by Lauren Smith
“Why?”
“I suppose it’s because we were unable to have children besides you.” Elizabeth shook her head. “Our parents decided on the marriage, not us. My aunt had passed away, leaving me a large amount of land in Kent in spite of the current laws, and it attracted the interest of your grandfather. He set up our marriage and then passed away himself, leaving me to marry the Earl of Marebel.
“At the beginning he was at least a bit loving. As I said, I was very beautiful in those days. I imagine I was exactly what he wanted his friends in the nobility to see. He wanted children right away, and I was happy to oblige. I wanted a large family too, plenty of children to take care of me in my old age, and an eldest son to take over his title. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.”
“You always told me that you got your wish of having a boy and didn’t think you needed more children,” Thomas said, blinking at her. Elizabeth nodded.
“I didn’t want to burden you with our problems. We tried and tried for years, but nothing ever came of it but heartbreak. I thought he would be happy that I at least had a boy to inherit the estate but he wanted girls to marry off as well for dowries. That was my first time really seeing who I married.” She reached over and took Thomas’ hands. “I was happy with you, though. That’s why I never forbade you from being friends with George or dismissed your governess for being permissive with you. You were a prince to me, and you still are.”
“Thank you, Mother. I can only assume that once you couldn’t have more children, Father changed quite a bit.” He wasn’t surprised when she nodded.
“Yes. I don’t believe we were ever intimate again after my last failure to carry a child. Part of me was glad. I was tired of having my hopes dashed over and over myself. I resolved to put all my love into raising you instead. I should say I’ve done a very good job.” Elizabeth yawned. “I think I shall go back to bed. If you truly wish to leave in the morning, I shall send our regrets to the Peltiers myself. I’m still not sure what happened puts you at enough of a risk to make you leave Emma behind, but if you’re certain I shall trust you.” She got up from the couch and he looked after her.
“Why did you never tell me anything about this before?” His mother turned and smiled at him.
“I suppose I felt like it would be betraying my wedding vows,” she replied. “When your father died, though, I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I may not be able to marry again but at least I feel as though I’m not crushed by someone else’s expectations.” It sounded amazingly similar to what Emma had said and he smiled back.
“Sleep well, Mother.” He watched her go back down the hall before going into his own room and locking the door behind him.
Thomas undressed and wound his clothes into a ball, jamming them into the back of his trunk. He wouldn’t wear them again while they were in London just in case. If that meant he had to buy more clothes and suffer dressing as a dandy so be it. It wouldn’t disguise him from Emma but at least no one else would recognize him. Perhaps he would burn the clothes along with the empty wallets and money purses, just to make sure no one found them.
As for his pistol, he had no special attachment to it. It had belonged to his father, and the more he learned about him, the less he wanted to associate himself with it. If he went out and threw it in the Thames it wouldn’t hurt his feelings one bit. He would wait to do it another night, though. If he was caught on the street with it just after a highwayman had been reported, it would be bad for him.
Emma.
If she went to the police, they would no doubt be on the watch for him. Not just on the highway but in the city as well. She didn’t know where he lived, his mother was right about that, but she did know his name and where his estate was in Kent. It wouldn’t be difficult for the police to find him themselves. As of that moment it was all in her hands.
He hoped her newfound feelings for him would keep her from turning him in but from the way she’d hit him with her book he doubted her affection would go very far. There was nothing else for him to cling to, however, so he decided he would have to hope for the best. As much as he could tell, her little sister hadn’t seen him so it was only Emma he had to worry about.
If his mother didn’t want to leave London, he wondered if he should go and try talking to her. He doubted he would be able to talk her around to his being her suitor or even dancing with her at a ball, but maybe he would be able to explain things to her and keep her from going to the police. There was a good chance she would throw him out of the house or have her father drag him to the station himself, but it was no less than he deserved. If it weren’t for his mother, he would be willing to take his punishment. He had to stay a free man for her and for George as well.
More than just staying a free man, he wanted a chance to say goodbye to her. Even if they didn’t leave, he wouldn’t be spending time with her anymore. It would be like he was back in Kent as far as she was concerned and explaining himself would be his way of saying goodbye.
Over the last few days since their kiss in Emma’s sitting room, he’d begun to realize he was developing deeper feelings for her than simple affection. He was on the very edge of falling in love with her and the slightest thing would have sent him over the edge. Now he would never have that chance, no matter how he still felt about her.
He couldn’t help hoping that their growing feelings for one another would sway her in the direction of not reporting him to the police. If she did, there was the possibility that he would be tried and even hanged for all the robberies he had committed. Even if she never wanted to see him again and made him get down on his knees to apologize, he had to try.
“I’ll beg her,” he said to his reflection in the mirror. “Perhaps at the very least she’ll forgive me.” The man in the mirror had nothing to say to him but when he sighed it did the same thing.
It was a long shot, but it was all he had.
