As soon as he was gone, she leapt for the door, letting herself back in.
She clutched Silas by the arm, looking desperately into his eyes. “We have to go and get Charlie! Right now,” she whispered.
“Helena, what…” he looked towards the door.
“I was outside waiting for him to leave,” she said impatiently. “Never mind that, what are we going to do about Charlie?”
He stares back at her, looking nonplussed and speechless. “You were eavesdropping?” he asked incredulously.
“Of course I was. What did you expect?” she said. “Charlie?—”
He put his hands on her shoulders, mostly to stop her agitated shifting from foot to foot. He bent down and looked into her eyes.
“You remember the Marquess of Richmont?”
“Of course, what has that to do with anything?”
“He’s keeping a close watch on your brother. I promise you, nothing will happen to Charlie while I’m here. And now that I’ve heard your uncle threaten you myself, we have something to hold on to when the time comes to confront him. It may not be enough for a conviction yet, but it’s a start. Stay steady. You’re not facing this alone anymore. I’ll see to that.”
Helena found, in spite of herself, that her heart had slowed and her breathing had evened. She stared up at him, a jumble of emotions twisting in her chest.
Words failed her. Gratitude swelled for his calm presence, for the quiet assurance in his voice. Yet underneath that, stormier feelings churned, an insistent curiosity about what might happen if he kissed her again.
Her lips tingled at the thought, and she realized she had imagined it more times than she cared to admit. She bit her lip, catching the way his eyes flicked down to her mouth.
He wants to kiss me too, she realized with a small, triumphant thrill.
But instead, he stepped back, releasing his hands from her shoulders.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”
Helena blinked, momentarily unmoored by his sudden shift.
“Er…all right. I’ll leave you to it.” She forced a small, awkward smile before turning toward the door.
Nothing was resolved. Nothing was settled. Her uncle was still on her trail.
Yet, somehow, standing there with Silas so close, she felt safer than she had since her father’s death.
Chapter Twelve
“Don’t be silly,” Helena said. “Nobody’s supposed to see me. I am in hiding.”
Amelia’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “Oh, that won’t be a problem! The ladies are expected to wear veils in Kirk. I have a particularly heavy black veil that will completely obscure your face. We’ll say you’re a visiting widow, come to catch my brother’s eye.”
Helena’s face turned crimson. “Now, why would we say that?”
“Because it explains your presence, and no one will question it. They’ll simply gossip behind their hands and say how you’re wasting your time. A titillating tale that will entertain them for days, and they’ll forget all about any runaway girls from a convent.”
Helena blinked, unsure whether Amelia was the most brilliant or the most reckless person she’d ever met.
Probably both.
“If you’re certain…”
“Yes, yes, I’m certain!” Amelia clapped her hands. “We’ll start spreading the word today. I have already arranged for one of the servants to whisper that a distant widowed aunt has come to visit, and I’m planning to attend the concert with her.”
“But—”
