.
Mena had received Morgan’s note days ago and though she’d read it more times than she could count, she did so again as she sat in a chair in her room.
Morgan’s letter was short. He’d gone to the country and planned to return as soon as possible. He’d also informed her that he’d taken the carriage and would see it safely returned, which had been a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders. He didn’t tell her why he was going, but her heart had felt hollow at the knowledge that if things had been different, if she’d had more faith in him before, she’d already have been his wife.
Yet instead, he was gone. He’d left without her, or maybe because of her. She didn’t know. She didn’t even know if he’d return. Was this his way of calling off their wedding, by simply avoiding Society altogether?
The only reason she’d clung to the letter at all and any hope that when he returned, it would be to her, was how he’d signed it.
Yours Faithfully, Morgan.
Yours Faithfully? What did he mean to say such a thing? There was nothing else personal in the note. There was no sign of love anywhere but in that signature, which only made her more curious why he’d used his given name instead of his title. Not ‘Lord Durham’. Not even ‘Durham’, but Morgan, as he’d wished for her to call him.
The entire letter was impersonal. She could have read it aloud to the household.
Except for how he’d ended it and almost a week later, it still left her perplexed.
Allie entered the room.
“Are you ready, my lady?”
Nervousness went rampant in the pit of her belly. She was not ready, and after the week she’d had, she was sure she’d never be ready to meet Princess Victoria, but the time had come nonetheless. Without contact from Creed, she’d had no way to rescind her invitation to tea… or to speak to him about the carriage. She’d only left home once in the last week, yet during the time when her friends didn’t call, she read over the rags once more and studied the scandals that involved her uncle.
In the end, she’d begun to see that perhaps she had been wrong about Creed after all and had asked a favor of Nora and Marianne.
She’d asked to meet Lady Matilda Abrams, wife to the notorious thief who had once been called Sir Blackheart, and sister to Creed. It was the only time she’d left the house and after doing so, Mena had wondered if it was ever safe to leave the house again.
The story Lady Matilda had told her had terrified her.
Apparently, Matilda and Creed’s father had been a man by the name of Captain James Gore, a naval captain who, after the war, had found it hard to find work. Hurt by the government he’d risked his life for, he began an enterprise of illegal operations and soon ran the underworld of London, growing an empire of thugs, thieves, and criminals. Blackheart had also worked for him but had managed to earn enough money to pay the commission to join the military and escape. Later, Matilda and Blackheart were reunited and fell in love.
Creed’s story, however, did not have a happy ending and Mena had been saddened when she’d heard what Creed’s job for Gore, a man who’d never actually claimed him as his son, had been.
Creed had been in charge of getting rid of the bodies of Gore’s victims. Since a young child, it was all he’d ever done, and Matilda had told her a man who saw death as much as Creed had would be changed.
Creed’s sister had seemed saddened for the brother she’d never actually been able to call ‘brother’. She said Creed had never been loved and most likely didn’t understand why.
Eventually, Gore had been hung for his crimes and another man had taken over London’s underworld, but he’d not lasted long because Creed had already been planning his death and since he was an expert at getting rid of bodies, no one knew where the other man was.
It made Mena think of the man Nora said had gone missing, and Mena knew he’d most likely never be found.
She’d left Lady Matilda’s weeping and had wept for days after, wept for a man she knew no one else would weep for, hurt that he’d never known love and therefore most likely didn’t know that she loved him.
And she did. Mena loved Creed, but she also now understood that he was dangerous.
There had been so much that Morgan had kept from her. Had he’d exposed her to all she knew now…
Perhaps her tears and her new fear were the reasons he’d been less brutal.
She didn’t know. What she did know was that she loved Morgan and was sure that no matter how quickly the love had come, it was not likely to go away just as swiftly.
She put those thoughts aside and followed Allie out the door and to Creed’s carriage. She took deep breaths as they moved along and upon entering the vehicle was surprised to find two large men she’d never met sitting across from her.
They greeted her with nods but said nothing.
She looked them over, wondering where the man who usually escorted her was. She thought there was something odd about the men and turned as another large man closed the door. She had a new footman as well, and they all looked ready to hurt anything that came near them.
Was Creed trying to keep her safe? She thought the men a little much but said nothing as they pulled away from the house. She did, however, notice Allie stiffen.
“I’ll ride out front,” Ralph said as he approached the window. Ralph had only been told that morning that she would be visiting the princess. Mena had had so many other things to worry about, she’d forgotten to tell him, however, she’d seen him send a note off to someone after she’d said it.
He narrowed his eyes at the two large men and then disappeared. In the last few days, she’d had many conversations with Ralph and was glad when she’d sensed no hate from him. He’d even begun to smile at her. When she’d made mention of wanting to know how to defend herself, he’d taught her a thing or two. In days, he’d become a friend, and a few times, he’d even looked at her with concern when he knew what thoughts plagued her.
She’d aged in the last few days.
She’d seen death, gained and lost love, and found out the man she trusted could not be trusted at all. She turned to the window and focused on what she would say to the princess while also wondering why she was meeting her at all. What was Creed’s plan?
She didn’t know, but she recalled all her many lessons from Mrs. Gale and planned to see that she obeyed every single one.
She had another jolt of fear as the carriage turned into the gates that led to Kensington Palace.
They arrived in front of the old, yet still beautiful, brick structure and a footman approached to let her down from the carriage.
Allie followed her in and Mena met the eyes of the guards at the door before swiftly moving them away. Her mind was on the carriage again and a sickening thought came to her as she was escorted inside.
What if Creed had informed the king about the stolen carriage and this was simply his way to get her in trouble and cast blame on her? Surely, he wouldn’t do such a thing. What would that gain him?
She turned around to see that while Allie had come inside with her, neither the guards nor the footman came along. But then she saw Ralph. He was speaking to one of the guards and the guard allowed him in.
Ralph followed Mena and winked.
She braved a smile. He would protect her, but how much he could protect her from the king and his heir, she didn’t know.
“My lady,” the king’s footman called. “I’ll escort you.”
Mena nodded and followed the man, unable to take in the finery that made up Kensington Palace. She was trembling by the time she reached the sitting room. Ralph remained on the other side of the door but caught her eyes before she stepped through. When she spun around, she was struck with surprise as her eyes met Marianne’s.
But of course, Marianne would be there. She was, after all, Victoria’s sole friend.
Victoria looked at her, her black curls shining in the light that came through the windows, a look of dignity on her face.
Mena remembered to curtsey and was surprised she’d made it to her feet.
Marianne narrowed her eyes, obviously wondering how Mena had managed an invitation.
This was bad.
Marianne knew her truth and could expose her.
Mena’s throat closed, and she feared how she would manage to get through the next hour of her life… or if she’d have a life after.
She had only one second to send up a silent prayer before she turned and her eyes caught the sight of the man standing not far from the princess.
Mena nearly fainted.