The thought of once again causing Charlotte pain was like a dagger to his heart, but he didn’t see a way to avoid it. “Let us go in search of her.”
They found Charlotte standing at the edge of the terrace, the morning sun catching the loose strands of her hair and gilding them in gold. She was laughing softly at something Helena hadjust said, one gloved hand resting on the stone balustrade, the other clutching a small plate of berries. The ease in her manner and the gentle light in her eyes as she turned and saw him made what William had suggested seem all the more unbearable.
Henry cleared his throat as he approached, and all five young women turned. “Lady Charlotte,” he said, schooling his face into something approaching calm. “Might I steal a moment of your time?”
She blinked in surprise, her cheeks coloring faintly. “Of course.” Her tone was warm, if cautious, as she scanned his face. She passed her plate to Miranda and stepped toward him. “Is something the matter?”
Henry didn’t answer her question until they were well away from the others and had stepped inside through one of the open doors leading to the long gallery. The quiet swallowed them, broken only by the distant tick of a clock and the faint rustle of trees in the wind.
He stopped beside one of the tall windows and turned to face her. “We’ve received another note.”
Concern knitted her brow and her hands twisted together. “What does it say?”
Henry pulled the letter from the pocket of his coat and handed it to her. “It was slipped beneath the door to my office. I doubt that whoever wrote it was bluffing. They know, and they mean to act.”
She scanned the hastily scribbled lines, and her lips parted slightly in shock. She lifted her gaze to meet his. “They want you to end the engagement.”
“Yes,” he said quietly. “Immediately.”
She gave the note back to him with a steady hand, though her knuckles were white. “I must make a confession. I received a note too. It also asked me to call of the engagement.”
Henry’s heart squeezed. “When was this? And why didn’t you mention it earlier?”
She dipped her head. “Yesterday. I was afraid that you might change your mind about marrying me if you knew.” She glanced between Henry and William. “Is that what you now intend to do? Call it off?”
Henry exchanged a glance with William before speaking. “We believe the best course of action—difficult as it is—might be to feign an end to the engagement. At least for now. It may buy us time to investigate more thoroughly. To draw the blackmailer out.”
Charlotte stared at him as if he’d struck her. “I feared as much. You want to lie to everyone and pretend we’ve ended things? After you have only just announced our betrothal?” As she said it, it made William’s plan seem ludicrous.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Not forever. Just until we can determine who is behind this. The timing of the note suggests they were present at breakfast. If we act quickly, we may catch them unawares.”
Her eyes were bright with emotion, her chin tilted upward in that familiar, stubborn way he was coming to recognize. “And what would you have me do? Flounce into the drawing room in tears and announce that you’ve broken my heart?”
“Nothing so dramatic, Charlotte,” William cut in, stepping forward now. “A discreet withdrawal, perhaps a quiet word shared with a few of the chattier mothers. Word would spread quickly without you having to stage a scene.”
Charlotte crossed her arms. “So, I am to help spread gossip about myself?”
Henry flinched at the steel in her voice. “Charlotte, I don’t ask this lightly.”
“No, I rather think you do.” She raised her chin once more. “You think I can be handled, moved about like a pawn. Do youthink so little of me? You asked for my hand—perhaps not with a ring, but with intention—and I gave you my heart. You said you would not marry me until the danger passed. I agreed to that. And now you wish to back away entirely.”
“I wish to protect you,” Henry said firmly. “To shield you from scandal and from harm. If we proceed as if all is well, we leave ourselves vulnerable to further manipulation.”
“Then we face it together,” she snapped. “I will not allow some shadowed coward to dictate the course of my life, nor my heart. You would not be protecting me, Henry. You would be abandoning me.”
The accusation struck hard. He took a step toward her, lowering his voice. “Please, try to understand. If this becomes known, it will not only be my reputation ruined. It will be yours as well. They will say you were complicit. That you deceived society alongside me. I may never get a chance to wed you if this comes out first.”
Charlotte shook her head. “Let them say those things.” Her voice trembled. “I would rather be reviled for loving you honestly than praised for abandoning you out of fear.”
William exhaled sharply and turned away, running a hand through his hair. “Charlotte, for heaven’s sake, think this through. You’re being so… stubborn.”
She rounded on him, eyes blazing. “And you’re being a coward. You say you care for me, and yet you side with fear every time. For the last time, I am not some fragile thing you must shelter. I have a mind of my own, and I have made it up. Must we go through all of this again? Was yesterday not enough? I will not agree to this plan. I’d rather tell everyone about the notes.”
Silence fell again, thick and heavy.
Henry looked between them both, torn in two. William was right to be cautious, and yet, Henry could not keep playing with Charlotte’s feelings. He sought to protect her, yet he was makingher feel abandoned. They shouldn’t start their lives together this way.
“You would rather risk everything,” he asked slowly, “than take a step back, even if it is just for now?”
