He sighed. “I must believe good will overcome.”
“Yes, but what if—”
“Maxey,” he said, “we cannot worry about something that hasn’t happened. The way to get through this is to take one step at a time and watch our backs the whole way.”
She nodded. “I’ll never forget the fear in that boy’s eyes.”
Nash’s chest wrenched. He stopped and turned toward Maxey. “Indeed, Matthew is very powerful. But if you fear for your life, then perhaps it is best I leave you with your mother and come back to meet Lucinda by myself.”
Maxey clung to his arm. “Don’t say such things. We will be stronger if we stay together. One person alone cannot fight your uncle.”
Pain weighed on his chest, but he smiled through the confusion. He wanted to be strong for her. But he also knew his uncle wouldn’t blink an eye to take Maxey in order to get to Nash. Leaving her behind was the only way.
He lifted his hand to touch her, but, remembering their disguise, he dropped his hand by his side. “Maxey, you are a very stubborn woman. But we are in danger. If you remain by my side, there is that chance—”
“Shh.” She stepped closer. “I will not leave you, Nash. Wherever you go, I shall follow. You protect me, and I shall protect you.”
His heart warmed. The urge to take her in his arms and kiss those sweet lips was strong, but he fought it. They couldn’t be seen embracing. Matthew would certainly see through her disguise.
“Come, my love. Let us leave and return after dark. Perhaps we can compile a plan in the meantime.”
Maxey walked close beside him, her arm occasionally bumping into his. He missed breathing in her exhilarating scent of jasmine and burying his face in the tender curve of her neck. Holding her made him feel like a man. She completed him. He would move heaven and earth if he must, but his uncle would not harm a hair on her body.
They walked back to Nora’s house to wait. The day would pass by too slowly, and in the meantime, he must not tell Maxey of his plan to go without her. She would never understand. In his mind, it was better to ask forgiveness than permission.
*
The house ofprostitution had not yet started the evening ritual, and Maxey didn’t want to be anywhere near the harlots or their guests when that happened. Nash was out back by the fence repairing something her mother had asked him to do, which left Maxey a lot of time on her hands.
Still upset about Nora’s way of life, Maxey didn’t want to talk to any of the painted ladies, but when she walked into the kitchen, the few women sitting at the servants’ table stopped and looked her way. One jumped up and motioned to the chair.
“You may sit here if you wish.”
Maxey nodded and sat. One of the women placed a plate of steak and potatoes in front of her. The other women in the room continued to stare, so Maxey proceeded to eat, hoping they would find something else to aim their attention toward. Maxey didn’t like feeling as though she had grown two heads.
The harlot across from her leaned back in her chair and folded her arms over her ample bosom. Although the gown she wore displayed a lot of skin at her neck and chest, at least the red silk material covered more than what Maxey had seen last night when she and Nash first entered the house. The color of the woman’s dress matched her fiery hair perfectly.
“Miss Maxey, I hope you don’t mind me saying, I’m very happy to finally meet Nora’s daughter. Your mother has spoken of you quite a bit.”
Maxey had lifted a bite of her potatoes to her mouth, but paused as she glanced at the woman. “She has?”
“Oh yes.” The brunette who had offered Maxey the chair sat beside the redhead and nudged her friend’s elbow. “Nancy here has known Nora longer than the rest of us. But even I have heard your mother speak of you.”
Bile rose in Maxey’s throat, but she shoved the potatoes in her mouth and forced herself to eat nonetheless.
“Did you know she had a detective to keep track of you for many years?” Nancy asked.
When Maxey swallowed, the potatoes almost stuck. “Yes. Nora mentioned that.”
“She wanted to know everything you and your brother were doing, how you were growing up, and what you looked like. Whenever mail arrived from the detective, it brightened her day.”
The brunette reached across the table and touched Maxey’s hand. “She loves you and your brother very much, and missed you greatly.”
Irritation stiffened Maxey’s spine, and she arched an eyebrow. “Well, she had a poor way of showing her affection. Both of her children never knew what happened to her, except that she had left them to live with a wealthy man.”
Both harlots gasped. Even the cook whirled from the stove with her hand covering her mouth.
“Dearie,” the cook said, her double chins wobbling as she shook her head. “You couldn’t be more wrong. Your mother loved you unconditionally, and wanted to show her children how much she missed them, but her husband—your father—wouldn’t allow it.”
