Rosewascertainshewould never stop shaking. Even though her extremities trembled violently, her head felt frozen, numbed. She couldn’t move, couldn’t respond to questions. What more was there to say beyond what Garrett relayed when they stumbled into Cass and Abby’s apartment?
Ben was arrested. Beaten and dragged away.
Upon learning of his arrest, the Brooklyn Heights community mobilized, cashing in on connections and favors with a speed and purpose that would have astounded Rose had she been able to think clearly.
Ben is gone.
Now the four of them sat in Cass’s living room, Abby’s occasional sniffle the only sound breaking the silence.
“Ben knows better than to fight,” Cass said finally. “Heknowswhat happens when we raise a fist to people like them.”
“He lost his temper,” Garrett said, his voice raw.
“Why?” Abby looked up with glistening eyes. “Heneverloses his temper.”
Garrett exhaled through pursed lips. “That man grabbed Rose.”
Three sets of eyes turned to her, and the guilt swimming in her gut climbed to her throat. “It was Stewart, Linden’s aide, the one who was…”
“Pursuing you.” Cass’s words were icy, and Rose shivered as her mouth worked.
The bruises on her forearm throbbed as she remembered crying out. There’d been no need for such dramatics; Ruffgate was not a powerful man, and she could have broken his grip with little effort. But she’d panicked, and Ben descended upon her attacker like a man possessed. Garrett had grabbed her the moment the police officers approached, and she watched as Ben was beaten, dragged to a waiting wagon, and unceremoniously tossed inside.
This is all my fault. I’m the villain. I’ve destroyed everything.
They all jumped at the sound of a knock at the door, and Garrett stepped into the hall to speak with whomever had stopped by, hopefully with news of Ben. Abby kept her gaze down, but Cass fixed Rose with a narrowed stare. Rose hardly blamed her; after only a few weeks in Brooklyn, Rose had come close to shattering the haven for dozens of women and children.
Rose had been foolish to think she belonged here in New York. Knowledge of ballroom politics wouldn’t help her in a suffrage society; in fact, her interactions with Ruffgate had become a liability. She had nothing to offer, nothing to share. The people in this room, people she’d started to think of as family, wanted her only as an accessory to Ben. With him gone, what was her value?
They would always choose Ben over Rose. Just as Ben would choose this community, the one he’d created, over her.
Garrett stepped back into the room and closed the door behind him, his jaw set in grim determination. “Ben is being held at the 19th Precinct. Supposedly, Ruffgate is taking his time deciding if he’s going to press charges, so they’re going to hold him for a while longer.”
“They can’t hold him without charges—”
“I know, Cass.” Garrett pinched the bridge of his nose. “But how are we going to argue? We can’t afford a lawyer before he’s even been charged.”
Rose sat up with a start. “Ben has money, he has a trust—”
“He can’t access it from jail.”
“What about Timothy? He has more than enough funds to pay the bail—”
Garrett’s expression was soft when he raised his hand to stop her. “Money won’t be enough in a case like this. We need someone with influence to convince Linden to drop the charges. Your friend can’t help us here.”
Rose clenched her jaw as her mind raced. She had to find a solution, some way to save him, to save all of them.
“The rally istomorrow,“ Abby said, her voice shaking. “Ben has to be out by then. We don’t have another speaker.”
“Fuck,” Garrett hissed, driving his hand into his hair. “I hadn’t even thought about the rally. The permits are in his name, so we can’t even gather without him.”
“The vote will pass.” Cass’s lifeless monotone was even more cutting than her glare.
“It’s over,” Rose whispered, and Garrett fell onto the sofa, dropping his head into his hands.
“There is another way.” Abby sat abnormally, preternaturally still. “M-my father is friendly with Linden. If I were to ask him for help, perhaps…”
“Please don’t Abby.” Cass’s words were a barely contained sob. “You—”
