Mr. Brooks. If she could, if it turned out that he was the man she hoped him to be, she would be able to move on and to tell him that she loved him as well.
“You came,” Mr. Brooks said, appearing rather astonished by the fact.
“Indeed, I came. I want the truth. I am not simply going to ignore it because I am angry with you.”
“Of course, of course. Thank you for giving me this chance,” he said.
“Yes, well, I do hope that it proves to have been a wise idea,” she replied.
“Will you come back into the office? You can hide in here,” he told her.
“Hide?”
“Yes, hide. I need you hidden so that George does not see you,” he explained.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because that is the only way he is going to admit to knowing that I had no intention of staying with my original plan. He knows that I was not going to betray you. Now, you will hear that from his own lips.”
Pipp
a nodded in understanding. It was actually a very reasonable plan. It would mean that George had been the one to lie to her, but she did not care as much about that. As long as it was not Mr. Brooks who had been lying, she hardly cared at all.
She retreated into the office and back into a corner behind the desk. It was a good way to ensure that George would certainly not see her, even if he entered the room.
Within only a few minutes, George came into the shop. Pippa listened closely as the two men spoke.
“Ah! Mr. Brooks, I did not expect to see you here this morning,” George said.
“Yes, well, I wanted to get a head start on matters,” Mr. Brooks said.
“You mean for the book release?” George asked.
“Yes, precisely. I am getting very excited for it.”
Mr. Brooks sounded perfectly at ease. If she had not known any better, Pippa would not have expected that he was trying to trap George into making any kind of confession. He sounded as though he was simply talking about the weather or asking if George liked mince pies. There was no hint of deception in his tone.
Somehow, that only made Pippa more concerned. She did not like the idea of a man finding it so easy to lie. Still, if Mr. Brooks had at least been honest with her, this was a necessary act to put on. This was how she could learn the truth, even if it meant hearing him lie to someone else.
“Are you quite well-prepared for the night?” Mr. Brooks asked.
“Is there anything more you need me to do? At this point, I am just planning to come when it is happening and assist you as needed. Do you need me to put out the flyers now? I mean, it cannot hurt to have them open for others to see,” George said, sounding as if he really did want them out in the open.
Pippa winced, thinking he just wanted her to see them so that she had more evidence to what he had said.
“Oh, no, we cannot have that,” said Mr. Brooks.
“Why not?” George whined.
“Well, if we do, Miss Blackwell could potentially see them.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” George said.
“As you know, I have a grand surprise for her,” Mr. Brooks said.
“I know.”
The words were flat and unenthused. Still, it was not enough. Just because he acknowledged an awareness of a surprise did not answer for the flyers of for what George had been trying to tell her.
“I do not want her to get the wrong idea if she sees the flyers. The last thing I would want is for Miss Blackwell to think that the date on them is because I am trying to go with my original, callous plan. I would never want her to know that I was such a dreadful man. But since I have now told her the wrong date so that I could surprise her the evening before, I do not wish to ruin that,” Mr. Brooks said.
“Yes, of course. You would not want her to think that you tried to tick her when you actually are excited to reveal to all of London that she was the real author,” George said.
There it was. The truth.
George really did know all along. He knew that Mr. Brooks was trying to surprise Pippa by telling everyone in London that she was the author. All this time, George had been trying to get his way, to trick her so that she would not be swayed into loving Mr. Brooks. He had tried to turn her against him.
This had all been a setup. George was the vile man, the liar and the thief. He was trying to steal Pippa’s joy, the love she had for Mr. Brooks. He had even pushed her to the point of wondering if she would be better off pursuing the potential courtship with him out of pure desperation.
It was awful. She could hardly believe that she had fallen for this.
“Indeed, I want her to have the excitement of standing there, before the greatest names in London, presented as the grand and genius mind behind the words on these pages. No one else deserves this so much as she does,” Mr. Brooks said.
“I expect that she is very eager to have that moment,” George said.
“Yes, well, if she knew about it, I think she would be. What I do not want is for the surprise to be ruined. It would break my heart if I had to let her know that I plan on presenting her to them so that we may mutually delight in the wonder on their faces when they realise that a woman has every bit as much ability as a man to capture such emotion,” Mr. Brooks said.
Pippa understood that this was his apology. Mr. Brooks was trying to tell her how sorry he was that the moment would be ruined—all because he had not been trustworthy. Somehow, she was able to accept it with ease. She understood how difficult it must have been for him to have to push aside the joy of seeing her learn that he had put her name forth.
What she could not so easily accept was the reality that George had been so cruel as to try and turn them against one another. He really had gone out of his way to make her believe that Mr. Brooks was still planning to ruin all her happiness, that he was going to take all the credit and leave her to be discouraged and without the recognition for her work.
There had just been so much which had taken place that day. From learning that George was lying to her to discovering that Mr. Brooks was in love with her Pippa could hardly believe that it was true even though he had been rather insistent upon it. She really had found the sort of love she had always dreamt of and, she hoped, she would soon be able to enjoy it.
However, she would first need to take the opportunity to confront George. It was nerve-wracking to think that she was about to speak up and express her anger with him. Pippa had hardly ever been so filled with fury. In that moment, all her passions, from her excitement about the care and love of Mr. Brooks to the vehement rage against George, all she could think about was pushing all propriety aside and giving him a piece of her mind.
“Well, anyway, George, I am so glad that you are fully aware of the excitement I feel in regard to Miss Blackwell seeing herself through the eyes of these men who are coming and getting the credit she deserves. I know that you care for her, as do I. I must confess that I was frightened you may be angry at me for having the same love and affection for her, but now I know that you simply want what is best for her, just as I do,” Mr. Brooks said.
As his words continued, Pippa was growing more and more furious by the minute. Her pulse raced beneath hot skin, a surge of fury threatening to pour over. She was desperate to tell George exactly what was on her mind, but she had to wait for Mr. Brooks to let her know that it was time. She wanted to be sure that he was completely finished.
“Would you do anything for her, George? I mean, would you give your life for her? Your hopes and dreams?” Mr. Brooks asked.
“Anything,” George replied.
“Yes, I thought so. But would you lie to her?” he asked.
There was a pause, a stretched silence.
“I would do only what I thought best for her. If that meant hiding something, I can see where I might be willing to do so if it really was necessary for her happiness,” he admitted.
“Ah, what a bright and honest fellow you really are,” Mr. Brooks said. “Well, in that case, I feel that I ought to be honest with you in return.”
“Honest? About what?” George asked.
“About what is currently happening in this office,” Mr. Brooks said.
This was it. This was the moment for Pippa to confront him. With ease, she stood and took a step.
Chapter 34
George’s eyes grew wide when he looked at Pippa, clearly shocked that she was standing there before him. Immediately, he began to splutter.
