by Jun, Kristi
Like a foolish girl, she longed to run off with Mr. Hawk. How glorious that would be, to live out the rest of her life with him, free of all this. While the thought of marrying Lord Foley was unthinkable, she knew had no choice but to marry him.
Once her brother was soundly resting for the day, she took the carriage to call on Lady Blackthorn. Anderson and the butler both insisted the footman escort her there, and she didn’t fight it. The sound of the children’s laughter always brightened her heart. When she finally arrived, she was welcomed by the butler.
Emily was informed the Lady of Blackthorn was in the gallery with the children. She thanked him and followed the sound of voices. The grand gallery was located toward the back of the house past the grand stairs. She followed the sound of the children laughing and the dog barking with anticipation.
Frances came running up to her and hugged Emily’s waist.
“You are better now, I see.” Emily greeted her with a smile.
“I am,” Frances said, looking up at her with a bright smile. “But Beatrice isn’t well at all.”
Kneeling down to her level, Emily said, “I am sure your eldest sister just needs some rest. I am certain she will recover very soon.” Miss Quinn met her eyes and gave her a faint smile, reminding her of the night at the inn and Johnathan . . . the brawl.
“How are you, Miss Quinn?”
“I am well, my lady.”
With all that had happened to these girls, from losing their mother to fever and their father in the war, they were very lucky to have Lord and Lady Blackthorn to take it upon themselves to be their guardians. Frances scooped up the three-legged dog and kissed her nose. Puppy wiggled in her keep and the girl let her down. Then the dog stood on one hind leg, trying to get Emily’s attention to pick her up. When she did, the mutt licked her nose and proceeded to smile at her, if that were possible. “You’re one lucky dog, Puppy.” She handed the mutt to Frances.
“Go upstairs with Miss Quinn,” Amelia said to Frances. “It’s time to resume your piano lesson.”
As soon as the girl and Miss Quinn left the grand gallery, Amelia turned to Emily. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to call on you. I have been worried sick with the girls. They’ve all recovered, but now Beatrice seems to have the fever.”
“Please, don’t worry,” Emily said. “The girls are so blessed to have you.”
“I am blessed to have them.” Amelia smiled, but it soon faded. “What is it, my friend?” she said, looking at Emily. “Something is wrong.”
Emily stopped and walked over to the chair against the wall and sat down. Amelia joined her on the matching one next to it. Emily felt the tears swelling again. For heaven’s sake, all she’d been doing was crying these days. She hadn’t come here to speak of her own worries. In fact, she had come here for a distraction. To not think about Johnathan. To forget and move on. But how could she when all she could think about was him?
“It is that obvious?”
“This is about Mr. Hawk, isn’t it?”
“Kate spoke to you about him?” Amelia didn’t have to answer; the answer was in her eyes. “I am hopeless.”
“No, you are not,” Amelia said. “You’re in love.”
Tears formed again. “I shouldn’t love him, but . . .” She nodded. “I do. I desperately do. I don’t know what to do with this feeling.”
Amelia took Emily’s hand and said, “What does Mr. Hawk want?” Emily said nothing at first, then wiped the tears that slowly fell down her cheeks. “It’s all right if you don’t want to discuss it.”
“Johnathan offered for my hand.”
“Do I hear a ‘but’?” Amelia said.
“I fear he is doing it out of honor.”
“He must really care deeply for you if he offered marriage.”
“Nothing can come of it because I will be engaged to Lord Foley.”
“Isn’t he the man who was rumored to have . . .”
Emily nodded. “My brother insists it’s only a rumor.”
“Heavens, a lot has transpired while I was ensconced here with the girls.”
“My brother feels it necessary that I marry and soon,” she said. “You see, he is very ill, and he wants to make certain I am well taken care of before . . . before . . .” Tears dripped down her cheeks. “He is dying.”
“I am so sorry, dear friend.” Amelia held her hand tighter.
“I want to do what is right for my family, to fulfill my brother’s last wish before he is gone. He has managed to secure my future, my standing in society, and my freedom, so how can I not do as he asked in his time of need?”
Amelia nodded. “But it’s not easy when you are in love with someone else.”
“I don’t want to love him, because it would make things so much simpler,” Emily said. The pain that throbbed in her heart ever since he left Kemp Manor was unbearable. She missed him terribly, and there was nothing she could do about it.
“I am sorry for this, Emily, and if there is a way I can help, I’d like to.”
“I know, but I am afraid there is nothing that can be done about it.”
Emily spent the rest of the day with Amelia and the children. When she was invited to stay for dinner, she declined as she wanted to return home and check on the condition of her brother.
As the sun set with a deep blush of orange and yellow in the horizon and the carriage drove on toward Kemp Manor, she couldn’t help but feel the deep loneliness that seemed to settle in her heart. It seemed it couldn’t sink any lower, she thought. She closed her eyes and sunk into the seat, knowing full well that the tears must stop because she needed to be strong for her brother. She made a resounding decision to let Johnathan go and settle the matter for good. Yes, this childish notion of marrying for love must come to an end, immediately.
