My attention returned to the street. A sense of urgency built in my chest. I let out a piercing whistle. “She’s going to go after her mother, and I’m going to be there when she finds her.”
And if I stayed with Olivera, my chances of finding the alchemical sheet greatly increased. Resolve hardened inside me. I would not leave Egypt without finding it.
Porter opened his mouth, but I stepped away from him as a hackneyapproached. The driver clicked his teeth, drawing up on the reins. The horse flicked its ears, annoyed. Wordlessly, I climbed inside, my mind whirring.
I turned around to meet Porter’s eyes, identical to mine. “Goodbye, brother. Don’t let it have been for nothing.”
CAPÍTULO NUEVE
It infuriated me that the only place I could return to belonged to Whit. It was his hotel room, because I had no money to acquire another. No money, thanks to my scoundrel of a husband. My uncle’s face crept to the surface, and I flung the image away. He would be intolerable once he found out what had happened. Not because he’d be cruel, but because hewouldn’tbe. He loved me—I knew that deep down—and seeing me brokenhearted would tear at him. And his kindness would ruin me because I had no one to blame but myself. Not only had I been wrong about Whit, but I’d been incredibly stupid.
How many times had he warned me not to trust him?
I hated that a small part of me understood his motives. It would have been easier to hate him outright if he’d taken the money for himself like a proper villain. My own heart would have slammed the door, given up fully. Instead, I felt as if it had been rent into two halves.
Two sides that warred against each other.
He had saved someone he loved, one half said.
That person had not been me, said the other.
“What about an annulment?” Isadora asked, breaking the tense quiet.
The cab lurched, and my hand immediately shot up to brace myself against the sudden movement. “It’s too late for that.” If I thought about that night, I’d shatter. It had meant something to me, but to him it was all an act. The next step in his plan. A way to secure my fortune for his use.
“Ah,” Isadora said without a trace of a blush. “Then what about a divorce?”
Frustration laced my blood. “I’d be worse off. Not married, no money, and my uncle would then have grounds to become my guardian again. Especially since I was robbed within days of my marriage.”
“Technically speaking, your fortune became Whit’s once the marriage contract was signed. He was within his rights to do whatever he wanted withhismoney.”
I glared at her.
“I’m not saying I agree with the law,” Isadora said hastily.
“I don’t want to talk about the law and how biased it is against women,” I snapped.
Isadora nodded. “Fine. Is there no other family you could ask for assistance?”
My lip curled. “I have an aunt, but she wouldn’t help me through this, either. She’d force me back on that boat to Argentina.” Horror gripped me. “In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if she was on her way to me now.”
My sister sighed. “Mr. Hayes might return to England.”
If only he would. I never wanted to see his face again. It was too painful, too raw. He made me feel foolish. A young girl playing at adulthood. “Now that he has money, he very well might.”
“So you’re penniless,” Isadora mused.
“It would seem so.”
“And your uncle won’t help?”
I shook my head. “My uncle wants me safe. And to him, that means far from the life he leads here in Egypt.”
“And what doyouwant?” Isadora shifted in the seat, tucking her full skirt demurely around her. I was amazed at her ability to appear unruffled when the slightest gust of wind would ravage my own appearance. Despite the steady rocking of the cab as it crossed the street, veering away from the numerous donkeys and horses and carriages crowding the path, Isadora didn’t have a hair out of place. There was magic involved—there had to be. I marveled at her. As a girl of nearly eighteen, she was remarkable; as a young lady she would be formidable. If I could keep her safe long enough from her horrifying parents, that was. The idea of failing her sobered me immediately.
“Elvira died because of Mamá,” I said. “I want her in prison. She knows what happened to my father. He might still bealive. I want her to tell me the truth.”
Isadora studied me for a long moment. “I have another idea. What if you went home?”
