Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Daisy stepped into the house, and Amina was waiting to take her coat. She looked Daisy over, concern making her brow furrow.
“What has happened?” she asked in a whisper.
Daisy summoned a smile from somewhere and shook her head. “Nothing has happened. Everything is fine.”
Amina clearly did not believe her, and Daisy couldn’t blame the maid for seeing right through her weak attempt at concealing her emotions. She could barely stop her lips from trembling, and tears kept wanting to fall from her eyes.
Instead, she nodded. “Is Father home?”
Amina lowered her gaze. Daisy knew what that meant. Her father was likely up to no good.
Probably spending even more money he does not have.
Daisy could not understand how the butcher and the baker had cut them off, but her father still had the funds for gambling and gaming. She sighed, asking if everyone had eaten supper before retiring to her quarters.
Changing out of the gown that Edmund bought her, she finally allowed the tears to fall. She cried for the loss of her dreams, the loss of her innocence, and for the realization that love was likely never going to find her again.
She could not imagine loving anyone else the way she realized she’d fallen for Edmund. She could not even imagine letting another man touch her the way that he did. No one could set her alight the way he did with the simplest caress.
She took a deep breath, snatching up her handkerchief to wipe her nose.
“This is a waste of my time,” she murmured to herself even as she heaved deep breaths, crying inconsolably.
She could not make herself stop. She tried to imagine her future and what it might look like.
She visualized herself living in a small village, married perhaps to the vicar, surrounded by children. It was a good vision…except the vicar bore an uncanny resemblance to Edmund.
She shook her head, knowing that regardless of everything, she would have to leave London.
If she didn’t, her father would continue to drag her down with him, and she’d find herself right back here, with a man holding her father’s debts over her head, in an effort to extort her into granting him favors.
“I have to win, and then I have to leave,” she said wetly to her damp handkerchief. “Once my father’s debts to Dulforth are paid, I am leaving.”
She thought about crossing the channel and going to France. With the money she would get, she could live anonymously. Perhaps open a flower shop or a haberdashery. Nobody would care who she was, and she could just…live.
Hopefully, someday, she would forget Edmund altogether.
Daisy arrived early at the venue for the last task, dressed in a simple muslin dress that Amina had made for her from the bolts of cloth that Edmund bought her.
While it was simple, it did emphasize her virtues such as they were.
The leaf-green color complemented her blonde hair and green eyes.
The bodice maximized the swell of her breasts, and the long sweep of the skirt gave her an elegant silhouette and made her seem taller than she was.
Her father had assured her he would be present to cheer her on, but he had been nursing the after-effects of a late dissolute night when she left the house, so she highly doubted it.
The other contestants arrived one by one, and Edmund was one of the last to appear. He stood in the vicinity of her but not close enough for conversation.
She flicked a wistful glance his way.
Just once, I’d like it if you didn’t pull away from me.
Lady Archworth got on a dais to make a send-off address. She was resplendent in a gown that was made of shimmery sapphire-hued fabric.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” she called. The crowd buzzed with excitement. Daisy took one step closer to where Edmund stood, then stopped herself.
Not yet. I shall not rush to his side just yet.
“We have finally come to the last task,” Lady Archworth continued.
“While there can only be one official winning team, I hope you all have come to better appreciate your partners and the ways that you work together to achieve your aims. May those skills serve you well as you embark on your married life.” She paused to beam at everyone.
Daisy looked around her to see the reception to Lady Archworth’s words. Some couples were smiling at each other while others looked resentful. Clearly, not everyone had seen the benefits Lady Archworth was offering in the same way.
“For today’s task,” the Dowager Marchioness continued, “You will work your way through this maze.” She indicated the two-foot-long row of hedges in front of them.
“And whoever gets to the middle first claims the prize. The contestants will enter the maze in pairs, depending on how many points they’ve garnered in the previous tasks.
So the leading couple will go first and so on. ”
There was a murmur that spread fast throughout the couples as each person tried to ascertain their standing.
But the Dowager did not keep the company in suspense for long. She reached into a concealed pocket in her skirt and pulled forth a scroll. Unfurling it with a flourish, she began to read aloud. She began by noting those who had scored the fewest points.
Daisy listened intently, hoping to hear her name and Edmund’s last.
“Lord Charles and Dennison and his partner, Lady Mary Dodson!” The Dowager paused, then proceeded, “Lord Arthur Bailey and Lady Jane Westfield.”
That couple let out a resounding whoop as they stepped closer to one another and shared a conspiratorial smile.
Lady Archworth continued reading, rattling off names rapidly. “Lord Brimsley Ross and Miss Sherry Pitt!”
By the time she reached the end of her list, Daisy had intertwined her gloved fingers and was twisting them back and forth anxiously.
“And finally, we come to our lead couple.” Lady Archworth paused and cast a long glance around the congregation. She allowed the scroll to roll inward on itself, then raised the parchment high in the air. “It is my pleasure to wave off the first couple.”
The tension in the atmosphere swelled. Daisy knew only her name, and Edmund’s remained, but she also understood that as soon as the Dowager Marchioness pronounced them as the leaders, they would be expected to dart toward the maze and begin the hunt.
She inhaled deeply, then turned her gaze upon Edmund. It was not at all surprising to find him already staring directly back at her.