Chapter 21
“My lady, Miss Mary Hawthorne is here for you,” the butler said.
Emily looked up from her book on medicinal herbs for various illnesses. It took a moment for her to register what the butler had just said to her. “Who is calling?”
“Miss Mary Hawthorne. I can inform her you are out for the day for the day, if you wish.”
After breakfast, she spent the morning reading to her brother. He often read to her when she’d been a child, and now it was her turn to take care of him. Between chapters, he’d ask her to massage his fingers, as they seemed to ache. This eased the joints he said, so she did as he asked for as long as he was able to tolerate it.
“Miss Hawthorne? What is this regarding?”
“She says to inform you that this is regarding Mr. White.”
Emily froze for several seconds, her heart thumping harder and faster in her chest. She placed the book on her lap. The last time she heard that name was more than four years ago. “Please have her wait in the parlor. I shall be down momentarily.”
Why would anyone call on her regarding Mr. White? She hadn’t seen him since the day he walked out on her when he was informed he wouldn’t get a penny of her inheritance. Walking down the grand staircase, she quickly reached the parlor. The woman, who looked to be her age or maybe a few years older, sat on the settee waiting patiently. Her clothes weren’t fashionable, but she wasn’t a derelict either.
“Miss Hawthorne?”
The woman stood and curtsied. Her hair was almost the color of fire, with a sprinkle of freckles below her eyes, and her eyes spoke intelligence. “Miss Mary Hawthorne, my lady,” she said.
“Please do sit,” Emily said, sitting opposite her. “What is it that I can do for you?”
“Beautiful house.”
“Thank you,” Emily said impatiently. “I do apologize, my memory has gone away with me. Have we met?” She didn’t look familiar, but maybe she was a family member of Mr. White’s. But why would Mr. White’s family call on her?
Miss Hawthorne
gave Emily a faint smile. “No.” She paused. “I won’t waste any more of your time then necessary. You see . . . I . . . I am with child.” She lowered her gaze to her belly and touched it. “Lord Foley’s child.”
Lord Foley’s child. Emily was utterly confused. She was going to be engaged to a man who was not only rumored to have murdered his late wife, but now he was expecting a baby? This news didn’t disappoint her as she thought it would. She should be angry. Irate even. Why wasn’t this making her angry?
“Explain,” she said. “I expect you to be completely honest with me.”
“Of course,” Miss Hawthorne said. “I felt, woman to woman, you should know the truth when I discovered the news of your upcoming marriage.”
“I doubt that is your only reason for coming here today, in truth, that is.”
The woman touched her belly again. “I am desperate.”
“Go on . . .”
“I thought Lord Foley loved me, I honestly thought he did. This isn’t easy to say. I have never been with anyone else.”
A sense of sympathy tugged at Emily’s heart. This woman could very well have been her many years ago had she let Mr. White touch her. And shamefully, if he’d wanted, she would have let him, and she could have been in same position as this woman. What could she possibly see in Lord Foley? “Does he know you are with child?”
“Yes,” she said with reluctance. “I informed him a month ago. He told me he wanted nothing to do with me and that he was soon to be a married man.”
A month ago? Horrible man. She recalled how he had groped her with his hand in front of her brother. “I am confused. You said you are here in regard to Mr. White. That is what you informed my butler, have you not?”
“I knew there was a chance you would refuse to see me. So when Lord Foley spoke of your elopement with Mr. White, I wanted to make sure I got your attention.”
“To use it against me?” So Lord Foley knew of her past. How many more knew what she’d done so many years ago? This knowledge was, yet again, humiliating. This was not something he should freely share with whomever he wished. The man had absolutely no honor, no standard.
“I am sorry to have brought you such news, but I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You came here hoping to break our upcoming engagement so he will return to you?”
“I just didn’t know what else to do, my lady.”
The poor woman fell for the wrong man, as many of us seem to do, Emily thought. She could sympathize with her in that regard, and she would admit that this world didn’t give women very many options if left unprotected, as Miss Hawthorne was.
“I can’t promise anything, but I will inform his grace,” Emily said. “How can I reach you?”
“I am staying with a friend at Whitechapel.”
“Whitechapel?” Miss Hawthorne was with child and staying at a slum of London. This was terrible. How could Lord Foley allow the woman carrying his child to stay in the slums? This was unacceptable.
“It’s all I can afford after . . .” She trailed off. “And I can’t return home. I’ve managed to save up some money, but it’s not much.”
Emily shook her head. How could he do this? If he knew she was with child and he was the father, he must make certain of her future, the baby’s future. “You certainly can’t return to Whitechapel in your condition.” She knew her brother would not be happy with what she was about to do, but she certainly could not ask the woman to leave after what she learned today.
“Please wait here,” Emily said. “I’ll have some tea and biscuits brought up for you.”
She went searching for her brother. When he wasn’t in his room resting, he was often in his study, as it was his favorite room. Walking down the long hallway, she felt a sense of hope that maybe she might help Miss Hawthorne somehow, and perhaps help herself too. Perhaps her brother would finally see the truth about Lord Foley.