Chapter 15
“I can’t believe this! You deliberately went against my wishes and went out on the highway after dark, and now look what’s happened. You not only had another encounter with that highwayman, you fought with him! If you ever run into him again, he’ll kill you for sure.” Emma’s father had started shouting at her from the moment they’d come through the door, Katherine still sobbing her heart out. Now he’d worked himself into a rage and her little sister was wailing.
“I don’t think there will be many more incidents with highwaymen,” Emma said, the book she’d hit Thomas with hugged to her chest. Her anger had faded slightly and she was in shock just as much as her sister.
“I don’t care, this time I’m going to the police. It’s the second time my beautiful daughters have been accosted by that man, and it’s only a matter of time before he tries to take more than your money from you.” His words made Emma blush and she looked away from him.
“You needn’t go to the police about it,” she said. “I’ll do it myself. Though I don’t remember much about him. After all, his face was covered and it was dark. All I saw was a shape in black.” Emma huffed. “I really think the hit I gave him will deter him from bothering any more women, or at least think twice.”
“Regardless, we’ll have some new rules in the morning. Get to bed, both of you.” James pointed at the stairs and Emma put an arm around her sister’s shoulders to lead her to her bedroom. She was still sniffling as they walked up and Emma took Katherine to her bedroom. It was furnished in a much more feminine fashion than Emma’s or Frances’ had ever been and Emma hugged her tightly, then smiled at her.
“It’s all right, dearest. No one’s going to hurt you.”
“Thank you for hitting him,” Katherine said, wiping her eyes. “You were very brave. If it weren’t for you we might have been robbed or worse. I was so scared.” The look on her face reminded Emma of the times when Katherine was small and wanted to sleep in bed with her after a nightmare.
“Poor thing. Do you want to sleep in your big sister’s bed to
night?” It was a joke, spoken in the hopes of making her little sister laugh, but to Emma’s surprise she nodded her head.
“Could I? I’m afraid to sleep in here alone.” Her eyes were wide and Emma wanted so badly to tell her that Thomas wouldn’t dare come to their house after she saw his face, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She sometimes forgot that Katherine was only seventeen years old, mainly because her mother kept going on about her getting too old to marry if Emma didn’t hurry and find a husband, but her little sister was still just that.
“Of course. Get your nightdress and morning gown and come along with me.” This brought a half smile to Katherine’s face and she hurried to get her clothes as if she was afraid that Emma would change her mind.
They went down the hall to Emma’s room and undressed, putting on their nightdresses and taking down their hair. The excitement of the wedding dresses had disappeared from her face, something that made Emma’s heart hurt. She felt terrible for subjecting Katherine to the highwayman’s attack, and even worse for knowing that it was Thomas behind the mask.
The two young women crawled into Emma’s four-poster bed after she snuffed out the lamps and Katherine scooted as close as she could to her sister without actually touching her. There were plenty of pillows and duvet for both of them but Emma knew that Katherine just wanted to have some comforting contact.
“Just go to sleep, Kitten,” Emma said, hoping to hear her sister’s usual indignance at the use of her childhood nickname. “Your big sister will be here the whole night.”
“I’m sorry I acted like your kiss from the highwayman before was romantic. It must have been so frightening.” Katherine’s voice wavered again and Emma kissed her on the forehead. She was still so rattled that she hadn’t even seemed to hear the teasing, and Emma reached out to take her hands.
“Don’t worry. I know you never meant to be hurtful.” She squeezed Katherine’s hand gently. “Besides, it was a little romantic when it happened. The second time he threatened us was just tiresome. I’m not going to let him or any man hurt you, darling.”
“Thank you, sister.” Katherine let go of Emma’s hands, then hugged her tightly. “I hope you won’t be angry with me if I have a nightmare.”
“Of course not. You can cry on me all you like.” Without hesitating, Emma put her arm around Katherine and pulled her close, like she had when they were girls. Katherine curled her petite frame into her sister’s, and before long the night’s stress had her asleep on the pillow.
While she slept, Emma lay awake in the darkness. Everything seemed to be so out of control. In the space of a few hours, she had gone from giggling and feeling as if she was falling in love to having the feeling that her heart had been scooped out of her body and snapped in half. Questions swirled through her head and she tried desperately to catch the answers that kept slipping through her fingers.
I can’t believe that Thomas is the highwayman, she thought. Did he kiss me the first time because he had seen me on the street already? Or was it a whim? The thought made her want to cry herself, but she kept it together so she wouldn’t wake Katherine.
A picking sound on the window got her attention as she was finally falling asleep, and she slipped out of bed to check what it was. Something was falling from the sky and hitting the glass and she sighed as she realized it was sleet. The last few times it had sleeted, the city had iced over the next day and she hated being stuck in the house. With a sigh, she crept back into bed and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would come for her again.
A restless night later, Emma woke before her sister and got up to change into her morning gown. She glanced into the mirror and saw the dark shadows beneath her eyes. Poking at them with a finger, she groaned quietly. Perhaps some powder would make it better.
Before she was able to pull the floral paper powder box over to her, Katherine shifted in the bed. Emma looked over just as she sat up, her blonde hair a mess. Katherine looked like she’d slept a lot better than Emma had, and as she rubbed her eyes and yawned Emma couldn’t help smiling.
