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“A girl barely upon womanhood herself—she’s hardly a suitable chaperone.”
Charlotte pushed through the parlor door. “Then it is a good thing that I, as a widow, don’t need one to begin with.”
Emma tripped as she tried to cross through the doorway, but Charlotte righted her directly.
“Don’t worry,” Charlotte said to her in a low voice, “we’ll get your sister back. Seth and I will see to it.”
Emma nodded but didn’t say anything.
“This is Sir Mulgrave’s doing, isn’t it?” Lord Linfield said, following them out of the parlor. “You never would have done such a thing as this before you met him.”
Charlotte whirled around, taking a shaking Emma with her. “If I never would have done such a thing before I met Seth, it is only because I have never before been granted the opportunity to save someone who needs me so desperately. To protect a little girl when there is no one else who can or will.”
“I know this is important to you, but stop and think first. This is your whole—”
At the same moment Lord Linfield suddenly stopped speaking, Charlotte felt Emma sag heavily against her.
“Emma!” Charlotte cried, taking hold of the young woman.
Her eyes had rolled back in her head as she collapsed completely.
Charlotte lowered her as softly as she could to the floor. The young woman lay with eyes closed and no color in her cheeks.
“Emma? Can you hear me?” Charlotte looked over her shoulder at Lord Linfield. “Don’t just stand there. Ring for some smelling salts.”
“My lady?” Emma’s soft voice brought Charlotte’s head back around.
“Are you all right?” Charlotte asked.
“Of course,” Emma said weakly and through bleary eyes. “I’m sorry to have fainted so. Only help me stand, and I’ll be all right.”
Charlotte took a good look at the young woman. She was still shaking against Charlotte’s arms, and she had yet to gain any color.
“I don’t think you are all right,” Charlotte said, helping her to sit, but not stand. “Emma, when was the last time you ate?” Now that Charlotte thought back on it, though tea and cake had been present when they’d talked that afternoon, she couldn’t remember if Emma had eaten any of it.
Emma only shook her head, but it was a small movement and her eyes were flitting between open and closed even as she spoke. “I have had much to see to as of late, but I’m fine.”
“When was it?” Charlotte pressed.
Emma’s eyes shut completely. “Day, maybe two, ago.”
“And the last time you slept. I mean slept well, for a full night.”
“Day or two before that.”
Emma wasn’t going anywhere but back upstairs to rest. Her butler came around the corner—he must have heard the commotion, because Lord Linfield had yet to move or ring for anyone. Entirely helpful, that one.
“Help me bring her upstairs,” Charlotte said to the butler. “See that she gets a warm bed and a good meal as well.”
“But, my lady,” Emma protested even as he lifted her easily to her feet and began escorting her up the stairs. “What about my sister?”
“Seth and I will see to her. You focus on getting your strength back.”
Charlotte watched as Emma was escorted up the stairs and out of sight, then she picked up her spencer jacket off the bannister where she’d left it before seeing to Lord Linfield in the parlor.
Lord Linfield hurried forward, his words rushed and hard. “Without your chaperone, you can’t honestly still be thinking of going.”
“I thought you didn’t think a girl barely reaching womanhood was a suitable chaperone to begin with,” Charlotte said, tugging on her spencer jacket.
