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“Trust me, Chloe, all will be well.”
Chloe wanted to believe Leo, she really did, but she couldn’t. Her heart was still beating fast in her chest, leaving her feeling a little dizzy as she stared down at the scandal sheet in her grasp. When Leo eventually snatched it away from her hands, she tried to take it back to little avail.
“Leo?”
“No good will come from staring at what is written there, Chloe,” he said, his voice quite firm. She nodded, as their bodies were swayed side to side thanks to the movement of the carriage.
When the carriage came to a sudden stop, it was a surprise to her. She sat, bemused for a minute, her eyes still on the scandal sheet in Leo’s hands. He took her hand in his once again and led her toward the door.
“Come on, we’re here.”
Chloe looked up as she stepped down from the carriage to see where they had come. It was Maeve’s house on the edge of London. Chloe instantly backed up, afraid of tainting her friend through association, but Leo didn’t let her get far. His hand tightened around hers, and he drew her forward once again.
“That’s the wrong way,” he said playfully, but Chloe couldn’t even muster a smile.
They made their way toward the door, only to have it opened before they had chance to knock, and it was not opened by the butler. Maeve was the one who had opened it and was standing in the doorway, carrying Nathan on her hip.
“Chloe!” she gushed, her manner so stunned that Chloe knew without having to ask what had upset her friend so much.
“You’ve seen it, haven’t you?” Chloe said, sniffing as more tears threatened to fall. At that sound, Leo’s hand tightened on her own. She noted briefly that Maeve looked at their intertwined fingers, before stepping forward.
“We have. Oh, my goodness, Chloe. I am so sorry. How can this have happened?” Maeve was all a flutter. She readjusted Nathan on her hip before passing him to Leo. “Leo, take Nathan.”
Leo was clearly stunned, releasing Chloe and hurrying to carry his nephew.
“Uncle Leo!” Nathan looked worried, pointing at Chloe’s face, and clearly sensing that something was wrong. He wrapped his arms around his uncle’s neck and clung tight.
“Can’t breathe, Nathan!” Leo said, though the boy didn’t appear to hear him, yet the embrace worked to calm Nathan’s worries.
Chloe smiled a little. There was something about the innocence of watching Nathan and Leo together that helped to break through her sadness, until Maeve wrapped her own arms around Chloe.
“When did you see it?” Maeve said, clutching Chloe.
“Not until just now.” Chloe clung back, amazed at the strength that existed in her own hands, as if somehow through touch alone, she could anchor herself to Maeve and turn back the clock on this terrible day. “We were in the park when people started acting strangely.”
“Strangely?” Maeve repeated, stepping back. “In what way?”
“That is an understatement, if you ask me,” Leo said from beside them. “Shall we go inside for this conversation? Come, Nathan, show us where your toys are today. Something tells me we could all do with the chance to escape the real world for a minute or two.” Nathan was more than happy to be put down and take his uncle’s hand, leading him into the house.
Chloe watched as Leo looked back at her with these words. They shared a small smile, before Leo tripped over the doorjamb, not looking where he was going.
“Leo!” Chloe and Maeve said together.
“I’m fine,” he promised, managing to right himself quickly enough.
Soon they found themselves in the drawing room. Nathan had hurried to sit on a rug where a toy theatre with paper puppets kept him company. The Duke had joined them too.
“This is madness,” he said, walking in clutching the scandal sheet. “Oh, you’ve seen it then.” His eyes rested on Chloe as she sat lifting Leo’s handkerchief to her eyes once more.
No more crying. I must stop!
Yet it was a difficult task to accomplish. She could not understand how her life had come to this. How she could go from having the promise of a good shop and a reliable income, to her reputation being in tatters. She rather imagined it being like a torn up and frayed sheet of muslin, waiting for the bin.
“It’s just awful,” Chloe murmured.
“You said people in the park acted strange, what did they do?” Maeve asked, turning to look at Leo.
“They avoided us. Then they began to whisper about Chloe, pointing at her, clearly laughing at her when they saw her distress. One of her clients even suggested that they were going to cancel a dress order.” Leo’s voice was firm, clearly angry, but it didn’t stop Nathan from approaching him and pulling on his trouser leg. “Yes, Nathan, a puppet, I see it. Quite lovely. Remember to give it a friend, yes?”
