Chapter 28
There was a strange atmosphere surrounding Lord Jones’ home, Edmund could feel it the moment he stepped out of his carriage. It was almost as if there was a black cloud hanging above it. He stopped for a moment and stared up at the building wondering why he had such a chill racing up and down his spine. It was almost as if he could sense that there was an emergency inside, and it was not a feeling that he liked too much. Especially as he knew what Lord Jones was like.
I hope Mary is alright, he thought with furrowed brows. I do not want her to be hurt.
He moved quickly to the front door and knocked hard. There was serious anxiety inside of him now, and the longer he left it, the more he got himself worked up. Edmund needed to see Mary, and he needed to know that she was safe. Right now, that was all that he could think about. His mind raced at a million miles an hour.
“Oh, my goodness.” The door swung open rapidly, and Edmund was stunned to see Mary rather than a member of staff on the other side of it. She looked dishevelled and stressed which only served to amp up the fear inside of Edmund. But, on the plus side, she was clearly alright to some extent which allowed the tight knot in his stomach to loosen somewhat. “Your Grace, what are you doing here?”
“I ...” All the words fell apart on Edmund’s lips as his brain instantly searched for a logical solution. He tried to rationalise what was happening but could not. There was no obvious answer. “Is everything alright? Do you need help with anything?”
Mary glanced behind her back as if she was looking for someone. Then she stepped outside the front door and pulled the door almost closed behind her. “It is Charlotte,” she said gravely. “She had a ... fall.”
“A fall?” Edmund did not believe her; he knew what Mary was suggesting between the lines, and it made him feel sick to his stomach. “Is she alright? How is the baby?”
“The baby is fine; we got the doctor to come and check her over right away. The baby has somehow managed to survive what has happened.” Mary pursed her lips thoughtfully then folded her arms across her chest. To Edmund, it did not seem like a defensive gesture, more like she was trying to hold herself together. All Edmund wanted to do was wrap his arms around her. He knew that he could hold her together, but he had to behave with some decorum. At least for now. “Charlotte, I am less sure about. Physically, she is not doing too badly. She has some injuries, but nothing too serious, but mentally ... I believe that she is going downhill, and I fear what will happen to her next.”
Edmund nodded slowly as a crushing sadness fell down on him. He did not like the thought of anyone suffering such a horrible time. Especially not Charlotte Roberts – he could not really think of her as Jones, it did not seem right considering all that she had gone through since being married – she was a lovely Lady and the sister of the woman that he loved.
It was just lucky that he did not come to see Mary empty-handed.
“I have a plan,” he said very quietly so that only Mary could hear him. “One that will help you and Charlotte.”
Mary’s eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, Edmund spotted a flicker of hope, but that was quickly replaced with the realisation that in reality, it was not possible. Edmund could understand that; she did not know his plan. Of course she would not think that it was possible because she did not know what Edmund’s plan was. Unfortunately, he could not disclose all of the information right now. Not when things were so potentially dangerous.
“What plan?” Mary hissed. “Because things are terrible at the moment. I am not sure that it is the right time ...”
“It is the perfect time,” Edmund interjected. “You cannot allow things to get worse. Not when you consider that the baby will come sooner rather than later.”
Mary was silenced by that; of course, she was very worried about the baby too. She loved the unborn child; it would be her niece or nephew. Judging by the way that Lord Jones flew at her without a second thought, she knew he would have hit her if the whole mess with Charlotte had not happened. If he could do that to her, she knew for a fact that he would do it to his child too. He would probably feel more ownership over his child so he would think it was his right.
She did not want that to happen, but she feared that there was nowhere the girls could now run to.
Lord Jones had spent the time since he hurt his wife hiding away in his office. As far as Mary was aware, he had not left the house even once. Clearly, what he had done this time had shamed him; he did not like that he had been forced to call a doctor to look after his wife after his actions, but it was not enough. Mary knew that the shame would wear off in time; soon, he would forget all about it, and the fact that they had both lied to the health professional and said that Charlotte had fallen meant he got away with it. He knew that he could do it again, and in time, Mary knew that he would. He would leave his office, and things would slowly get back to normal.
No, not normal. Worse than normal. Mary could not let that happen.
“What are you suggesting?” Mary whispered back. “What is your plan?”
“I cannot give you the details now. I hope that you understand that.” Mary did not like it, but she was smart enough to understand. Edmund could not say anything too detailed just in case they were being listened to. She was very confident that they were not, but she could never be totally sure. “All I want to let you know is that I will get you and your sister somewhere that neither of you can be found.” Mary gave him a look, suggesting that she did not think it was possible. “I have a plan. I know what I am doing.”
Edmund reached out to take Mary’s hands, and she allowed him to do so. She stared up into his eyes wishing that he could have all the answers. Mary was tired of trying to work everything out by herself, especially as she could not seem to find any solution. If this could work, it would be perfect. She would be handing the responsibility over to someone else, someone who had access to money, to resources, to areas of the world that Mary could only dream of.
“Do you trust me?” he asked her in a hushed tone. “I mean, really trust me? I know that we have had our ups and downs, but do you really trust me? Do you believe that I can help you out with this?”
“I ...” Mary pondered this for a moment. Did she trust Edmund? There had been times when she had and times when she had not, but he had always pulled through for her. One of the best things that he had done for her was hiring Daisy in his home. He had done that to make her happy. She felt that she could trust him with her friend, her sister, and herself too. But it was not Duke Smith that she did not trust. It was everyone else. “I do,” she eventually finished cautiously. “But what about Lord Jones? How will you make sure that he does not find Charlotte?”
“I have it all under control,” Edmund replied mysteriously. “Where we are all going, he will never be able to find us.”
