Chapter Twelve #2
‘Lemon,’ she said, closing her eyes to savour it.
‘I think this is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted.’ She took tiny spoonfuls of the delicacy, wishing she could make this moment last for ever.
From the despair she had felt last night after finding her sisters and Charles in such a state, she felt such contentment now, even if it would only be short-lived.
Amelie regarded the man who had salvaged their morning.
Will was sitting eating his own ice, debating with her little family which was the very best flavour.
She felt her heart swell with such a strong affection, it made her pause.
He had displayed his kindness before in many little ways, but today showed her how truly good a man he was.
It would have been easier for him to keep his distance, to allow her to deal with her heartbreak at seeing her family living in such poor conditions on her own, but he hadn’t.
Instead, he’d stepped up and tried to make things better for them.
Amelie felt a warmth suffuse her and with a jolt of panic she recognised what it was.
For a while, she had felt a burgeoning desire for this man who’d kissed her as if she was the only woman on earth, but this was something more.
Carefully Amelie examined the feeling from every angle, but she could not deny what she felt—she was falling for him.
This was not pure physical attraction. That was there too, crying out every time he accidentally touched her or looked in her direction for her to kiss him, but this was deeper.
Amelie closed her eyes for a moment. It complicated everything.
She was no romantic daydreamer; despite his kindness, Amelie was well aware she and the Duke were not going to ride off into the sunset together to live happily ever after.
In a few months he would return to his normal life and she to hers.
There was no future for them. All of this she knew, but it did not stop the swell of her heart as she watched Will bend in closer to hear what Charles was saying.
She quickly took another mouthful of the sharp, cold ice, needing something to hide behind. In her rational mind she knew only ruin and shame could come of a liaison with Will, yet it was as if her mind was trying to dismiss the rational and allow something forbidden to blossom.
It was mid-afternoon and the sky above them was darkening with rainclouds, making the air feel a little chilly.
Harriet and Marie had given a few little shivers, their threadbare dresses not enough to keep them warm with the drop in temperature.
Amelie grimaced at the thought of the expense of buying them winter dresses.
She could sew a little, enough to repair any minor damage or to let down a hem, but she was no seamstress.
The only way the girls would get new dresses would be if she bought them some.
Looking down at her own plain, grey dress, she felt another moment of despair. Soon her dress would need replacing too. The extra money she was earning with her role in Grantchester was slipping through her fingers already.
‘They cannot go back,’ Will said as he joined her on a bench.
They had walked along the Serpentine, but curious glances from the other people taking a stroll in Hyde Park had driven them off to a more secluded area.
Marie, Harriet and Charles were sitting on the grass a little way away, with the girls showing their little brother how to make daisy chains.
‘Hmm…’ She was only half-paying attention, but she turned to him now. ‘What do you mean?’
‘They cannot go back to Mrs Creedy’s.’
Amelie sighed. ‘I feel the same, but please believe me when I tell you that I have considered every possible alternative and there are no other viable options. I cannot afford better care for them, and I cannot look after them myself whilst I am working.’
‘I see how much that hurts you.’
‘It does, and one day I hope I will be able to change things, but not yet.’
‘Let me help.’
Amelie smiled at him. Although it was kind of him to offer, she could not accept.
It would be all very well if he gave her the funds to improve their living situation for a few months until the money ran out, but then they would be back in the position they were in when they’d first arrived in London.
‘You cannot,’ she said simply. ‘However kind you are, however generous, you cannot do this without it causing myriad problems for both of us. Somehow the news of such an act would spread; I would be condemned as a scheming maid and you a fool to be taken in by me.’
‘There are worse things than being thought a fool,’ he said quietly and in that moment Amelie felt herself fall even deeper for this man. He sighed and looked out at where the children were playing. ‘What sort of man would I be if I put my own reputation above the health of those three?’
‘Most people look to self-preservation first.’
He shook his head. ‘I have been blessed with a charmed life. I have money, property, status… If I cannot use some of that to do some good…’
‘Risking your reputation.’
‘One,’ he said, holding up his index finger, ‘I am a duke—most things are forgiven.
Even if people assumed they were my illegitimate children, it would not really change anything.
I will not lose my estates or my place in the House of Lords.
A few of the more moral types might avoid me, but I have never been one for socialising anyway.
‘Two,’ he continued, holding up a second finger, ‘I give to a total of six different charitable organisations. This is no different except I get to see where my money is being spent. Three…’ a third finger went up ‘…in these situations I like to ask myself, what would my sister do? She was only in this world for a short time but she had a good heart. If she saw me walk away from children in need, children I could do something for, she would be disappointed.’
Amelie sat, stunned, unable to find the words to respond.
‘I have been trying not to interfere, trying not to impose my will. Your situation is impossible, and the last thing I want to do is make it worse, but I cannot see those three children go back to that slum when I have the power to do something about it.’ He stood up as if to make his point, and Amelie could see he was not to be argued with.
She had expected to feel anger at someone thinking they had a right to make a decision about her family, but all she felt was relief.
‘I know a place they can go, much more comfortable and safer than Mrs Creedy’s. You take them back to St Giles now and pack their things. I will return home to fetch the carriage.’
‘You mean to make the change now?’ Amelie gawped, unable to keep up with what was happening. Her head was spinning and she felt out of control.
‘Yes. There is no need for them to spend another night in that horrible place.’
‘Where do you mean to take them?’
‘I will explain on the way. I shall be as swift as possible. You should make haste too.’ With that he was gone, striding away from her like a man possessed.
‘Where has the Duke gone?’ Harriet asked, running over as soon as she noticed his absence.
‘He has gone home to get his carriage. He might give us a ride in it later if all is well.’ Amelie could not bring herself to raise her family’s hopes of escaping Mrs Creedy’s depressing home.
Lots could happen in an hour. Will might return home, realise his plan was ridiculous and find a way to back out.
It wasn’t in his nature to renege on his promises, but there was a lot at stake.