She was the thought that crushed him the most. The pain etched into her features when she had found him with Jane kissing him; it was a look he was certain he would never forget.
“She means everything, Hugh,” Aaron whispered carefully, almost afraid to make the admission aloud to someone he had not been close with for a good deal of time now.
“Good lord, you are besotted,” Hugh said, almost laughing.
“I am not laughing, Hugh. I have lost her.”
“I am not laughing at the situation, merely marveling at the strength of your affection.” Hugh tried to explain himself as he took a chair and sat opposite Aaron. “Were you honest yesterday? When you said you wished to ask her to marry you.”
“Completely honest,” Aaron said with sincerity as he met his brother’s gaze. “She makes me happy, Hugh. Now look at how things lie? Jane may have ruined my best change of happiness in this world. If I get to see Emily again, I will gladly fall to the ground on my knees and beg her forgiveness, and pray that she believes the truth, but how can I even get that far? They won’t let me see her.”
Silence stretched between them as Aaron focused on the towel in his hands. He was breathing carefully, being certain to keep the threat of tears at bay and not let it envelop him. Eventually, the silence was broken by Hugh sitting back in his chair, making it creak beneath him.
“I’ll talk to them.”
“What?” Aaron said, jerking his head up in surprise.
“Let me talk to them.” Hugh spoke with certainty. “I am the reason this mess has occurred.”
“You are not. That blames rests on Jane’s shoulders.”
“Yes, but I was led around like a puppet by her for long enough. If I was smarter, maybe I could have seen it sooner, but I did not.” Hugh stood to his feet, his manner suggesting determination had taken hold of him. “Tomorrow morning, we shall go first thing in the carriage. You will wait inside whilst I go in and plead for them to hear you out. Maybe I can get you in through that door.”
“You would do that?” Aaron asked, trying to keep some of the surprise out of his voice.
“It’s about time I did something to mend the past. Just you wait before you let your heart break too much, brother. Let us see what tomorrow brings.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Emily had the handkerchief bundled in her hands as she read the book stretched out in her lap. The Captain and Elizabeth were reaching the end of their tale, back on dry land and separated from each other.
‘Elizabeth waited all day at the tavern window, but he did not come. No matter how long she gazed upon the streets of the port town, they remained firmly empty.
“Why do you sit there for so long, Elizabeth?” her father called to her. She had a feeling he knew the truth deep down.
“I am waiting to see if I have placed my heart with the right man, father.”
“Foolish girl,” her father spat as he turned away, snatching his jacket and swagger stick from his valet before reaching for the tavern room door. “I warned you not to give your heart to a man like him.”
“It is not something we have a choice in father. It is not like we choose to give our hearts away; they wander out of our chests at their own free will. They find alone who they want to love.”’
Emily broke off, looking up from the book as another tear slid down her cheek. Since the ball, she had intermittently found herself crying, sometimes barely realizing when she was.
It was moments like these that hurt the most, when she knew how close she had come to being happy, only to have it taken from her. She had a feeling Elizabeth was right in the text. Emily had never chosen to give her heart to Aaron, yet it had happened anyway. He had earned it until the ball, where he had discarded it like used up paper.
Beyond the library walls she could hear movement in the corridors, suggesting someone had come to call at the house, but she took no notice. Her family had been very kind but seeing so many happily married couples only reminded Emily of what she thought she’d had. She was glad to retreat to the library for a while and hide there, alone with her book.
‘Her father was soon gone, and Elizabeth was left alone in the tavern room, with her maid asleep in the corner and one candle beside Elizabeth to keep her company.
That is when she saw movement in the street up ahead. It was sudden, with a figure there one minute then gone the next. She moved her face closer to the glass before she realized just to whom that shadow belonged.
“It is the Captain!” Elizabeth muttered as she jumped to her feet. He was striding out toward the tavern, with his horse behind him, still wearing his uniform. His gaze searched hers at the window until he found her, and his face spread instantly into a smile.
Elizabeth returned that smile before she hurried away. She grabbed her bag from beside the maid, being careful not to wake her before hurrying out of the tavern, rushing to meet the Captain in the street. He was there waiting for Elizabeth, reaching toward her and taking her free hand to pull it to his lips, to offer one kiss.
“Gretna Green?” he asked, his voice barely containing his excitement.
“Let us go now.”’
