Annie widened her eyes. “What?”
Hattie tutted and folded her arms. “I believe you heard me. If not, the mannerly response would be ‘pardon’.”
“Yes, but I…” Bewildered, Annie stared at her maid, trying to make sense of what had been said. “Are you mad? I have no intention of putting the house up for rent. This is my home.”
“Ah, my pet.” Hattie released a sigh and tucked an errant curl behind Annie’s ear. “How I wish I’d been mistaken about Leo. I truly hoped my suspicions about him had no real foundation, that my instincts were wrong.” She grimaced. “It appears, sadly, that is not the case. As I said before, he is not the boy I remember. Mind you, even back then I thought him a tad arrogant if not a touch sly, but I put it down to the impudence of youth. Not my place to voice opinions backthen, though, so I kept them to myself.”
Leo’s remark barged into Annie’s thoughts.You cannot even control your staff.She bit down against a temptation to correct her maid.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Hattie gave her a wry smile. “Not my place to voice my opinions these days either, right? But I’ll not apologize for speaking my mind, Annie. Not when it comes to your well-being. I promised your mother I’d take care of you for as long as I was able, and that promise still stands. Things have changed and not for the better. Leopold De Witte is a dangerous man, and he is also correct; you are alone and vulnerable. Which is why I think we need to leave London.”
“And I think you’re overreacting,” Annie replied, obstinately.
“He threatened you not five minutes ago.”
“Threatened me with what, exactly?”
“Nothing specific, but I fear it remains to be seen.”
“And I fear you are sorely mistaken,” Annie replied, even as a prickle of apprehension crawled over her scalp. “I do not believe him capable of doing me actual harm.”
“Then you force me to remind you what heiscapable of.” Hattie heaved another sigh, her voice soft. “Leo is an arrogant brute whose… whoseflagrantproposal has just been rejected, and by a woman no less. He’s not upset, Annie. He’s bloody furious. Just like he was in the church when Karl Hoffman challenged him. Need I say more?”
Images, still cruelly fresh, arose in Annie’s mind and pushed tears to her eyes. “But I cannot believe he would actually think of—”
“I am convinced of it.” Hattie took Annie’s hand. “Please believe me. It is not safe for you to remain here.”
Something akin to fear edged Hattie’s voice, weakening Annie’s obstinance, yet still she resisted. “You’re asking me to give up myhome, Hattie.”
“You are not giving up your home, pet. You are merely vacating it for a while, for your own safety.”
“But for how long?” Annie pulled her hand free from Hattie’s grasp and tugged her shawl tighter about her shoulders. “And where would we go?”
“How long is difficult to say right now,” Hattie replied. “As for where, I know of a place. A place where I’m sure you’ll be safe.”
Annie blinked. “And just where is this place?”
Hattie shook her head. “First things first. You need to speak with Archibald Mason, and the sooner the better. Today, in fact. I’ll go with you.”
*
The office ofArchibald Mason Esquire, Solicitor, exuded a blended essence of camphor, mint, and well-weathered books, the latter of which filled a large bookcase adjacent to a city-smudged window. The man himself, mousy-brown hair combed back and plastered to his skull by a pomade of some sort, sat in attentive silence behind his large, leather-topped desk.
His customary staid demeanor faltered a little as Annie proceeded to explain her reasons for being there. A bead of sweat left a glistening trail as it made its way down his temple. A slight frown appeared, and his hands, at first clasped quietly together on the blotter in front of him, now fidgeted, fingers locking and unlocking in a slow rhythm. Annie suspected the man was likely biting his tongue whilst forming an opinion similar to Leo’s; that she was obviously of an unsound mind. Overwrought. Over-reacting. Barely managing to keep the tears at bay, she relayed all that had happened, all that had been said, as well as the plans for leasing the house and leaving the city.
“And that about sums it up, Mr. Mason,” she said, finally. “Leaving my home, I’m sure you understand, is not an easy decision to make. I am seeking your advice and opinion on this matter, both professional and personal. And please, sir, do not moderate your response withsympathy. It is raw honesty I seek. Not platitudes.”
Still silent, Archibald Mason sat back, frown locked in place, eyes flicking from her face to Hattie’s. Annie waited, half expecting him to ignore her request for honesty, and instead offer a gracious response intended to soothe her feminine angst, making light of the whole affair.
Then, as if arriving at his opinion, his frown cleared, and a grim smile appeared. “Given what I’ve heard today, Miss Fairfax, and taking into account the tragic events at St. James, I can but support your decision to leave London,” he said. “In fact, I’m of the opinion the sooner you leave, the better.”
Hattie huffed her apparent approval and squeezed Annie’s hand. Annie raised her brows in surprise. “The sooner the better?”
He nodded. “I think so, yes. It may well be this fellow is all bluster, but, given his recent behavior, I’d rather not put it to the test. Better safe than sorry, as they say. I assume you have somewhere to go?”
Annie shook her head. “Er, no, actually. At least, not—”
“Yes!” Hattie’s snappy interruption made Annie jump. “That is, yes, Mr. Mason, wedohave somewhere to go. I have a distant cousin in Derbyshire who will be quite happy to provide us lodging for as long as needed.”
