“You wish for me to watch Emily and Emmet?”
Ariadne shook her head. “I wish for you to join us – and before you say no,” she spoke quickly before Celestine could object. “Think about it. You need to be seen, Celestine. Few know of the state of your marriage, and if Edward is there alone, people will guess.”
“I do not care what people thing…”
“What about Edward, then?” She raised an eyebrow at Celestine. “He will be there, I am sure of it. And if he will not come to you, well…” She sighed and her expression became one of utmost worry. “Perhaps it will not be so bad to see him, once last time. Closure, I believe it is called.”
It was easy to tell herself that she did not want to see Edward, especially at a ball, and especially when he did not want to see her. But this past week, Celestine had labored over all that was left unsaid between them. She did not want to beg. She did not want to plead. What she wanted…I want him to admit how he feels.
If he had come to her, it would have been perfect. If he was able to find his truth on his own, she would have taken him back without question. But to go to him? To put him on the spot like that? It felt wrong.
And yet… Celestine could not ignore the dull flicker of hope that lit inside of her, the smallest indication that she was not completely lost.
“I will think about it,” she said.
“I hope you do,” Ariadne replied. “We will be back before sunset, and I expect to see you at supper.”
“I will be there.”
Her sister left her alone then, slowly, a final look of worry at the door. And Celestine stayed right where she was, looking out the window, hating how pathetic she was, while knowing that there was nothing she would do to change it.
She still cared for Edward. She still wanted to be with him. But what she wanted most of all was for him to realize it too, to dosomething about it, and to finally be that man who Celestine knew he could be.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Thank you so much for coming…” Edward led the young woman through the manor and toward his office. “I know that this must be difficult for you, just as you are likely aware of the danger.”
“You promised that you would protect me,” the young woman said, her voice cracking with fear.
“And I will,” Edward was sure to tell her. “I promise you, nothing will happen to you. You have my word, on my honor.”
She nodded with understanding, but the worry did not leave her face. And as she followed Edward into his office, he took note of the way that her body shook, how withdrawn her shoulders were also. She was terrified. Not a surprise, considering what she was there to do.
“Please, have a seat.” Edward gestured to the chair by his desk as he walked around and took his own. “Can I get you anything? Tea? Water?”
“I am… no, I am fine.” She swallowed. “I just wish to get this over with.”
“Of course.” Edward did his best to look comforting, not easy for him, but he did not want to intimidate the young woman. She was helping him, after all, and he needed her to know that he was on her side. “And take your time, please. When you are ready.”
The young woman’s name was Sally Sanderson. She was in her mid-twenties, had strawberry blonde hair, freckles across her nose, but her most noticeable feature was the large gap between her front teeth. Edward had first heard of her three days earlier, since tracked her down, and finally convinced her to come and see him personally.
As he had been told, she worked at a tavern, a rather dangerous one in London’s south; not the type that someone of Edward’s standing would ever be found at. Before she worked there, however, she had worked as a main for Lord Grundon. That was what he wished to speak to her about.
“As you know, I used to work for Lord Grundon,” Sally began, her voice cracking as she tried to center herself. She could not look directly at Edward; her stare saved for the table. “He was a good lord, never rose to anger, never really seemed to notice the staff, so long as we did our job.”
“And if you didn’t do your job?”
She shrugged. “Nothing untoward. But he didn’t have eyes for us workers…” She breathed in deeply. “You wished to know about Miss Wexley, yes?”
“That’s right. I have done so research of my own. She is living in a nunnery in the north, apparently quite happy. But how she came to be there, that is what I need to know.”
Another deep breath. “She was just seventeen-years old. A child still. When she first came to the estate, I assumed…” She laughed bitterly. “I suppose I assumed it was her mother he was interested in, not that I ever saw her mother. But you know how the staff gossip? It became clear pretty quickly that she was who he was pursing.”
“Which he did do,” Edward said, looking right at Sally.
“He did,” she confirmed. “Most of what I know is rumor. But from what I was told, he pursued her aggressively –”
“Aggressively how?”