Knocking on her brother’s study, she quietly peeked in and saw him at his desk, writing something on his ledger. “May I speak with you for a moment?”
He waved her in, and she entered. Placing the quill in the inkwell, he looked up at her and gave her a faint smile. “What is it?”
Seeing him this way made her heart ache painfully, and she had no wish to disturb him, but this was something they both needed to discuss. “Do you know Lord Foley has a mistress?”
He looked at her squarely and said, “It’s not unusual for men of his station to keep the company of other women. Our father kept two mistresses the entire time he was married.” Picking up his quill from the inkwell, he started to write again.
Her father kept a mistress? This news made her uneasy. Was it just her who believed that this kind of behavior from a husband was unacceptable? “Her name is Mary Hawthorne.”
“Speak candidly. I don’t have a lot of time,” he said bluntly.
His words hurt, because she was painfully aware he was running out of time. Her decision to approach him with this recent news wasn’t done easily since she knew of his condition. After all, she was to be there for him, to take care of him. “She is with child.”
He looked up from the parchment. “So she says.”
“Why must you be cynical about this?”
“She must be in want of something. Why else is she here?”
“She is scared and does not have anyone who can help her.”
“Perhaps, but she had nothing to lose by coming here,” he said. “Have you not learned from that man whom you insisted on running off with? There are people who will do anything to get their hands on your money, your generosity, Em.”
“She didn’t ask for money, Adam.”
“Lord Foley is due back tomorrow. I shall speak to him regarding this matter. Would that make you happy?”
Tomorrow? She saw her life dissolve into darkness with his words. How was she to live with this man knowing he had a child he abandoned? The doctor said trauma and lack of rest were the cause for her brother’s illness. How could she further traumatize him by informing him she would not marry Lord Foley?
“What I wish, dear brother, is to be released of this contract.” She felt a lump of guilt in her chest.
“Cease this nonsense,” he barked.
Tears brimmed with his words. Her brother was becoming increasingly angry, and she did not want to add to his pain, his suffering. The doctor mentioned that with this virus, patients often succumbed to confusion, emotional maladies, and anger, and that it was vital to be patient with them.
Hot tears of resentment threatened to burst, but she held them back. She told herself she would not cry anymore. “I am pleading with you to speak with Miss Hawthorne. She mentioned Mr. White. She is downstairs. That is all I ask of you.” Several seconds later, her brother took a deep breath, nodded, and waved her away.
Fifteen minutes later, Miss Hawthorne walked out of her brother’s study, and the expression on her face told Emily that the resolution was made.
“The Duke of Kemp is most generous,” Miss Hawthorn said with a smile.
Emily nodded. “Yes, he is,” she agreed. “What provision has he made for you and the baby?”
“I am to receive a set sum of money each month,” Miss Hawthorne said. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am that I can now take care of the baby once it’s born.”
“I am so happy it all worked out for you and your unborn child,” Emily said. The despicable Lord Foley should be the one making certain of her safety and the safety of his unborn child. What kind of man could do this? “I can’t imagine what you were going through.”
“And it’s all because of you. I will never forget the generosity you and the duke have bestowed upon me.”
“I’m just sorry that Lord Foley didn’t have enough spine to take his responsibility seriously,” she dared.
Miss Hawthorn nodded. “I see
now my blind faith in love was foolish.”
“Not foolish,” Emily said. “You have a good heart. I don’t mind admitting to you that I appreciate your suffering . . . your predicament,” she said.
“What will you do about Lord Foley?”
“My predicament is a bit more complicated,” Emily said. “I am afraid I am in no position to debate my impending nuptial at the moment.”
Emily bid farewell and well wishes for Miss Hawthorne, hoping that she had done something good in a time of uncertainty. Why should the poor woman be punished for loving a despicable man who didn’t deserve her affection?
Chapter 22
The next day, Johnathan pushed the thick of his hair away from his face to get a better angle of Kemp Manor. He was following Harris’s trail and discovered he’d been a busy man.
The men posted to the ports in Southampton and Dover hadn’t seen him. After Daniel mentioned his father had come to see him, Johnathan knew there was a chance the man would try to see his son again, so he had informed the runner already posted to the residence to keep a lookout for Harris’s return.
The pig was so close, he could feel it. He had discovered that Harris was staying at the Fladong’s on Oxford Street in London. In interviewing the staff, he learned that the culprit typically ordered all of his meals and had them delivered to his room, but he’d been too late as Harris had checked out of the hotel early this morning after settling his account.
He questioned the staff about the rented carriage Harris was using, but they didn’t seem to have this information. Throughout London there were numerous designated streets where the carriages were parked, awaiting customers. He interviewed several of the drivers, but they had not seen Harris either.
Either he was already heading to the ports in an attempt to escape or he might try to visit Daniel again. In an attempt to trace his movements, Johnathan rode to Roberts’s residence, and Harris’s son had assured him that his father had not attempted to see him again.
This left him with one unnerving feeling—that Harris could try to get to Emily again. Without haste, he rode out to the vast property and on the top of the hill overlooking the vast estate, he settled himself with a telescope.
