Chapter Nine
Theodosia and Ellis left for Braggdon Hall. They arrived. Together. Hand in hand. She and Ellis had just broken the curse of the ghost of Lover’s Crossing, surely, they could solve the dilemma her mother and father had created.
She led him inside the front entry and to the drawing room and requested tea when a maid popped her head in to see who was there.
“I will go fetch my parents.”
Ellis looked concerned. “Are ye sure that is wise? What if your father strikes ye again?”
Theodosia shook her head. “I do not think he will. He—”
“Theodosia!” Her mother hurried into the room. “Where have you been? Your father and I were worried to death.” She noticed Ellis and abruptly stopped talking. She cleared her throat. “Mr. Gordon. It is lovely to see you.”
Theodosia scoffed. Her mother was about as happy to see Ellis as she was when she found out her father had found a suitable husband for her.
“Mother, since you are here, I do not have to go get you. I was just on my way to find you and Father. We need to talk.”
Belinda’s hand went to her throat, her fingers playing with the pendant that hung there. She smiled nervously. “Whatever do we have to discuss?” she asked, her voice unusually high.
“I believe you know very well.”
“Belinda!” her father bellowed from the hall.
“In the drawing room. With Theodosia,” she added, practically singing her name.
“Good. We need to continue our conversation from earlier.” He barged through the door and stopped short when he noticed Ellis. “What are you doing here? Get out,” he ordered.
“He will not. He is here by my invitation.”
“Sir.” Ellis acknowledged her father and extended his hand.
His mouth set into a thin line, her father shook Ellis’s offered hand, grunting his greeting.
The maid arrived and poured them each a cup of tea, then quietly left.
“I suggest we all take a seat,” Theodosia said.
Once everyone was seated, she addressed the room. Usually, she would be nervous to speak so forwardly to her father, but what she and Ellis had just experienced gave her a newfound courage she hadn’t realized she possessed.
She ran her hands down her stomach and met her father’s gaze, his face purposefully neutral as he waited for her to speak. She hadn’t forgotten his strike from earlier. It was the first time he had ever laid a hand upon her—and it would also be the last.
“The last several days have been eye-opening, I must admit. I discovered that my parents have perpetuated a lie of utmost proportions, making me believe that Ellis had abandoned me. In turn, you made him believe I had agreed to marry another.”
Belinda opened her mouth to speak, but Theodosia held up her hand to stop her.
“I would like to say my piece first, Mama. You and Papa have done more than enough to dictate my life. Papa, as a respected businessman and magistrate in the city, your word means all. However, when it comes to your family, integrity is severely lacking.”
Thomas huffed, his face turning red, before sputtering, “You have no right to speak to me in such a tone or with such accusations.”
“After your actions this morn, I refuse to be compliant. You tried to keep Ellis and me apart, for whatever reason, I do not know, nor do I care to learn at this point. I am asking for you to release me from your care.”
“Theodosia, dear,” Belinda cried. “Please consider what you are asking.” Her eyes shone with unshed tears.
“I have. And know that, no matter your answer, I am leaving. I would rather be free to live and love as I please, than be lorded over like chattel with no say in my life.” She dared a glance at Ellis.
A wide smile spread across his face, crinkling his eyes, and she relaxed, unaware of how tense she had been.
He looked as if he was ready to start clapping.
“Daughter dear,” her mother tried again.
Theodosia shook her head. “No. I am done with your and Papa’s games. I choose happiness. I care not if I face shunning. I will accept it gladly.”
“You don’t mean that.” Her mother wept, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.
For a moment, guilt consumed Theodosia. She hated to see her mother that way, but she wouldn’t let her mother’s reaction sway her. She straightened her shoulders, even more so when she saw her father fuming, his face impossibly red. “I shall go upstairs and pack a bag and get a room at the inn.”
*
“Would you like a cider?” Ellis leaned in close and asked.
They were in the town square, celebrating the harvest. Ellis had been diligently working on the mapping of the moors day and night, sleeping in his tent, whilst she stayed at the inn. She’d missed him terribly.
“I would like that,” she answered, squeezing his arm.
They strolled over to the vendor stand that had set up a stand boasting fresh cider. The sweet aroma of apple and cinnamon filled the air. Ellis purchased two cups and handed one to her with a smile. Steam wafted in white curls, evaporating in the cool night air.
Whispers swirled around them, but no one dared speak their words aloud to her face. Let them talk. She didn’t care for what they thought. She was happy.
Ellis was happy.
They were happy.
“Here. I’ve something to show ye.” Ellis pulled her into a secluded place near the hedge line and dug around in his pocket. He withdrew a folded square of parchment and pushed it into her hands. “Go on. Open it.” His smile was bright and wide as he urged her on.
She took the paper and carefully unfolded it, revealing Ellis’s new map of the moors.
Wait, it wasn’t the full map he had been working on.
This one was special. At the top, the map was titled “Bragg’s Redemption” in bold letters.
It was a small section of the moors, the section where they had been confronted by the ghost of Lover’s Crossing.
Theodosia smiled in awe at the masterpiece Ellis had created. Her eyes focused on a heart-shaped compass rose.
“You charted more than roads, Ellis Gordon,” she said, her voice lilting.
“Aye,” he admitted. “I charted a map to ye.”
She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. Then, not caring who saw them, she lifted onto her toes, and kissed him. A deep, soul-stealing kiss that left no doubt in anyone’s mind that they were together.
They’d defeated the ghost, broken the curse, and managed to convince her parents to agree to their courtship.
They could do anything.