After witnessing the changes that had come over Lily and Portia, she had to wonder if her time spent at the club was doing more harm than good. The business of husband hunting seemed to be having a detrimental effect on both girls. It was not what Emma had anticipated, and she had no desire to force them to continue doing something if it made them miserable.
As Emma readied herself for her day at the club, she considered what other possible options may be open to them. But as before, she kept running up against dead ends. And she could no longer ignore the greatest threat to their welfare.
Hale was not going away. His latest missive proved that. How on earth would she find the money to repay the man?
The question was stuck on a circular track, running over and over in her mind, with no answer forthcoming. She felt powerless and lost. Fear over what the future might bring—what Hale might do to secure repayment—consumed her. But it only made her want to fight harder.
Surely there existed some solution. She just hadn’t thought of it yet.
Emma’s heart was heavy and her thoughts were in turmoil as she left the house. The morning sky was overcast and a gray mist hovered in the air. The promise of rain was evident, and Emma turned back to fetch an umbrella. As she did so, she noticed a note tacked to the front of the door. It was quite damp, suggesting it had been placed there at some point during the night. Still, she looked around as if she might catch sight of its messenger. The street was as quiet as it usually was at the early hour.
Taking control of her growing unease, Emma unfolded the note and descended the steps toward the street to hail a hack.
The message was written in a hastily scrawled hand she recognized immediately.
I have found you. I will return at midnight in three days to collect on your father’s loan.
Icy fear clutched at Emma’s chest. She scanned her surroundings again, expecting to see someone lurking nearby.
There was no one.
It was terrifying to think Mr. Hale had gotten so close and disappeared again without them knowing. Had he been there, waiting outside their house when they got home last night?
She stood indecisively on the stoop. Part of her wanted to rush back inside to warn the others of this threat. But there was nothing any of them could do. It was her responsibility to rectify Father’s mistakes, and only hers. There was no point in frightening them. The only thing that would resolve the issue finally was to pay the man off.
Emma shivered to combat the chill spreading outward until her fingers grew numb from clenching the note. The paper mashed into a soggy ball in her fist.
What would she do?
The sound of carriage wheels drew her attention and she looked up to see a hack passing by. She flagged it down, and with her thoughts still twisting about, seeking ideas for how to wring a bit more out of what they already had, Emma climbed in.
She had three days to find a solution. Surely she could come up with something in three days.
She wanted to believe it, but a leaded weight in her stomach warned she may be facing the impossible.
And then what? What exactly was Hale’s threat? What could he do?
Perhaps she should go to the authorities.
No. From what she could tell, the loan her father had taken from Hale was legal and binding. The authorities may just as well decide to send her to debtor’s prison. And then where would her sisters be?
Clawing panic crept through her.
“We are here, ma’am.”
It took a moment for Emma to realize the carriage had stopped and the driver stood waiting to help her from the vehicle.
She descended to the pavement without a word and walked to Bentley’s side door. When Snipes opened to her knock with his typical grunt, she could not bring herself to offer her usual smile. She made her way up to her office on wooden legs, her focus turned fiercely inward as she continued to work over the angles of her situation.
Here at the club, gentlemen wagered and lost more in a night than what she could imagine spending in a year. And out amongst the haut ton, wealth and prestige was valued more than a person’s character.
What a fraud she was, pretending to belong in either world.
She reached her office and went about the mundane task of removing her bonnet and pelisse, setting them carefully aside before she approached her desk to sit down. Seeing that her desktop was clear of ledgers reminded her she had left her work in Bentley’s office on Saturday.
She turned around and gave a start as Roderick stepped through the door she had forgotten to close behind her.
He had returned.
At the sight of him, a sudden desire to weep welled inside her. The pressure began in her chest and rose to her throat, bringing with it all the weight of responsibility she had carried for so many years. For the first time ever, she felt overwhelmed by it all and wished she could allow someone else to shoulder the burden. She blinked back the burning in her eyes and swallowed hard to force down the lump constricting her breath.