Regret filled his mind. He should have fought harder. Should have gone after her. Should have told her he loved her enough for them both.
Sol tried to cry out, but his eyes swelled shut and the darkness took him as he crashed to the floor.
Hannah woke with a start, still on the fainting couch, her cloak draped over her, the fire a comfortable warmth at her back. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up, pushing strands of loose hair out of her eyes.
“Tamar?” she called, glancing around as she rebuttoned her cuffs. “Tamar?”
“I’m here,” her sister said, reentering the room, thistime fully dressed. She gave Hannah a once-over, then ducked back into the bedroom. “Let me grab a brush.”
“What time is it?” Hannah asked with a yawn.
“Almost one,” her sister said as she reemerged. She moved behind Hannah, her hands working with impressive speed.
“We need to open.” Hannah finished rebuttoning her gown. She’d change later, when there was a lull in customers.
“I can open alone,” Tamar said, finishing with Hannah’s hair and taking her work apron from the hook. “Especially if you want to go somewhere else.” She gave her a pointed stare.
Oy. Unable to meet her sister’s eye, she moved to the basin and splashed water on her face. She shook her head. What she’d told her sister before was correct. They were done.Hewas done. She’d hurt him too much and any other action would be pouring salt in their wounds.
She needed to stay away.
“The longer you wait, the harder it will become,” Tamar called.
No, the longer she waited, the more he’d realize he’d been right to tell her enough.
“We have a shop to run right now,” Hannah said as she dried her hands with a cloth. She returned to the sitting room. “I need to keep our business afloat so we can have food in our bellies and a roof over our heads.”
“Don’t you trust me?” her sister asked, wagging the piece of bread she was nibbling on at her. She brushed the crumbs off her skirt.
With a roll of her eyes, Hannah grabbed the broom, but before she could answer, the two were interruptedby a loud banging, followed by shouts. Tamar gasped, wide-eyed, as Hannah squeezed the broom handle, adjusting the tool in her hands so it might be used as a weapon.
Pushing her sister behind her, she crept toward the staircase.
“What is that?” her sister asked, eyes wide. She clutched Hannah’s arm, peering over her shoulder toward the entrance to their living quarters.
“I don’t know,” Hannah said, her heart beginning to pound. There was no jangle from the front door’s bell, and the door to the alley was supposed to be locked.Waslocked. She’d definitely locked it, right? She always locked the door.
“You stay here,” she told Tamar before unlatching the upper lock and peering out. Nothing.
Quiet as she could, still armed with the broom, she edged down the staircase. She rounded the corner, brandishing her weapon, only to find Isabelle and Rebecca, both panting as they rushed toward her.
“Thank goodness you’re here. We saw the shop was closed and”—Isabelle grasped Hannah by the shoulders, gasping—“It’s Sol. You need to come with us. Now.”
“What’s happened?” Panic rose in her mind. “Has he been attacked again? Are the women all right?” Because Sol would hate himself if anything happened to his rescuers.
Isabelle shook her head, her brow pinched. “He’s—it’s hard to explain but he’s not well.”
“Not that very hard,” Rebecca said, shooting Isabelle a look before drawing closer. “My great-aunt believes he’s been poisoned.”
“Poisoned?” How was that possible? And how had the other women not been affected?
“He’s alive but unable to wake.” Isabelle clutched her gloved hands together.
“My aunt’s been treating him and I’m helping, but we thought that perhaps, hearing your voice, knowing you’re there, might give more reason to fight,” Rebecca added, her face serious.
“I can’t,” she told them, shaking his head. “The way we ended things—the way I ended things—he does not want to see me again. Trust me.” Hannah swallowed. “And even if he did, his brother doesn’t want me anywhere near him and has told me that if I do, he’ll have me arrested for a crime I very much did commit. Which will not merely ruin Tamar’s life again but also damage the community and—”
“His brother is not there,” Rebecca snapped. “No one’s there with him, except my aunt and her companions. Who care about him, but who are not you.”
“He’s in love with you, Hannah.” Isabelle’s deep, near black eyes brimmed with tears as the smaller woman shook with emotion, her thick black hair bouncing beneath her bonnet. “Just as you’re in love with him. If you don’t come now, you will regret it. Trust me. You only get so many chances, so much time. Please don’t squander what you have.”
Her features tightened and she added, “Besides, if Frederick Weiss is angered by your presence, I’ll personally make sure that no such action is taken against you or your sister. Hewilllisten to my family. No matter who he is now and who he’s going to marry.”
“Solomon’s fighting for his life,” the midwife said, slapping a hand against her skirts as if to emphasize herpoint. She eyed Hannah. “Don’t tell me you’re too much of a coward to do right by him. Don’t tell me that we’ve misjudged you, that you don’t love him enough to do all you can to keep him from dying and are prepared to let him go without even saying good-bye.”
Hannah’s heart clenched and she balled her fists. She’d never permit Sol to die.
Sol had to live. There was no other possibility. And she would risk anything to make it so.
“All right,” she said. “I’ll go.”
