“Of course not,” Caleb agreed.
“Nothing good can possibly come of it,” Griffin said, the firmness of his voice assuring Emily that this was not a matter they would ever disagree on.
“A letter just arrived,” the butler announced. He approached Griffin with the silver salver on which it rested.
Griffin frowned. He tore the letter open and read. His lips flattened and his frown deepened. “It is from my friend, Christoph Unger.” His throat worked as if he was struggling to speak. Alarm nipped at the nape of Emily’s neck. “There’s been an accident,” Griffin continued in a detached tone that added to Emily’s fear. “Christoph doesn’t say how it happened but…” He dropped the letter and stared across at Caleb. “Most of the shop is gone.”
“What?” Emily’s question of disbelief was barely a whisper.
Griffin blinked. “There was a fire and…” He picked up the letter again and stared at his friend’s writing. “Thankfully, Edvard managed to get out.”
“Who is Edvard?” Cassandra gently asked.
“My employee.” Griffin glanced around the table. “He was badly burned while trying to save the merchandise and has been admitted to the hospital for treatment.” He shook his head. “I…” He looked at Emily as if just recalling her presence. “I have to leave for Vienna right away. I can no longer wait.”
Logic and reasoning told her that this made sense, that of course he would have to go see just how bad the damage was and if anything could be salvaged. He might even have to manage the tearing down of the structure and a potential rebuild. There would still be clients waiting for orders to be completed, and then of course there was Edvard. Griffin had been his mentor. He cared about him and would want to see him straight away.
And yet, a selfish part of her wanted to beg Griffin not to go. Not right now. Not before the wedding. But of course, he would not be able to wait three weeks, and she would not be able to accompany him. Not as an unmarried woman and not with both of their families ready to stop her from acting so rashly. And theywouldstop her. Especially with Langdon and his wife here to witnesses such a ruinous decision. Covering it up would not be as easy as it had been when she’d left London for Clearview.
So she met his gaze, determined to support the decision she knew he must make. “We will delay the wedding as much as necessary. The most important thing right now is for you to support your friend and take care of your business. I will wait. However long it may take.”
Concern was evident in the boldness with which he held her gaze. She could feel his conflict and despair as if they were her own, like a twisting ache in the pit of her stomach.
“Not by much. Just a couple of weeks. That will give me five weeks to gosee Edvard, settle my affairs, and come back.”
“It’s not the way it was meant to be,” Emily whispered. She felt terrible for Griffin, for what he had lost, for what his friend had suffered, and for not being able to be there to help him through it. “We were supposed to go to Vienna together.”
“I know.” Somehow, in spite of how helpless he probably felt at that moment, he managed a smile. For her. “But we’ll have the rest of our lives together with plenty of time to travel later. We can go in June if you like, after the wedding.”
“You won’t mind?”
His smile broadened and Emily felt the love that had caused it spilling through her body like a sparkling rainbow. “Not at all.”
“I’ll ask Murdoch to make sure the coachman is ready to take you to Cardiff first thing,” Caleb said, reminding Emily that she and Griffin were not alone in the room.
Griffin’s gaze slid away from hers to focus on his brother. “Thank you.”
“This might be for the best,” Georgina said, affecting a positive tone that jarred the morose atmosphere. “Not the reason for your departure of course, but the delay of the wedding.”
“It will give the modiste more time to work on Emily’s gown,” Griffin’s mother said in a similarly uplifting voice.
“You will be so busy while he’s away, Emily, that you will barely have time to notice he is gone,” Laura said brightly.
“By then I shall be returned,”Griffin said, “and ready for us to begin our lives together.”
Emily forced a smile. She appreciated all the attempts at viewing the situation from an optimistic angle, even though she struggled to accept what was happening. Needing closeness, she placed her hand over Griffin’s and savored the certainty of his warmth. Five weeks. Hardly any time at all. And yet to Emily, it felt like forever. Especially when she reminded herself that it was longer than the time they had spent at Clearview together.
Blackened wallsand empty holes where windows had once been stared back at Griffin in mournful silence. His throat was thick with emotion, his heart weighed down by defeat. Everything he’d worked for these past ten years had been ruined. The vibrant energy of clockwork measuring the progression of time, his mechanical toys, whirring and clicking, and lively tunes played by his music boxes had all been snuffed out forever.
It had taken him years to turn his business into the brilliant success it had become. He’d worked tirelessly, with endless determination, had dedicated vast amounts of time on acquiring affluent customers and on crafting merchandise that was sure to enthrall. But all of that was for nothing. Only a ruin remained, along with the few items Edvard had managed to save.
“I’m sorry,” Christoph said. He’d met Griffin at the hospital, which was where he’d made his first stop after arriving in Vienna. “I know how much this place meant to you.”
“It was everything.” The proof that he could succeed without his family’s fortune or his rank. A slap in his father’s face and a means by which to survive. He walked forward on heavy feet and stepped through what remained of the charred doorframe. A piece of it broke off in his hand when he gripped it, abrading his skin. “At least Edvard survived.”
“And with his eyes and hands intact. All he spoke about whenever I visited him was how life wouldn’t be worth living if he ended up unable to keep making clocks.”
Griffin understood, for he shared that same passion. But there was more for him to live for now than clocks and mechanical toys alone. There was Emily. Her love was enough to make him smile even as the remains of his business crunched beneath the soles of his boots.
