“All that matters now is stopping the publication.”
“I tried to do so, Callum. It was the first thing I did before going in search of you.”
“We have to go back and try harder.” Callum stood. He swiped his jaw with his hand and attempted to gather his thoughts. He glanced at Emily. “Is your father home?”
“I believe he’s in his study.”
“Good.” The earl was both well connected and wealthy, which could prove useful in this situation. “I want you to speak with him. Tell him what’s happened. Do not omit a single detail. Explain to him how important it is that we fix this. I’m going to call on Westcliffe and Corwin in the meantime. We’ll meet you at the newspaper in about half an hour.Pleasemake sure your father comes with you.”
“What’s your plan?” Emily asked as she too stood, the anxiousness in her eyes so sharp it cut straight through him.
“To add some pressure.” Callum headed for the door, speaking as he went. “It’s not yet four in the afternoon. If they’re refusing to pull the review, it’s only because they’re being stubborn.”
16
Emily wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She’d never felt worse in her life. It didn’t matter that her review had ended up atThe Mayfair Chronicleby accident. She’d still written it. And then she’d left it on her desk where Georgina could easily find it.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
She stared out of the carriage window as she and her father headed toward the newspaper office. What she’d done to Callum was worse than what he’d done to her. It had a far more calamitous effect. Not just on him, but on Westcliffe, Ada, Corwin, and Harriet.
Pressing her lips together, she did her best to maintain her composure. How would her friends ever forgive her? How would Callum be able to marry her, knowing this was how she responded in anger?
“I’m such a hypocrite,” she muttered.
“Beg your pardon?” Papa asked.
She turned away from the window and faced him. “Remember how angry I was with Callum when I learned of what he had written? How am I any better when I did the exact same thing to him? I used words as a weapon, Papa. Except in my case it’s so much worse because I deliberately aimed to hurt him. All he wanted to do was publish a story. And apparently, if I had taken the time to finish the book, I would have realized I was wrong to get upset over it. He used our history as inspiration. That’s all. The only possible damage he could have caused was to my pride, whereas I’ve destroyed the chance he and two other families had of financial success.”
“You’re right to chastise yourself for what you did,” Papa said. “It was spiteful. I’d not have thought you capable of it had you not told me about it yourself. So I can understand if Stratton is angry and possibly your friends too when they find out what’s happened. You let emotion get the better of you, Emily, and in so doing you made a decision that threatens to have a terrible impact upon their lives.”
“As if I didn’t feel bad enough already,” Emily mumbled.
Papa leaned forward and reached for her hand. “Let’s hope there’s a way out of this mess. Either way, my advice to you is to let them all know how sorry you are. Apologize profusely. Tell them you made a terrible error in judgement and pray they will forgive you. Then finish reading the book and write the review it deserves.”
Emily nodded. It wasn’t much different from what she herself had been planning, but hearing her father say it strengthened her resolve.
The carriage pulled up in front ofThe Mayfair Chronicle. Papa alit and Emily followed him down onto the pavement. When they entered the front office, Callum was already there with the two other dukes. The three men greeted Emily and her father with grim expressions before returning their attention to the clerk with whom they’d been speaking. He was the same one Emily had spoken with earlier.
“It’s not so simple, Your Grace,” the clerk was saying, his voice holding the apologetic tone of someone who’d just received a sound reprimanding. “As I explained to your um—”
“Fiancée,” Callum provided, his words a wonderful reassurance to Emily. They were still getting married. He wasn’t so angry he’d break the engagement.
“Right. Um…” The clerk cleared his throat and sent Emily a wary glance. “As I explained to her this morning, publishing is a carefully scheduled process. One cannot remove columns or articles at the last second. The layout for tomorrow’s publication will already have been prepared.”
“But you do make exceptions,” Callum said, his voice filled with dukely authority. “For when something newsworthy happens.”
“Last night’s theft at Coldweather House would not have made this morning’s paper otherwise,” Emily said, stepping forward to stand beside Callum. “As I recall, that transpired after nine o’clock.”
“Well yes,” said the clerk. “News is naturally treated with the utmost of urgency.”
“Yet you refuse to remove a review written in error,” Callum told him. “Consider the impact such a decision will have on your publication.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Callum reached for Emily’s hand and gave it a squeeze before letting it go once more. “The Lady Librarian is a popular column, is it not?”
“I’m really not qualified to discuss that,” said the clerk.
