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“So you’re saying that it’s different because I’m nothing but a servant?” Stung, but knowing it was probably true, she turned away again, blinking back a sting of tears. “I’m not expecting him to marry me. I know that’s impossible. And I’m not even certain I’d want that if it wasn’t.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Allison said quickly, her lovely face scrunching in chagrin. “I’m just worried about you. What if you became pregnant? What if he breaks your heart?”
“The same could have been said of both of you when you were falling in love and not thinking clearly,” Heather said stubbornly, refusing to consider either of the things her friend had mentioned. Then she sighed, embarrassed that she was lashing out instead of listening to the wisdom her friends were trying to impart. “I don’t know what I’m saying. I don’t know what I want. I just know I’m not ready to walk away from him yet. And if I don’t go with him, what chance do I have of ever seeing him again?”
Allison and Jocelyn looked at each other, their eyes wide.
“Made that much of an impression on you, did he?” Allison finally asked with a crooked smile. “It was the same way with Quinn. Even though I was just a girl when we first met, I knew no one else would ever do.”
“I didn’t know what to think of Sebastian the first time we met,” Jocelyn said with a laugh. “But I certainly couldn’t get him out of my mind.”
“I was so afraid,” Heather admitted. “But he was so kind. He tried to comfort me, even though he obviously felt uncomfortable. But he has this sweetness about him, despite his curt manner. And when he kissed me... it was magical.”
“Magical?” Jocelyn laughed, her green eyes sparkling with merriment. “Good gracious. You do have it bad.”
“What does it matter if I go with him?” Heather asked. “I have no social standing to ruin. No one would even know.”
Allison bit her lip. “I’ll do what I can to convince Quinn. But I don’t think that he’ll allow it.”
For the first time in her life, it suddenly occurred to Heather that she could go with Drake if she wanted to. Though she loved Allison and was thankful for the job she’d given her, neither she nor Quinn could dictate her actions.
The thought swirled inside her head, startling and life-altering.
All this time, she’d been campaigning for women’s rights, so why on earth would she allow someone else to tell her what to do with her life and her body?
“Can you do without me for a while?” she asked Allison, knowing that was truly the only barrier. She couldn’t risk her job for something that even she knew would be fleeting.
“Of course,” Allison said with a frown. “I just don’t know if Quinn—”
“Then I think I will go with him,” Heather hastened to interrupt her, even less willing to let Quinn decide her fate than Allison. “I really want to.”
For a moment, both her friends looked at her as though they’d never seen her before. But then Allison smiled at her with grudging respect. “Well, if you really want to, I think you should.”
“So do I,” Jocelyn agreed. “Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts.”
Heather gave a sigh of relief, even though she wasn’t certain that what Jocelyn said was true. She’d thought that getting involved with Jacob was a good idea too, and look where that had gotten her!
However, the reminder of Jacob strengthened her resolve. She truly did believe that Drake would keep her safe. But she also knew that what she’d done with the Citizens Committee was bound to catch up to her. And when it did, she wanted one more spectacular memory to get her through the rough days to come.
* * *
DRAKE SUFFERED THROUGHafter-dinner drinks and cigars with O’Brien and Ness, painfully aware that they did not really want him there. But he didn’t want to be here either. He couldn’t wait until it was time to rejoin the ladies and he could finally have a conversation with Heather about their next steps. He needed to know whether she had any intention of going with him when he left.
Why was it so important to him that she did? He wasn’t quite certain, and that made him even more edgy than usual.
It wasn’t until Ness and O’Brien began to talk about The Viper that his attention was finally caught and held. Taking a sip of his brandy, he leaned back in his chair and focused on their conversation.
“Did anything happen on the case while I was gone?” he asked.
They exchanged a look, obviously surprised he’d finally decided to chime in. “Nothing that we know of,” Ness said darkly. “However, by the time we do know anything, it’s always too late.”
O’Brien gave a brief laugh. “Too bad we can’t arrest people for what we think they are going to do.”
Drake smiled despite himself. “That would be ideal, wouldn’t it?” Then he sobered. “I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive myself if another woman is killed before we get enough evidence to bring a case against that bastard.”
“Nor I,” O’Brien agreed.
“I sometimes wish I could just take matters into my own hands,” Ness admitted. “I hate that someone like Danbury can continue to get away with such evil, even after we’ve already figured out that he’s The Viper.”
