“Is it what you want, Cherry?” Amelia asked, anxiously, “Truly?”
“It is,” Charlotte nodded solemnly. “He is all I want. You may keep your London life. I should like a simpler existence... And Seth and I might yet have it now.”
Her sister’s brows pinched. “Why? You go too fast for me, Cherry.” She leaned in and whispered, “You know the kind of man he is, don’t you?”
“Better than you, I think,” Charlotte coaxed gently. “Do not worry, Milly. I know the kind of man I am married to. The very best kind. One who has all but relinquished his Dukedom to reunite me with my sister.”
Amelia frowned in confusion, and Charlotte explained about the marriage clause. Her sister appeared both angry and appalled.
“Sothatis why he behaved so aggravatingly whenever I was with him!” she gaped in realization. “I spoke to the other women, too. He behaved similarly with them. That is why I figured him to be such an unpleasant individual. I see now what he was trying to do... Good grief! And he has chosen to be here rather than rush back to London to protect his birthright?”
Charlotte nodded, her eyes brimming with tears once more. Amelia tried to sit up to embrace her sister, but lacked the strength to go beyond propping herself on her elbows.
“Cherry, do not cry. This is wonderful news! We have both found the man of our dreams, willing to sacrifice anything and everything in this world for us. And I’m sure that feeling is mutual, is it not?”
“Oh yes! There is nothing I would not do for Seth,” Charlotte said fervently.
“Nor I for Luke,” her sister beamed.
“But I am so afraid that he will come to resent me as the one who cost him... well,everything. How can any love withstand that?”
Amelia grasped Charlotte’s hand in her own, stroking her knuckles. “He is here, is he not? Do you think he would be if he cared one jot less for you or more for himself? If it helps, I will write at once to the Regent and to Princess Caroline to demand that Tewkesbury not be recognized as Duke.”
Charlotte shook her head. “There was a terrible storm in the border hills, and the Carlisle road was blocked by a landslide. No letter will get through.”
“Then it must be by ship,” her sister pressed. “Glasgow is a couple of hours' ride from here, and there will be many vessels travelling to the southern coast of England. Whatever proofs are needed, he can carry to London. If you say he is worthy of the effort, then it should be done.”
“He will not go. Not if it means leaving me behind. And I will not go until I know that you are recovering. Are you recovering?” Charlotte asked.
Despite what the doctor had said, it was difficult for Charlotte to accept that Amelia was anything but deteriorating rapidly. She was weak and pale as a ghost. It was too close to what Charlotte remembered of her mother’s final days. Amelia sighed, closing her eyes.
“Oh, Cherry. I do hope so. Luke discovered Doctor McGill and wrote to him. He sold his estates to pay for my treatment. He… he specializes in the illness that Mama suffered, that I now suffer. As far as he knows, he is the only physician in the world who does. The journey here is like a dream. I could barely open my eyes, my body ached all over, so that even poppy juice could not give relief for long. That seems to have passed, but I feel so weak sometimes...”
Charlotte held her sister’s hand to her cheek, closing her eyes against tears, wanting to cry but willing herself to remain strong for Amelia.
“All will be well, Cherry.All will be...”
Amelia's voice faded to a whisper, and then the deep breaths of exhausted sleep.
Charlotte remained with Amelia while she slept. Eventually, at the suggestion of Doctor McGill, she left the room to seek food she did not have an appetite for, and rest she did not desire. Twilight was settling over the small town, rendering the sky dark in the east and purple in the west. Outside the hospital, she found her husband sitting on a wooden bench in the grounds. He rose when she approached, concern etched on his face.
I must convince him to go. It is for his own good. He will see that everything he stands to lose is more important than me. He should not be willing to sacrifice for my sake.
As she approached, she tried to put enough conviction in her voice, “You should go. Glasgow is only a couple of hours' ride, and a ship can carry you to England. There is still time.”
“I am not leaving you,” Seth said firmly.
Charlotte felt a sudden rush of anger. When she’d first met Seth, for the longest time, he’d been unbearable—arrogant, indulgent, selfish to the core. A rake, a gambler, a man who took and never stayed.
Why can he not revert to that now? Why can he not be as selfish as he was when we first met? Why must he choose this moment to grow a conscience?
“Do not be foolish. You must. Whatever you say, you are not a man to be content in a sleepy, rural town. You are of the ton and will miss it. You must go back and protect your title.”
Seth approached, but she stepped back, trying to keep a distance between them. He gave a wry smile, somewhere between amused and wounded.
“I was never of theton,” he corrected gently. “I was an inveterate outcast. But that man is no longer there.”
“I don’t believe people can change their nature so easily,” Charlotte said quietly. “Better for you to go now than months from now, when you realise you want your old life back—and it’s far harder for us both to undo everything.”
