Livy frowned. “Who says I am going to give up my dreams?”
Charlie rose, neatening the piles on her desk. “Do you truly think that Hadleigh will allow you to carry on your work with the Society of Angels if you are wed?”
The truth was Livy hadn’t thought that far ahead. She’d been focused on getting him over the hump of admitting his attraction to her.
“I don’t see why he would stop me from doing something I wanted to do,” she said uneasily.
“Because he is a man,” Charlie said brusquely. “He will see you as nothing but an extension of himself, and the law gives him that right. As afemme couvert, you will cease to exist as a person after marriage. Your very being will be subsumed under the identity of your husband. Is that what you want?”
Every fiber of Livy’s being rebelled at the idea. But surely not every man wanted a woman to be subservient. Surely Hadleigh wouldn’t.
Aloud, she said, “My mama is married, and she is very much her own person.”
“An exception does not the case make.” Sighing, Charlie said, “You have so much potential and have come so far, Livy. Look how well you did last night until Hadleigh came along.”
Pride sparked in Livy as she thought of her successful disguise, the way she’d handled the brute in the alleyway. Moreover, she and Charlie had discovered new clues. They now knew that Longmere was neck-deep in intrigue with Edgecombe, Stamford, Bollinger, and Thorne…and some mysterious Chinese partner whose name could not be spoken.
What were the men up to? Why did Longmere want to stop participating in whatever they were doing? For Pippa’s sake, Livy was determined to find out the answers when she, Charlie, and the Willflowers surveilled Longmere at the pleasure gardens tomorrow evening.
“You have many accomplishments ahead of you,” Charlie pressed on. “Many women you could help. Don’t sell yourself, or our clients, short over a fleeting passion.”
“Hadleigh ismorethan a temporary passion. I love him,” she declared.
“And that makes him even more dangerous,” Charlie said. “Nothing is more deceptive, more capable of betrayal, than love.”
Livy cocked her head. “Were you hurt by someone you love?”
Charlie’s composure cracked, and the anguish that bled through stunned Livy into silence. She looked to Fi and Glory for help, but they only looked back at her, wide-eyed. This was the first time any of them had witnessed their leader as anything but utterly self-possessed.
In the next heartbeat, Charlie’s poise returned. “I have been hurt, yes, which is why I don’t want you to make the same mistake. Be wiser than I was, Livy.”
“I am sorry for your pain,” Livy said softly. “But I know I love Hadleigh.”
“And if he forces you to choose between him and the important work you are doing now?”
Livy squared her shoulders. “He will not make me choose.”
Inside, she wasn’t quite as confident. She was forced to admit that while she knew Hadleigh as a friend, she did not know him as a lover or husband. What were his expectations for marriage? Her disquiet grew as she recalled the rumors of his possessiveness over his duchess and the duels he’d fought over her.
Then Livy’s thoughts bounced to his dominant behavior in the stables with Lady Foxton. At the time, his mastery over his lover had stirred a deep and primal response in Livy, but she hadn’t considered the possibility that he might be domineering in other spheres of life. It was one thing to play wicked games of passion, which she was all for; it was another if he expected her to be obedient in everyday life.
This could be a problem.
She chewed on her lip, not liking her uncertainty. The possibility that her two great passions might be pitted against one another. She wanted everything: the man she loved and the freedom to do what she wanted.
“You are as headstrong as I was, Livy. And just as blinded.” Shaking her head, Charlie said, “Whatever you decide, I will remind you of the vow of secrecy you gave when you joined the Angels. You kept the truth about our society from Hadleigh last night, and you must continue to do so. For the protection of our clients and all involved in our group. I want your word, Livy.”
Livy hated lying to Hadleigh. Yet she could not go back on her word to her mentor, who had given her so much…the keys to a dazzling new world of adventure.
Livy released a breath. “You have my word.”
Solving problems is my specialty,she reassured herself.I’ll find a solution. First, I need to ascertain what Hadleigh’s expectations are for marriage. Then maybe I can find a way to convince Charlie that he can be trusted…
“The duke is here!” Glory exclaimed.
Livy’s heart thumped with eagerness…and a hint of trepidation for the ruse that was to follow.
“Take your positions, Angels.” Charlie’s tone was brisk. “You know what to do.”