“We?” Mary’s heart skipped a beat. The dream that she had forced herself to give up on, the love that she did not want to embrace too much because she knew it would all end in heartache, it was now looking like it could be real after all. She had even not allowed herself to think of that kiss they shared, but now the floodgates opened, and it flooded her brain entirely. “You will come too?”
“Of course.” Edmund smiled warmly. “I would love to come with you. Plus, I think that you and Charlotte will be much better off with me by your side. I think it is safer, do you not?”
“Of course, but if we go somewhere we can never return …” Mary gasped, her chest grew tight at the thought of making everyone she cared about leave their old life behind. “Your business, your life, your mother ...” She stared up into his eyes searching for everything that she wanted to see. The scary thing is she could spot it there. It really did seem like Edmund had some answers there inside his head. She could not extract them right now which meant she had to put faith in him. “How can you leave all of that behind?”
“I have worked it all out,” Edmund replied a little stiffly. There was tension in his tone because he did not know what he could say to make Mary trust him. “My mother will be just fine,” he replied, sure that this was the one area that Mary was most concerned about knowing her as he did. “She has Daisy now, and she is very happy with her. I have spoken with her extensively about this. She is very aware of what is going on and is happy with it.”
“Right.” Mary nodded slowly. She knew that she was not going to get any more out of Edmund. Not now. She had what she had, and she needed to decide whether or not she trusted him enough to go with it from that information alone. “So what is it you need me to do? If Charlotte and I go along with your plan?” She wanted to make sure that Edmund knew there was a chance that she would not go along with it.
“I just need you to be aware that there will be a carriage waiting for you and Charlotte at the end of the road at midnight.”
“Midnight?” Mary gasped, shocked. She could not be outside at midnight; it just was not the sort of thing that was acceptable to do. Her initial reaction was to panic, but of course, if she was going to run – if they both intended to escape without anyone knowing where they were. “Yes, of course, midnight. I suppose that makes sense. We cannot be seen.”
Edmund could tell that she was in a panicked state, even if she was trying to act otherwise. Mary’s heart was thundering, he could almost hear it racing. Of course this was going to be scary; it was a big risk for all of them, but if they wanted to do something as drastic as running away and leaving the life of London behind, all while protecting Charlotte, then this was how it had to be.
Edmund was excited as well as nervous; he could not wait to leave the city life behind. All the rules, the reputations, the gossip ... he wanted it gone. Now that his mother was alright and his business was sorted, he felt confident that he could follow through on what he wanted to do and also look after both the Roberts sisters. He knew it would not be an easy challenge to take on, but he felt confident that he could do it.
“Midnight at the end of the road. I know that you shall wish to bring supplies with you because we are all leaving and never coming back, but try to pack light. We do not want to draw too much attention to ourselves.”
“Yes. Of course.” Mary could hardly breathe now; she felt that she was wearing a corset even tighter than the one that Victoria had been wearing when she confronted her. If this had been a while back, then there was no way that Mary could have done it, but she was braver now, stronger inside. She could take on this challenge if she wanted to. “And you are really sure about this.”
Edmund bit down on his bottom lip as he tried to decide whether or not it was the right moment to say it. He did not want to put the pressure on Mary, but he also needed her to hold it. “I do not mind what I do,” he told her seriously. “As long as I can be with you, Mary. I love you. I want to be your husband. That is not the only reason that I am doing this. I wish to help Charlotte as well, but I am prepared to sacrifice anything for you.”
Mary’s eyes welled up, but for the first time in a very long while, she was not crying with sadness. The romance of Edmund’s words hit her hard, and they made her realise that he truly did love her. She loved him too, so this was perfect. It was not something that she had intended; she assumed that all the complications were about to get in the way forever, but it was there right in front of her.
All she needed to do was be brave enough to take it.
She moved closer to Edmund and wrapped her arms around him for a brief second, forgetting all about the rules. If they were going to leave London, it hardly mattered anyway. It did not matter if the people around them judged and whispered about them if they were not going to be around to hear it. They were being talked about enough anyway; it was hardly the biggest shock ever.
“I will need to persuade Charlotte,” she whispered into his ear. “I do not know if she will go for it. I know that she wants to leave and escape, but I think that she is afraid.”
Edmund held Mary close, loving the feel of her soft body against his. This is how it could be for all time if she would only let him look after her. He knew that this was not an easy choice to make, but if Mary and Charlotte worked up the bravery to take this step, then he knew that they would look back on it forever as the best decision that they had ever made.
“I have faith in you,” he said back just as quietly. “I am sure that you will help her to escape her horrible situation. She really needs it.”
“I do not want to see her hurt again,” she breathed deeply, almost not quite forming the words at all. “I thought that she was going to die. It was the scariest moment of my life.”
Edmund squeezed her, hating that she was in such a terrible situation. He would have done anything to take her away from it even before he knew that it had gotten so bad, and now he felt even more desperate to make this work.
“If you come with me, I will make sure that nothing bad happens again; I promise you that much. I know that it is scary, and I am aware how much I am asking of you, but I want you to know that it will be worth it. I can promise you that.”
“I know.” Mary nodded against his chest. She knew that Edmund would be true to his word. The more that she talked to him, the more that she realised that she could definitely trust him. She just hoped that Charlotte felt the same way. “Thank you, Edmund; I appreciate everything that you have done for me. I know that you are risking a lot too. I appreciate it a lot.”
“I would do anything for you,” he murmured, filling Mary’s heart with warmth. Never had a man said anything so romantic to her, and it felt wonderful. She knew that she wanted to do this, however terrifying it was, because it would give them a chance. After the kisses that they’d shared and the hardships that they’d faced together, she knew that given the opportunity, they could definitely make it work. “I hope you know that.”
I just hope that I can do this for you, Mary thought, too emotional to say that aloud. I really hope that I can make this work.