Both Lavinia and the Lady Shrewsbury knew it to be me, but neither would say my name. Lavinia wouldn’t risk her hand in the conspiracy, at least not tonight. Lady Shrewsbury wouldn’t identify me. I was still a member of the Widow’s Grace.
Daniel was safe for now, but rumors would spin.
I caught my breath and uncovered Daniel.
There was dust his beard, on his mouth.
I wiped those beautiful lips of his with my pinkie. Full, soft. “We did it.”
My heart beat so fast. For a moment, I collapsed atop Daniel. The buttons of his waistcoat dug into my bosom. His beard tickled my collarbone.
Pulling up my gown, I ran to the door and locked it, and then returned. Fishing up my sleeves, I wanted to laugh at myself. This almost felt like a Widow’s Grace exploit.
“Daniel, if you can hear me, I’ve bought us time. We still need to get you home to Hope.”
He didn’t move. Did I hit him too hard?
With an ear to his chest, I hearddrum-drum, drum-drum, not the crazy beat of my heart.
Daniel would be fine. He needed to sleep off the brandy and my hitting him with a candelabra.
Goodness, I hoped I hadn’t made him lose his memory. I hoped the knot on his head didn’t make him forget me.
I heard my name, but it was not from Daniel’s lips.
My conscience?
“Jemina, let me in. It’s me, Patience. Lady Shrewsbury said you needed help cleaning up.”
I sprung to my feet and let her inside. “Daniel’s in trouble.”
She held my hand and walked me to the couch. Lightly snoring, he turned his head.
“Jemina, where are his pantaloons?”
I tugged the sheet across him again. “Lady Lavinia, Willingham, all of them are trying to set him up for a compromise. The woman wants to marry him, but he asked me.”
She put her palm to my face. “Oh. I’m so happy. But we have to get him out of here.”
“They can’t get away with embarrassing him. They need to pay for this dirty trick.”
“Focus, Jemina. Focus.” She put her cold hands on my hot cheeks. “We’ll plot retribution later. We still have to hide him and the crazed widow given to lewd exhibition. That’s what the Lord Mayor just said.”
My face dropped into my hands. “Well, it’s now acknowledged publicly, I’m a lunatic.”
“You’re not crazy. You did what you always do for people you care about, selflessly saving them. That’s what you did for me at Bedlam. That’s not crazy, to lay down your life for a friend. It’s honorable.”
The love in her voice, the understanding, calmed those notions of doubting my own sanity.
“Patience, Daniel has helped so many of the women out there dancing. They need to help lift him out of here. The Widow’s Grace needs to save our barrister.”
“How do you hide a man, Jemina?”
“Like Cleopatra. Let’s get something thick to wrap him. The carpet.”
We pushed the couch and the table aside to free the tapestry. More dust flew, but this would work.
Patience grabbed his arms.
