Learning that her father had attempted to meddle with her season to this degree had her questioning how much she really knew about him.
“Cecil,” she asked suddenly, unsure if she was making the right decision. “Do you… what do you think of our father? Really?”
Cecil paused his attempt to butter a scone and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
“I feel as though you better than anyone knows what I think about him.”
She nodded quickly, trying to appear as unassuming as possible.
“Right – I do. But… do you think he is a bad person?”
“I do not think he is a good person. There are many instances in our lives that have proven otherwise consistently. But there are many definitions of that word, ‘bad’. Some might not think that he qualifies for certain areas of context. I do not think he is criminally evil. But knowing that for most of our lives, we had to raise ourselves because our father preferred to gamble and engorge himself on spirits rather than make up for the fact that we had no mother… that is enough grounds to see him as a bad person. A bad father and a terrible guardian.”
But was that enough grounds to assume he eventually had a hand in murder? Could she assume that Godric had enough reasons to hold such a belief?
“Dear sister, I am worried about you,” Cecil said suddenly, his eyes reflecting the sadness in his voice. “You do not seem like your usual self. Did something happen while I was away?”
Nora thought of how she had hurriedly left Godric’s carriage that night, how he had not tried to call after her or follow her. And how, many days later, he had not sent her a single letter or tried to call her.
And she shook her head. “Nothing at all. The season has just left me feeling rather worn out by the disappointment.”
Cecil seemed as though he did not believe her, but mercifully, he did not argue.
Nora turned to her plate and continued to push around, the ache in her chest still present.
Godric could tell that he had left the more respectable parts of London by a single glance at the streets.
Gone were the fine houses that spoke of sophistication and wealth, and in its stead were narrow lodges and dark alleys.The people moving about wore solemn expressions, with some bearing cunning glints in their eyes.
This was not a place for anyone one of good standing to be found. On these streets, crimes prevailed and hope was a dream not many could afford. If it had been avoidable, Godric would have preferred not to have even ventured this far.
But this step was necessary for his goal – especially for her sake.
He had to know. He had to be absolutely certain before he struck.
The carriage continued to make its way down the streets and Godric kept his eyes focused on searching for the building he was meant to go. It had been a necessary purchase that had not cost much given the location – but that same reason had been why only he and Luther knew about it.
His mind wandered to Nora, and he could not help but worry about her. It had been days since they had seen, and much like before when she had been avoiding him, this time his instincts told him that the odds of reconciliation were slim.
She should not even want anything more to do with me,he told himself.She is too good, too kind. She deserves better than I have to offer.
During one of their afternoons at a party together, she had told him how she envied her older sisters. She had hoped that she toowould someday be able to build a life with someone who loved her like her brothers-in-law cherished her sisters.
“It is important that whoever is fortunate enough to become my husband is a man of upstanding character. He must be kind and honest. And he must love the family we make, enough to support them with everything he has… in the event of my demise.” She had said suddenly.
“Your demise?” Godric had frowned. “What do you mean? Why are you already thinking about –”
“My mother died when I was a young girl and my father was not an ideal parent afterwards. I am not even sure he was one before her passing, give that he had given Isobel up for adoption when she was just a baby. I love my family. I love my sisters and their husbands and their children. And I love Cecil. It is my dream that the man I love and marry will love my family, and I will love his and together, we will love the family we create. I do not want to have any regrets, even in death.” Nora had sighed then.
His respect for her had grown then, and possibly his admiration. He could not resist her, could not resist the urge to adore her; despite knowing he had no right to.
With a grunt, he tried to put the thoughts of her aside for the moment so he could focus on the matter at hand. Godric knew this was just as important, because the response he received today would determine whether or not she would ever forgive him.
He had sat up in time to spot the building he had been searching for, an old, worn-out warehouse at the end of the street.
“It is that last building on the right,” Godric called out to the coachman.
Once the carriage had stopped, Godric pulled his cloak closer to him and entered the building swiftly. Almost immediately, he spotted a figure by the window and for a moment, he is back in the drawing room closet, watching as a masked figure fought with his father.