“Good morning. No nightmares, I suppose?”
“No, none. Thanks to you, I’m sure. If I had been on my own I probably would have been very frightened and knocking on your door, waking you up every few minutes to tell you I had a bad dream.” Katherine slid out of bed. “I didn’t toss and turn too much, did I?”
“Not at all. You seemed to sleep well.” It didn’t seem necessary to tell Katherine that she hadn’t gotten nearly as much sleep, as she didn’t want to make her feel bad. “I was woken a few times by the storm but nothing too bad.”
“That’s good,” Katherine said. She slipped into her morning gown and started searching through Emma’s dresser.
“Pardon me, miss,” Emma said. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“I need a cap and you have such pretty ones.” She picked one out and put it on her head, covering some of her curls. “There. Mother can’t complain now.”
“I should make you go to your room and get your own,” Emma grumbled, braiding her hair and putting her favorite cap on over it. “Come along, we should go downstairs for our breakfast before our parents come looking for us.”
They walked down the stairs together in near silence, both of their minds full. Emma didn’t know what her sister was thinking but she was going back and forth about reporting Thomas to the police. It was the same thing that she had been arguing with herself about all night and she was glad to see her parents sitting at the table having their breakfast with Frances and Henry. Surely their talk would distract her from having to make her decision.
She didn’t know why she was even considering keeping Thomas’s secret. Emma knew she should march to the police station and tell them that Lord Thomas Belmont was the man who had been robbing travelers for the last few weeks, but part of her wanted to just forget about it. Her father would make sure she went to the police, but it didn’t mean she had to tell them anything more than that she was robbed by a masked man at gunpoint.
“Good morning, Father,” Katherine said, her cheerful voice somewhat flat. It was obvious that she was trying to sound happy but not succeeding.
“Good morning, ladies.” He motioned to the chairs on the side of the table. “I wanted to speak to you and we were waiting so we could talk to all three of you at once.”
“What are we talking about?” Emma sat down and the serving maid brought her a plate. “Thank you,” she said. “I can only suppose it’s about what happened last night.”
“Correct,” James said. “It’s clear that none of you will be going anywhere today, but I fully expect you to go to the police first thing tomorrow, Emma. Even if you don’t remember much, I want them to know about the attack. The more they know happened, the more important it will be for them to catch the criminal, especially if they’re daughters of respectable men like me.”
“I’ll go with you,” Katherine said, nodding. “We can both tell them.”
“Second, none of you – even you, Frances – shall go anywhere of a distance without a man accompanying you in the carriage. I don’t care how strong or clever you think you are, you’re still only women and it’s my duty as your father to protect you.” His words reignited the flame of anger in Emma’s chest that had been burning the night before and she shook her head.
“A woman can fight off a man just as easy as another man. It took no more than a single hit in the head with a textbook and the highwayman rode away. I won’t let anything happen to Katherine or Frances, even if I have to take one of your pistols along with me.” This made Emma’s mother gasp and James rubbed his forehead.
“I can accompany you,” Henry said quickly, before her father could start his tirade. “You know I won’t hurry you. You’ll be able to enjoy your trips out just as much as always.”
“Yes, when Parliament isn’t in session,” Emma said, folding her arms over her chest. “I’ll go to the police with Katherine, Father, but I refuse to be t
rapped in the house or have Katherine’s Season ruined because of a man too cowardly to show his face.”
“So long as you’re under my roof, you’ll do as I say,” James fired back at his daughter. “That goes for all three of you.” He turned to Henry. “I hope you’ll agree with me as far as your wife is concerned. I know you’ll be the one to take charge of her but I am her father.”
“Of course, sir. I don’t want anything to happen to my wife or my little sisters.” Henry took Frances’ hand, and the look her sister gave her husband made the fire in Emma’s heart burn hot enough to make her jump out of her chair.
“Fine. I’ll do as you say. So long as I’m under your roof, anyways.” She pushed back her chair and slammed it back under the table, then stomped up the stairs and went into her room, slamming the door behind her.
Emma’s anger at her father was second only to the foolishness she felt at being tricked by Thomas and lied to. She’d hoped after he came to her house that he would be someone she could laugh with, trust with her secrets and ambitions, and perhaps sneak kisses with when her parents were gone. Instead he’d betrayed her, stolen from her, and frightened her sister to tears. Perhaps she wouldn’t report him to the police, but she would definitely never speak to him again.
“Emma?” There was a little knock on her door before it opened and Frances looked inside. “May we talk for a moment?”
“Of course, Franny.” Emma sat on her bed and Frances sat alongside her. “What is it?”
“You know Father just wants the best for us,” she said, and Emma groaned. It was exactly what she’d expected and she turned away from her sister.
“I should have known.”
“All right, I won’t mention that again. What did you mean by what you said? You made it sound like you’re thinking of leaving Mother and Father’s house.” Frances sounded worried and Emma looked back at her.
