Chapter 26 #3
“But she doesn’t know that!” I swatted his hand away. “The Pratts are still convinced you’ll show up at their ball tonight for the announcement.” I placed my hands on my hips. “Edmond, I will not kiss a man betrothed to someone else. At least… not until he is un-betrothed.”
Edmond’s brow furrowed. Three heartbeats later, he sprung forward and slid his jacket on in one deft motion. “Then we have a choice to make. Our first option is that we can go to the ball tonight, and I’ll end things with the Pratts. In front of everyone.”
“But what about their threats? They’ll ruin us both.”
“I’d let them rake my name through the mud if it meant kissing you again, Helena. And if Miss Pratt tries to reveal your father’s financial straits, she’ll have no ground to stand upon. It’s all taken care of.”
“What do you mean?”
Edmond waved his hand dismissively. “I paid off your father’s debts in exchange for him agreeing to let you return home.”
“Edmond!” I cried. “That was an entire fortune!”
He shrugged. “It’s just money. I have more.”
“But he lost that money gambling! He doesn’t deserve you swooping in and freeing him of those debts.”
That made him pause. “You mean, he punished you and made you endure years of belittling... even though he was the sole cause of your family’s misfortune?”
All I could do was nod.
Edmond’s fist curled at his side, his jaw set tight. “It doesn’t matter. I’d do it all again if it meant ensuring your freedom to choose your own path forward.”
I was touched beyond words. There would never be a cage with Edmond. He had already ensured my freedom.
“Facing the Pratts is one choice,” I said. “What’s the other?”
Edmond lifted my hand and placed it over his heart. His pulse thundered beneath my fingers.
“We go away… together. We can leave England and start over in America. I’ve made a fortune from nothing once. I can do it again. And this time, I’ll have a head start.”
My lips parted, and I glanced out at the ship, which was disappearing around the bend of the river. Running away with Edmond sounded exciting and romantic, but a future I had never before imagined flickered in my mind, and I found myself unable to steer away from it.
“We cannot leave England,” I said.
“Why not?”
“Because you and I are in a position that no member of the ton has ever been in before.”
I glanced around at the dock workers straining to lift crates, the women hunched over steaming barrels of laundry, the children playing with sticks and old cans.
“You know these people, Edmond. You know what they truly need—and it’s not an endowment fund for etiquette classes. I know how to navigate high society. I can get people to open their purses. We can make a real difference. Together. Starting with this.”
I opened my reticule and handed him the twenty pounds he’d given me for my painting. This time, I wasn’t relinquishing it in an effort to save my pride. It was something I freely gave.
His gaze lifted from the banknote to my eyes. “A… charity?”
“More than that. Think of what we can accomplish together, you and me. Employment opportunities, food warehouses, schools!” I took his other hand in mine. “But if we run away, we would be abandoning those who need our help.”
Edmond squeezed my hand. “I would love to start a foundation with you, Helena. More than you know. But the reality of that dream is much harder than you may realize.”
“As long as I get to wear a good hat while I order people around, I’m happy.”
He laughed, waving the banknote. “You’re sure?
This will hardly scratch the surface. We would need to devote the majority of my funds to pay for everything.
We wouldn’t live as comfortably as you’re used to.
And it’d be a full-time job, especially for you, as its organizer.
But if we go to America, you could live a life of ease. ”
I fixed him with a commanding glare. “If we ran away, what sort of lesson would we be teaching our children, Edmond? That we abandon those who need our help?”
Edmond’s lips split into a wide smile. “Our children?”
A blush crawled on my cheeks, but I directed us back to the task at hand. “They must learn that a soldier fights for the good of others until her dying breath.”
“Very well.” He looked as if he wanted nothing more than to pull me into a kiss. “We’ll stay.”
I gave him a sly lift of my eyebrow. “You realize what this means, don’t you?”
“What?”
“That we’re finally on the same team.”
He frowned. “Were we not on the same team before?”
“Oh no, no, no.” I patted his arm. “You were most definitely my opponent. But now, you are my ally.”
He let out a soft laugh. “So, how do you want to proceed? If we stay in London, then Miss Pratt will wreck us both, and we won’t be able to help anyone.”
I tapped my fingers against my jaw. “How much longer until the Pratts ball tonight?”
Edmond pulled out his newly recovered pocket watch. “Three hours.”
“There isn’t much time,” I muttered. “But I think I have a plan that will allow us to break off your engagement and protect our reputations. I’m just not sure it’s enough.”
“What can I do to help?”
I chewed on my lip. “Do you have a way to prove that Sybella and Mr. Marceaux were alone together in the baron’s orangery, engaged in less than proper activities?”
Edmond’s eyes went wide as coins. “What?”
I quickly recounted all that Mrs. Sweete and I had witnessed that night. Edmond listened intently, and when I had finished, he shook his head, frustration stewing in his gaze.
“She is relentless,” he said.
“But what I have planned might not be proof enough. We need more.”
“You said she was in the orangery at Cranford’s house?” he asked. I nodded, and Edmond clapped his hands together and laughed. “Brilliant! Just brilliant!”
“What?” I asked.
“I might be able to secure the proof you need,” Edmond said, “with the help of an old friend. But I’ll need to speak with Cranford first.”
“Very well,” I said. “Let’s go over the rest of the details in the carriage with Mrs. Sweete. Time is short, and I still need to find a dress for tonight. Father sold all of mine, and there is no shop that will have one ready for me to wear in time.”
Edmond pulled me closer. “You don’t need a gown, Helena. You are enough.”
My fingers traced his jaw. “And that’s why I love you, Edmond Hawke.”
I tugged him toward the carriage where Mrs. Sweete was pretending to focus on her needlework. But she couldn’t fool me. An unrestrained smile spread across her face at the sight of Edmond and I approaching, hand in hand.
“Let’s go,” I said, stepping into the carriage. “The final battle is upon us. If we’re to have any chance at victory, we must be prepared.”