“So I have been told.” Blake moved towards Emily, casting a glance over his shoulder at the doorman.
The man remained impassive, though he watched Blake and Emily closely.
Jane is on the other side of that door, and I am not going to let him stand in my way.
Emily gestured towards the door and the man on the threshold. “You could leave a card.”
“You and I both know that she would not see me if I did such a thing.” Blake gave her a flat look. “I doubt she would even read it.”
“Probably not, no,” Emily agreed. “What exactly is your plan?”
“Well, if your doorman will not let me in, then I plan on standing here until Jane eventually leaves the house or agrees to see me,” Blake said, doing his best to sound nonchalant even as his heart rate quickened at the thought.
He meant it. He would not leave without seeing Jane, and he would do whatever it took to see her.
I wonder if I could tackle the man and run past him.
He decided to make that his last resort.
Emily arched an eyebrow at him, her lips quirking upwards. “That seems a rather extreme course of action, do you not think, Your Grace?”
“Perhaps, though I feel these are rather extreme circumstances.” Blake shrugged. “I would prefer it not to have to come to that. I fear the longer what I have to say remains unsaid, the worse it will be for the pair of us. And I suspect time is of the essence.”
“Quite possibly. Jane does not move slowly once her mind is made up. She can be quite single-minded.” Emily smiled fondly.
“I know. There is nothing that could stand against the strength of her will.” Blake smiled, and the memory of Jane’s perfume washed over him.
He tried not to think about the men in the room with her. The men who were no doubt nice enough, but who would not be anything close to what she deserved. He clenched his fist, trying to push down on his rising anger and panic.
“And what if I told you that my sister had no wish to see you, that you would do best to leave her alone and never return?” Emily asked.
“I would rather hear it from her lips,” Blake said simply. After a pause, he added, “No, I need to hear it from her lips.”
“And if she tells you this?” Emily canted her head, her voice soft.
Blake felt as though he were being assessed in some way, as though this were some test. He tried to imagine what he would do if Jane herself told him to leave, to never return. He felt as though his heart were a stone, plummeting through his body and shattering into tiny pieces.
“Then I will do as she asks.”
Even if it breaks my heart, but I will not go without a fight.
He met Emily’s gaze, hoping that she would see the determination in his eyes and the sincerity. “Jane deserves to have all that she wants, a life that she chooses where she can be all that she can be.”
“And what do you want?” Emily’s voice was even quieter.
“Jane,” he said simply.
“For a night?” Emily raised an eyebrow.
“For as long as she would have me.”
He wanted to say it to Jane, to tell her everything, but he knew that Emily was his way into the house. He had to make her see what he wanted. That he could be trusted.
Let me see your sister.
Emily chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully, looking between Blake and the doorman. She looked back at Blake.
“You did not even bring flowers,” she said, and though her voice was reproachful, he could hear the teasing in it. “All the others brought flowers.”
