A chill ran through her at the thought.
Stubbornly looking away from the writing desk, Emma rose to extinguish the candles and remove her robe. Then she slipped into bed and rolled to her side, urging herself to fall asleep.
Tomorrow would be another day and another ball. Time was ticking steadily by and the Chadwicks could ill afford to waste a bit of it.
She certainly could not allow herself to be distracted by thoughts of a man like Mr. Bentley. But as the memory of the rogue’s sardonic expression and whispered voice slid into her consciousness, thoughts of her family’s debt started to drift to the back of her mind. And as she recalled the way his warm lips had covered hers in the darkened study, her anxiety melted into a strange and different kind of tension.
In spite of her exhaustion, Emma did not fall asleep until the faint tinge of dawn crawled across the sky.
Five
Six days later, Emma found herself in a hired hack rolling through London in the late hours of morning.
She had taken extra care to dress in a style more serviceable than fashionable. Her blue gown was several years old and the color was slightly faded, but it was far more suited to her purpose than any of the gowns she had been wearing out in town recently. She wore a wool pelisse buttoned up to her chin, shoes of simple brown leather, and a wide-brimmed bonnet. She had chosen the bonnet specifically for the fact that if she lowered her chin, the oversized brim worked well to conceal her features from casual glances.
If anyone discovered the eldest Miss Chadwick on a mission to trade what skills she possessed in exchange for an appropriate wage, all of her efforts in giving Lily and Portia a proper presentation would be null and void. No gentleman would desire to take on the burden of a wife from a family so desperately in need of funds they would resort to seeking common employment.
Emma traveled a fine line this morning between salvation and destruction, but desperation had guided her decision and she would see it through. In another couple of weeks, her funds would completely dry up. To maintain a presence in society, Emma needed to earn a steady income.
It was rather serendipitous how she came across the posting of the position.
Angelique read The Times every morning over breakfast. Several days ago she had commented through the rustling pages how valuable it was these days for a person to have a good grasp on arithmetic. The Chadwicks were becoming accustomed to their great-aunt’s odd ways and just smiled through the irrelevant comment.
However, later in the day, Emma came across the pages Angelique had been reading. They were folded open to the section advertising opportunities for employment. One post in particular caught Emma’s eye. It announced an available position at a successful London social establishment. Applicants were required to possess a solid knowledge of mathematics and accounting, as well as an honest, dependable character. The post instructed interested parties to arrive at a particular address just off St. James’s Street and inquire at the side door between the hours of nine and eleven.
Emma had always had an almost unnatural affinity for mathematics. It had been a source of curiosity and amusement in her family since she had been a young girl.
The general description in the advertisement certainly fit her, but she did not at first consider the possibility of applying. Despite her skill in arithmetic, she had no experience with bookkeeping beyond household accounts and she had no references to offer a prospective employer. That alone should have discouraged her from the idea.
Still, she had taken the advertisement up to her room and read through it several times over the last few days, wondering why she couldn’t seem to disregard the notion completely.
Then this morning, as Lily and Portia slept off the effects of another late night, Emma found herself pulling the old gown from her wardrobe and twisting her hair into a simple bun at her nape. If she was quick about it, she could be gone and back again before her great-aunt or her sisters even awoke. Certainly, there was no harm in learning the details of the position and perhaps trying to obtain an interview. If it paid well and kept her evenings free, it could be the perfect solution to her immediate problem.
Of course, she would have to prove herself qualified and they would have to hire her first.
And she would have to keep her employment from becoming known amongst the ton or the entire endeavor would be for naught.
Emma was rarely uncertain about anything. When she had to make any decision, whether large or small, she made a practice of considering every angle and studying every possible outcome. In this instance, however, her decision to follow up on the advertisement had been more a leap of faith than conscious intention.
She sighed. It was a heavy weighted sound that filled the small confines of the hired cab. Cringing at how downtrodden she sounded, Emma stiffened her spine and her resolve.