Here…we…go…
“Edmund Foster, the Duke of Blackvale, and Lady Daisy Murray…begin the game!”
There was some lackluster clapping from the other contestants as Daisy and Edmund stepped hurriedly forward, making their way to the entrance of the maze.
Should we run? Would that be inappropriate?
Daisy turned to Edmund. “I don’t suppose you’ve any insight about which direction we should head in or how we should approach this challenge?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I have never been here before. But let’s try going left and see how we fare.”
Daisy nodded. “All right. Let’s go.”
Edmund led the way, walking at a fast clip as they made their way through the maze. Daisy stared at his back, her mouth opening and closing a few times as she thought about confessing everything to him there and then but then changing her mind and retreating.
He doesn’t care. If he wished to know what I was thinking, he’d ask.
She followed him silently, and he did not bother to consult her about the decisions he was making. He did seem to be following a plan, so she decided to trust that he knew what he was doing. The sun rose high in the sky, and she was sweating a bit when she caught sight of a clearing ahead.
She gasped, pointing it out to Edmund.
“Yes, I reckoned that if we just kept left, most mazes are built to eventually end by taking enough left turns.”
“Ah. How clever of you,” Daisy said.
He stepped aside and gestured for her to precede him. “After you,” he said.
She nodded and stepped forward, picking up the small trophy that was carried in the arms of the statue of a baby standing on a plinth.
She looked at it and then up at Edmund. “Is this it? Is this all there is to it?”
He tipped his head to the side and looked at her quizzically. “What do you mean? We won the competition.” His brows furrowed deeply. “I should think that would make you happy.”
She turned the trophy over in her hands. “I suppose I thought…I mean I guess I imagined that this final challenge would be harder somehow. We would have to work together to attain the prize and then…then…”
Tears trickled down Daisy’s cheeks. She did not realize she had started to cry, and when it occurred to her, she hastily pulled a handkerchief from her pocket.
“Daisy.” She could hear the alarm in the Duke’s voice. “What is the matter? Are you not pleased? Should I not congratulate you?”
She sniffled loudly, then dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “By all means, let us congratulate one another. We have won Lady Archworth’s Games.”
“And this makes you feel…disheartened?” Edmund peered at her.
She choked back a sob that was building in her throat. “I am surprised that the end has come. That is all.”
She tucked the handkerchief back in her pocket and produced a watery smile for his benefit.
“If you’re sure there is nothing else…” he began, and she cut him off with a bark of a laugh.
“There is nothing else to say, Your Grace.” She held out the trophy to him. “Come, let us go and claim our victory.”
It was evident that Edmund only accepted the trophy reluctantly, but that did not stop him from taking the lead and directing them back toward the spot where Lady Archworth and the rest of the spectators were gathered.
Daisy followed him to the dais, ready to be crowned victors of the tournament, her feet dragging.
She knew she should feel ecstatic at this outcome. It was exactly what she wanted. She had won. Soon, she’d have enough money to pay her father’s debt and buy her freedom. But all she could think about was not seeing Edmund and Harry again, and that made her heart feel as heavy as an anvil.
I am being ridiculous. This was the arrangement all along. The Duke and Harry will move on with their lives, and so will I.
She tried to berate herself out of her maudlin mood, but she couldn’t quite shake the melancholy that had overtaken her. And part of her didn’t know whether she could move on with her life after what she’d shared with Edmund and little Harry.
A day later, they both converged on the quiet sanctuary of Lady Archworth’s private drawing room.
Edmund stood by the hearth, watching Daisy intensely. He could see how much it meant to her to win the money. Her hands were shaking, even as she tried to stop them.
Lady Archworth smiled warmly, stepping forward with a thick paper packet.
“Well, I am more than happy to fulfill my part of the bargain,” she said, placing an envelope with the funds directly into Daisy’s trembling hands.
“Here is your prize money, my dear. I hope that it is everything you wished it to be.”
Daisy bit her bottom lip, looking down at the envelope, avoiding everyone’s eyes. “I do too.”
“You have my rarest gift, my darlings,” Lady Archworth continued, looking between them with genuine affection. “You have my full blessing. May you find the same joy in your marriage that I once knew.”
Edmund stiffened at his aunt’s words, the weight of the lie pressing heavily against his chest.
As soon as Lady Archworth excused herself, leaving them alone in the quiet corridor to depart, Edmund saw Daisy taking a deep breath. Then, she grasped her own hand, pulling the betrothal ring he’d given her off her finger.
Slowly, she stood and strode towards him. She did not look him directly in the eyes, but she did move near enough that he could smell a hint of citrus on her breath.
“Thank you for this,” she whispered secretively, as she placed the ring in his palm. “I enjoyed wearing it, even if our partnership wasn’t real.”
Edmund cocked an eyebrow, surprised by her words. His heart began to pound against his ribs like a prisoner trying to flee their cage.
He gulped, aiming to alleviate the sudden dryness in his throat, but that was an impossible feat.
He could not tell Daisy all he knew he must, but it also hurt to stand there and say nothing. So, he decided to take the easiest way out of this conundrum.
With a last, icy nod to her, he turned and walked away toward the carriage.
His heart beat madly, frantically, as if he were clinging to a cliff’s edge.
But as he climbed into the carriage and the wheels started to roll, Edmund realized that he had already let go and plunged into the void.