London, England, May 1814

“I don’t know what to do, Anna. The situation is hopeless.” Amelia paced up and down in her room in her London home. It was the night before the ball and her parents were not at home.

“We have to escape, Amelia,” said Anna.

“How? We have no money.”

“How can you say that? You come from one of the country’s wealthiest families. All it would take is to sell some jewelry, and we could obtain passage on board ship to Canada. We will, of course, send Jonathan a letter beforehand. He and Jake can arrange everything. I don’t know why you hesitate?” By now, Anna stood by the sash windows gazing down onto the street in front of the house.

Amelia sighed as she sat down on the bench in front of her dressing table. “Don’t you think I haven’t thought of all that. But there are still so many obstacles. What if they open the letter…?”

“Why would they do that?” interjected Anna, turning around to face her mistress and friend.

“Because this country is at war with the United States of America. Also, let us say we would have enough money to follow through with this plan; the Duke of Brandon is a powerful man. He will have all of the ships checked at port before they could even entertain the prospect of departure. We would be caught and think of the repercussions – I would be ostracized in society, and you would never work again; you’d end up on the streets, and I could do nothing to help you.”

Anna shrugged. “Then we shall have to fake our deaths. That would put them off the scent.” Gradually, she walked back in the direction of the bed.

Amelia shook her head. “I couldn’t do that to my parents. It would break their hearts and not to mention the old duke’s.”

“Why not? They want you to marry that ogre. What do you think life will be like with him? He will undermine you at every turn. The good duke won’t live forever, Amelia…then what do you think will happen to you? You will succumb and whither like a onetime blooming flower. You will never see Jonathan again. Is that really what you want?”

“I could talk to him,” said Amelia in a low voice that had shuddered between vowels. The thought of never seeing Jonathan again made her feel slightly nauseous.

“To who?”

“The duke.”

“What? Have you lost your senses? He would have you imprisoned in his house until the wedding and me alongside you.” Anna frowned. “We have to escape. I know there is a way. Many people have done it before us. And look on the bright side. It is not like we are incarcerated in this house. We can go as we please.”

“I don’t know, Anna. The Duke of Brandon is a good man. He reminds me of Jonathan in a sense. I know I can get through to him.” Amelia ran her hand through her dark silky tresses in an afterthought.

“What makes you think that he would agree to such a preposterous undertaking?” In Amelia’s place, Anna started pacing hither and thither. She uttered a few ripe oaths in her native Scottish. Usually, this would have made Amelia laugh but not this night. “He may seem like a nice man, but he needs a woman to marry his son to and to give him grandchildren. Now that he likes ye, he won’t let ye go – that’s for certain. He requires an heir, that’s all that matters to those aristocrats.”

“I disagree. There was a moment during lunch when he reprimanded his son for talking down to me. It felt as if he knew what his son is really like. He wants him to marry, but he also knows that it will need a very special woman to survive his treatment.”

“And that’s you, I suppose?” asked Anna, snidely.

“I did not say that. I only am of the opinion that I can convince the duke to help us leave the country.” Amelia pressed her fingertips together straining the joints. “The duke made me feel more like his daughter than my father ever could.”

“Why don’t ye marry him then?” asked Anna, snickering.

“Anna, stop trying to sabotage this discussion,” hissed Amelia.

“I am sorry.” Anna stopped pacing up and down and sat down on the bed. She cradled her head in her hands and sighed.

“If you really don’t like the idea of involving the duke then we must think of something else. And very little comes to mind other than just running off,” said Amelia, eying her friend in the mirror.

Anna lifted her hands and sighed again. “I do not like the idea of involving the father of the man you are supposed to marry – no, I definitely do not like that idea. But, you are also a very good judge of character and I trust you.”

“Thank you, Anna. That means so much to me. I trust you too.” Amelia smiled for the first time that day. “We will make it back to America; I know it.” She got to her feet and walked over to Anna and sat down on the bed next to her. She took her hand. “You do believe that, Anna?”

Anna turned her head until she looked her friend in the eyes. “Aye, I believe it. It was enough trouble getting to know the blokes. I had a dream that we would meet them. So, why would God rip us apart after all that to not to let us get back together again? It just doesn’t make sense.”

Amelia chuckled. “As always Anna, you hit the nail right on the head.” The expression on her face soon darkened. “Had I only not been such a stubborn old donkey, we might still be over there with the men we love.”

“Don’t ye ever blame yerself for it. Ye couldn’t have known. Also, it is a lot more difficult for ye,” Anna paused in an attempt to find the right words, “to act normal.”

Amelia pleated her brow. “You don’t think I am normal?”

“No, I do not. Had things been different, I would have continued working here and found some bloke to marry me and that would have been that; we would’ve loved one another, and it would’ve been all right.” She rolled her eyes theatrically. “Ye, on the other hand, have all of these rules to follow. No wonder ye didn’t know what hit ye when ye started to have all of these feelings for Jonathan. It went against everything ye were brought up to believe.”

Amelia relived the moments she had spent with Jonathan. Anna was right. She did not know what was happening to her. It had crept up on her in a clandestine fashion. Before she knew it, she had kissed Jonathan back. She had tried to resist, but her feelings had gotten the better of her. Thinking back, she would have it no other way.

“All right then. The Duchess of Waverly’s ball is tomorrow. I am almost certain that the duke will be in attendance. I will approach him and state my case.” Somehow, Amelia no longer felt as certain about that course of action.

“I suppose we will know then,” said Anna, placing her arm on Amelia’s shoulder.

“I of course will not mention anything about you. This is my sacrifice. If I fail to convince the duke, then we will have to find a way to get you to America without me,” said Amelia, her jaw firming.

“No, I will not leave you. It is my duty to remain by your side.”

“As a lady’s maid maybe, but not as my friend.”

The expression on Anna’s face hardened. “No, I will not leave you to the wolves,” she repeated. “It is my duty to endure. That is what friends do.”

“Look, you owe it to Jake to do everything in your power to return to him. You made a promise,” said Amelia. “And besides, what kind of a friend would I be to deny you your happiness because I failed to secure mine…if there are to be any casualties, then it shall only be me.”

Anna reflected for a moment. “We will both make it back to America or not at all. And that is my final word on the subject.”

Amelia could’ve cried. Anna’s fortitude and loyalty astounded her. In a way, she had expected nothing less from the tenacious Scotswoman, but hearing it spoken out loud meant so much more. Maybe, we should escape after all? What if I am wrong about the duke? I will ruin both of our lives.

“Of course, those two laddies could make it easier for us by turning up here and whisk us away to safety in their arms. Why do we have to do all of the work, eh? If they are gentlemen, shouldn’t they be fighting for us?” Anna squeezed Amelia’s hand. “I think we should be patient.” She snapped her head in Amelia’s direction. “When is the wedding to take place, anyway?”

“There is no fixed date yet,” murmured Amelia.

“Exactly! These big events take time to prepare. I think we should wait it out a little more. Nothing good comes out of being hasty…what do ye think?”

Amelia nodded. “You are right. We shall only take drastic action when the wedding date is set. Before then, we wait it out. We could, of course, write them a letter and say that we are well.” She had so much to say to Jonathan, but she did not know where to begin.

“Yes, I agree. And you did say that the Americans and the British are currently entertaining the notion of conducting negotiations in Ghent.”

Amelia dipped her head. “The duke mentioned as much during luncheon. The fact is not supposed to be common knowledge, but he told me nonetheless.”

“Good, that is that. We will write our men a letter…”

“All right, Anna. Fetch the quill, ink, and paper. We shall begin,” said Amelia in a tone that did not broach argument.