Her heart raced. They hadn’t discussed it candidly yet, but she had hoped she hadn’t been wrong about his intentions. Yet, there was still the matter of his family.
“I don’t want to be a disappointment,” she said, her chest tightening. She looked away.
He stood there, silent for a few moments.
“You will never be a disappointment to me. And if you areto my family, it is only because I was a disappointment first,” he said. “I told you how upset they were at my becoming a detective.”
“But they are your family.” She looked up at him. “I wanted so much to make a good impression.”
He took her hand, lacing their fingers together. “You’ll have another chance.”
They started down the pavement again. A question burned on her tongue, but she was afraid of the answer. As they turned down the street before Swan Walk, she found some courage. “Did... did they say anything after I left?”
“Oh, a good deal of things. Are you sure you want to know?”
She wasn’t sure if she did, but she nodded just the same.
“There was some question about what sort of girl would run about London in such a state, why you had a key to my rooms. That sort of thing. The main discussion topic was how long we had been courting, what sort of family you had, and what my intentions were.”
“Oh.”
They reached the steps of Swan Walk and he lifted her hand to his lips.
“You needn’t worry,” he said, his blue eyes soft. “They’ll come around.” He tipped his hat, stepping away. She reached out, holding him back.
“And if they don’t?”
His smile dipped by a fraction. “I’ve left the name Sherard behind before.”
February 7, 1889
There was nothing so tiresome as trainsand stations; the steam, the crowd, the noise of the platform. To say nothing of the cramped little compartments and the rumble beneath one’s feet. Perhaps if she had been allowed more time to recuperate from the last trip, there would be a novelty in traveling again. As it was, she stood on the platform waiting for the train with Byron and Walker and she disliked every moment of it.
“I do wish we’d been able to make our own travel arrangements,” Walker said, leaning back on his heels. “Why, I’d have gotten us an airship. It’d take twice the time, but think of the views!”
Mira looked up at the two dirigibles gracing the blue above them. It would certainly be more exciting to travel by airship—she could practically feel the exhilaration of flying—but their uncle was the one who arranged for their transportation. Cyrus may have taken an airship to and from France, but that didn’t mean he trusted them.
“If we took an airship, we wouldn’t make it in time for the music recital,” Byron said.
“Oh, I wouldn’t mind missing it,” Walker said.
Landon returned from speaking with the porters. “I do believe the luggage is all sorted.”
“Thank you, Landon,” Walker said.
“Of course, sir,” he said. “Is there anything else I can help with before I go?”
Walker shook his head, consulting his pocket watch. “Even if there was, you need to be off. Your train leaves from Victoria in two hours.”
“I can take the next train if necessary.”
“You’ll give our love to our uncle when you get there?” Mira said.
“I’ll be certain to. Hopefully, he and your aunt have had some time to settle in.”
“I wish you could come with us,” she said. They’d only been home for a few short days, and she hadn’t seen much of the butler in that time.
“As do I. But if your family is to make a successful move to Spenston Park, I need to be there to oversee the new household staff.”
