Guilt and anger swept through Emma. To imagine Lily so vulnerable, so alone, tore at her heart. At least she was home now. She was safe and Emma was never going to let her out of her sight again.
“I am fine, really.” Lily offered a tremulous smile. “One of the gentlemen recognized me. He knew I should not have been there, and he rescued me.” She lifted her gaze to meet Emma’s directly and then looked to Portia. “His only request was that his identity remain entirely unknown. His reputation—his family—would suffer if anyone knew he had been present at such an establishment.”
She grasped her younger sister’s hand. “Please, Portia, you must stop any further investigation. I would not betray this gentleman after he saved me from what could have been a disastrous fate.”
“But the information would be revealed only to us. We could keep it from becoming known any further.”
“No,” Lily said. Her voice was hard and insistent. “I would betray this man to no one. Not even you.”
Portia stared at Lily in stunned surprise, then glanced at Emma.
Emma could see her sister’s confusion, but she could also see the determination in Lily’s tense posture and firm gaze.
“I think we must honor Lily’s wishes, Portia. Can you send a message to this Nightshade to call off any further investigation?”
The stubborn young woman scowled, her dark brows drawing low over her eyes. “If that is what Lily wants, yes, I can contact him.”
“Thank you,” Lily said with relief evident in her tone. “Now, I wonder if I might retire. I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
Emma nodded. “I think we could all use some sleep. Come, I will walk you up to your room.” All three sisters rose together. Emma stepped forward to link her arm with Lily’s before turning to Portia. “Perhaps you should send off the note to Nightshade before you retire.”
Portia hesitated, something in her gaze still showing a hint of rebellion. After a moment, she gave a nod of agreement. “Yes. I will do it right away. Good night.” Then she gave a strained grin as she gestured toward the front window, which showed the gray light of full morning. “Or should I say good morning?”
Emma smiled, but the momentary lightness faltered under the reality of what her sisters had gone through. “I am so proud of how both of you handled the events of last night. I will never forgive myself for not being here.”
“You could not have known Hale would preempt his deadline,” Lily argued.
“Speaking of,” Portia said, sending Emma a curious look, “how did you fare last night?”
Emma sighed. The party at Bentley’s seemed ages ago. “I won more than enough to pay Hale. If he had just waited until tonight, as he had indicated he would…”
“Please, Emma, there is no changing what happened. I am home safe. Can we not put this all behind us and move forward?”
“I agree.” Portia gave a sharp nod. “Once Hale is in custody, facing the full consequences of his crimes, we need never think of it again.”
“No.” This again, from Lily. The force of her denial was entirely unlike her. “We shall not report Hale to the magistrate.”
Portia stared at her incredulously. “You must be joking. He deserves to be hanged for this. Kidnapping is a capital offense. He sold you to a brothel, Lily.”
“I know. I was there.” Though the words were spoken in a quiet tone, there was a thread of stubbornness buried within. “What do you think will happen once the ton discovers this little tale? The minute we report this, everyone will know where I was tonight. There will be no coming back from that.”
Emma peered intently into Lily’s face. She was right. The scandal of such a thing would be catastrophic. She would be ruined.
Emma’s stomach tightened with dread as her heart broke all over again for her sister. Even without reporting the incident, such could still happen. Though one gentleman had seen fit to bring her home, there were others who had not. Lily would never be completely free from the threat of exposure.
“Please, Portia,” Lily said, “I do not fear Hale. He has his money and no further cause to threaten us. But I do not think I could bear it if this ignoble adventure were to become common knowledge. I am home. I am unharmed. Can we please let the rest of this go?”
Emma heard the desperation in Lily’s plea. She would not allow her own guilt or Portia’s stubbornness to add to her sister’s burden. “Of course, Lily. We can talk more about what we plan to do after we have had a chance to restore ourselves.”
She gave Portia a quelling look, expecting her youngest sister to keep any further arguments to herself. Then she led Lily from the room, but not before giving Portia another firm reminder. “Do not forget to send that note.”