“Cleveland Street,” Oliver said as he climbed inside his black landau, “The Lyon’s Den.”
Two Weeks Later
Yorkshire, England
“We were goingto be married.” Kate Sheldon spoke in a deathly whisper as she crouched in the corner of her pink cushioned window seat and stared out at the lashing rain.
“Married?” Her aunt, tall and slender like Kate, sank onto the bench beside her niece. “He promised you marriage?”
Kate nodded. “None of this would have mattered if he’d lived,” she said, turning to her aunt. “He was going to speak to Papa as soon as he returned from his trip to London.” Fresh tears slid from her sore, puffy eyes. “How could I have known fate would be so cruel?”
“I can hardly believe this.” Aunt Jane swallowed. “I had no idea—”
“No one knew. Except for Emilia. It was our secret.”
“Emilia.” Her aunt shook her head “Such a sweet, polite young lady, and all this time, her brother was courting you in secret while your father and I remained ignorant. I should have paid you more attention, but I could never have guessed—never have dreamed you would give yourself away—Oh, Kate!”
“Theo loved me! And Emilia was a dear, loyal friend—my only friend. She wanted me to be her sister. She was so happy that we were going to be family.” Kate watched a tree branch whip violently back and forth. “Now they are both dead. My dearest friend and my only love.”
Aunt Jane reached for Kate’s hand. “Oh, my darling. It may very well be the shock and stress that has caused this delay in your bleeding. You’ve been so distraught since receiving news of the accident. You’ve hardly eaten a bite or slept a wink.”
“It’s not the shock.” Kate wiped a tear from her cheek. “I’ve known for weeks.”
“How many weeks, exactly?” Aunt Jane asked in a halting voice as if she were afraid of the answer.
“It’s a little over six now, but it was only four when I told Theo—just before the accident. I knew right away when I missed my monthly courses. It had never happened before. That’s when Theo proposed. He said all would be well. He had a way to make Papa let me go.”
“You might be wrong. It’s still very early. There’s still a possibility that—”
“I have been sick every day this past week. I swore my maid to secrecy because I didn’t want you or Papa to call for the doctor, but I cannot hide the truth from you any longer.”
Aunt Jane put a hand over her mouth as if to stave off her words, but her pained expression spoke volumes.How could you have been so foolish!
“Iwasfoolish,” Kate admitted out loud. “But, put yourself in my shoes. I’m five and twenty and destined to be my father’s companion for the rest of my life. With two wives in the grave and three younger daughters available to make good marriages, Papa has planned for me to be his keeper in his dotage. That is why he never allowed me to debut into society.” Kate smiled to herself. “Theo made me feel like a woman. I couldn’t believe my luck. Finally, I’d met a man—a beautiful, caring man—who wanted to marry me. I’d found my own happiness, despite Papa’s determination to keep me for himself.”
“I feel terrible,” her aunt said. “I didn’t realize you felt so alone. I should have done more for you—my sister’s only child.I’ve been selfish. I should have come to Yorkshire years ago and insisted your papa let you come out into society. I wrote him about it, and I meant to visit in person, but time just slipped away. And now that I am finally here, it is too late.”
“It was one excuse after another, starting with the death of my stepmother. Year after year, Papa kept finding excuses until I was too old to debut. But it’s not your fault. You had your own grievances to cope with—”
Aunt Jane pressed her lips together as if to suppress her inner pain, and Kate felt instantly guilty. Her aunt had lost three babes during her marriage—before her husband tragically passed on—and it had caused her years of anguish.
“I’m sorry,” Kate said. “I shouldn’t have mentioned—”
Aunt Jane straightened her shoulders and inhaled deeply. “That is all in the past. There is nothing we can do to change what has already occurred. What we need to do now is solve the problem at hand.”
“There is only one thing to be done,” Kate said. “I must leave the country before the truth comes to light or risk my sisters’ futures.”
“Leave the country?” Aunt Jane raised her eyebrows. “And where do you think you will go? A woman in your condition alone?”
Kate shook her head. “I don’t know. Perhaps to the continent.”
“Yes, that is one option.” Aunt Jane twisted the wedding ring on her finger. “There are families desperate for children who will gladly take you in until you birth the child.”
Kate jerked her head up. “That’s not what I’m saying. I won’t give my babe away. I can pose as a widow and find work.”
“Oh, my darling, Kate.” Aunt Jane brushed a long chestnut strand from Kate’s face. “How naive you are. How protected you have been from this cruel world. What you say is impossible.Both you and your babe would starve to death if you went out in this fierce world alone. And I, for one, will never let that happen.”
“Then what can be done? If I stay, we will all be ruined. If it were only my reputation at stake, then I could remain and face the consequences of my actions, but my sisters are innocent. Why should they be punished for my mistake? If the truth comes to light, they will never make a good match. Our family’s reputation will be irreparably tarnished.”
