“I’m... I’m sorry if I’ve said the wrong thing,” her sister said. “I’m merely worried. Lusk is terrible—truly. You’ve said so all along, of course, but I was too young to understand. And Mama and Papa tell us constantly that Good Daughters marry dukes when they are on offer. I thought I wanted to be good, but now I... I want to be like you.”
Helena’s throat constricted. She looked at her sister through hot tears.
“But not if it means you’re ruined or trapped,” said Camille, “not for me or for you. I don’t understand why you’re suddenly... going along? Excited about his stupid farm? The turnaround is alarming.”
“You are mistaken,” Helena informed her slowly. “Everyone prefers my agreeability. No one wants the union spoiled by my running away.”
Camille shook her head. “Iwanted you to run.And whatever you’re doing instead frightens me. Lusk is a fool, but the dukedom is very powerful.”
“You worry because, if I don’t marry, your chances for a titled husband will be very low indeed. You and the other girls want—”
“No,” Camille cut in. “I’m worried foryou.”
Helena studied her sister’s face, searching for some duplicity. She saw only gentleness and concern. “Camille,” she whispered.
“I trust you, Lena, but I’m worried about a conspiracy with a servant furnished to youbyGirdleston. What are you thinking, Lena?”
Helena clutched the books to her chest and slid toward the door. “You do not know him.”
“That is for certain. So... you do have some understanding?”
“I cannot say what I have. But I am grateful for your concern. I’ve not relied upon anyone since Gran, and it’s been a lonely road. I... I would love to rely on you. And to be relied upon. Please trust me. And if you really want to help, can you keep Mama and Papa occupied while I’m out in the fields?”
“Yes. Alright,” Camille called softly, watching her disembark. “Take care, Lena.”
Helena shot her a grateful look and hurried on.
“My sister thinks I cannot trust you,” Helena told Declan two hours later. They were winding their way through parked wagons and grazing horses on the edge of Wandsworth’s country market.
Declan had allotted twenty minutes to search the market, locate Lady Moira, and return totheir mounts. It was ambitious, but in Declan’s view, it was just as important to return Helena to the group as it was to approach these women.
“Which sister?” he asked. None of the Lark sisters had shown the slightest interest in Helena’s regard for servants.
“Camille,” she said.
Declan nodded. Of all the sisters, Camille Lark was the shrewdest. “You’ve not told her? About our plan?”
“Oh no, but she knows something’s afoot. She’s not stupid. She’s seen our... our rapport, I assume? And she warned me against trusting you.”
“Because she believes I’ll, what?”
“I cannot say. Betray me to Girdleston, I suppose.” She glanced at him. Her face was uncertain. She didn’t accuse him so much as examine his reaction.
His reaction was extreme frustration, but he kept quiet. He counted to ten.
The Lark sisters had no way of gauging Declan’s loyalty, but Helena should have no doubt. He’d put his family’s future in jeopardy to help her. He’d also done nothing but aid and abet her. Since the beginning. Today alone, he’d trailed her through the many acres of Lusk’s Home Farm in his silent role as biddable groom. He held the umbrella while she spoke of late frosts with the duke’s horticulturist, bee migration with the duke’s beekeeper, and wool with the sheepherder.
He’d bribed a stable boy to saddle two mounts and interrupted her discussions so they could finally slip away.
And now here they were. The whole thing hadbeen beautifully played. Her interest in agriculture, her family’s abject lack of interest, even the rain. They’d manipulated the situation despite the implicit risk, but they’d done it together. There was no call for lack of trust.
“If I was going to betray you to Girdleston,” Declan said, “I would have already done it. I’ve gone too deep for that now. My fate is tied to yours.”
“You mean your family’s fate,” she corrected.
“Right,” he said. He was reminded that he’d not been completely honest. He hadn’t told her about the threat of returning to jail.
“Forgive me for raising the topic,” she said. “I don’t doubt your loyalty, Declan. Camille believes herself cleverer than she is, perhaps.”
