Here was a lady for whom the world ought to be for the taking. Born into privilege, her family could afford the most advanced medical treatment,carried out by the best specialists in the field of ophthalmology. And yet she was being denied, out of ignorance, stubbornness, and downright foolish snobbery.
Marcus sympathized. He knew what it meant to appear to have every advantage, when all one really had was a well-crafted facade, put in place by one’s parents. Behind it, they weren’t the lords and ladies Society forced them to be, but regular people with real feelings. Of course, his facade had been stripped away while Lady Louise’s remained intact, but that didn’t make her situation any less humbling. If anything, the obstacles she chose to face increased his respect along with his keen determination to help her.
Aware of the hour, he stood. “I’ll be back by three. Please have a carriage ready by then.”
Since there was much for him to accomplish in only two hours, he departed without further comment.
4
It was like a strange dream in which each second counted, where Louise expected they’d be stopped at any moment and forced to return to the City. And yet the carriage continued its westbound journey without hindrance.
It seemed impossible that getting away should be so simple. She dared not believe it for fear she’d be disappointed.
They’d set off exactly at three as discussed. Diana sat beside Louise on the bench with Mr. Berkly and Hannah directly opposite. In the meantime, Albert traveled north to create a diversion. If Louise’s father gave chase and followed the trail as intended, it would take at least two weeks for him to find her. Hopefully longer if her brother and sister-in-law could delay him some more.
“Are you nervous?” Mr. Berkly asked while they waited for their food to be served that evening. They’d stopped at a posting inn so everyone could get a few hours rest and had met downstairs for dinner after securing their rooms. The intention was to set out again before dawn, which would give them roughly five hours’ sleep.
“Of course,” Louise told him. “I’m about to have a completely new experience. One you’ve assured me will be painful, and one my father will likely murder me for undergoing, once he finds me. It would be odd if I were completely calm about it. Would it not?”
She tried to locate her glass, which was almost impossible with the dim light rendering her almost totally blind. Diana caught her wrist and directed Louise’s hand toward the right. She thanked her sister-in-law for helping, even though she hated this. There was nothing worse than having to rely on others for the simplest of things. And all she could eat was bread with small bits of cheese and ham she could pick at without making much of a mess.
So here she was, completely dysfunctional, and with Mr. Berkly as witness. For some strange reason, it was worse than if Mr. Fairbanks had seen her like this. Most likely because she knew Mr. Fairbanks better and had been assisted by him in the past, on that awful day at the musicale. It was one of the reasons why she loved him. His kindness toward her had filled her heart to overflowing.
Gripping the stem of her glass, she raised it to her lips and managed to sip the wine without issue. It slid down her throat with perfect smoothness.
“You’re remarkably brave,” Mr. Berkly murmured, his low timbre vibrating through her until her pulse quickened. “It takes tremendous courage to thwart authority, to turn one’s back on social expectation, to defy a parent you’ve always heeded. It requires going against your instinct and possibly facing the anger of someone you love, of being willing to let them down.”
He was right. Louise loved her parents. They were good people whose only intention was to protect her. Papa was being deliberately difficult, but Louise believed his dislike of Mr. Berkly was clouding his judgment.
“I’ve always followed the rules,” Louise quietly told him. “But I have to do this, Mr. Berkly, for my own peace of mind. So I’m placing my faith in you, and hope you won’t disappoint me.”
“I’ll try my best not to, my lady.”
She knew it was all he could say. There were no assurances to be given, but since the Duke of Redding was willing to vouch for Mr. Berkly, he had to be skilled at his work. And Louise was far more comfortable betting on that than she’d ever be betting on Doctor Pierson.
They left the inn early the following day. As they travelled, Diana and Hannah napped at great length while Louise listened to their slumberous breaths. She knew the surgeon was awake on account of the pages he kept turning in whatever book he was reading. Lucky fellow. All Louise could do to pass the time was enjoy the ever changing blur of colors around her. Or sleep. And chat.
Finally she asked, “How did you end up studying medicine?”
A brief hesitation accompanied the sound of him closing his book. “Before I tell you, I probably ought to inquire as to how much you’ve heard about me.”
“I know you’re the Earl of Hedgewick’s son and that he was convicted of murder some years ago.”
“That’s right. He was hanged by the neck on October 10, 1820.”
“And you lost everything as a result. Your honorary title, the right to the title your father held, your fortune, and the position you’d had within Society since the day you were born. It must have been unbearably hard.”
“So it was, but giving it up in exchange for justice was the right thing to do.”
His remark gave her pause. “How do you mean?”
“I helped convict him.”
She’d not expected this. “You sent your own father to the gallows deliberately?”
Mr. Berkly snorted. “No. I sent a monster to the gallows.”
Louise allowed herself a moment in which to digest what she’d been told. The enormity of what Mr. Berkly had gone through was almost inconceivable. She couldn’t imagine the shock he must have experienced upon discovering his father’s crime.
