“Simone does things her own way, and in her own time,” Caleb remarked. “But I am beginning to see cracks in the mask she wears.”
“I wish you luck with that.” Fredrick gave him a pointed look. “Aren’t you going after her to ensure she arrives home safely?”
Caleb put his hand up. “If I did, she would chide me on my impertinence, and I do not think I need another lecture from her.”
“Then don’t get caught,” Fredrick advised.
Rising, Caleb knew that Fredrick was right. He needed to know that she was all right, even if she didn’t want him to. He would do anything to keep her safe.
Fredrick gave him an approving nod. “If you need anything, you know where I am.”
“Me, too,” Roswell added.
Caleb acknowledged their words with a tip of his head before he headed after Simone. With any luck, she wouldn’t notice him, and she would return home without incident.
Chapter Twelve
Simone was all too aware that Caleb was following her, but she had no desire to confront him. A part of her was annoyed that he didn’t think she could manage on her own, but another part of her, a much larger part, found a certain charm in his concern.
It had been a long time since someone had shown such kindness towards her. She had learned to do things on her own, but Caleb was making it increasingly difficult to do so. He wanted to help her, despite her insistence that she didn’t need it. But maybe she did, she thought.
As she approached the servants’ entrance of her townhouse, she removed her top hat and mustache, holding them in her hand. She opened the door and stepped inside, only to find her father waiting for her. His nostrils flared at the sight of her.
“So it is true?” he demanded. “You dress up as a man and leave the house.”
“Yes, but I can explain—” she started, her eyes darting around the empty kitchen. Her father must have sent the servants away so they wouldn’t witness this conversation.
He cut her off. “No! I have had enough of your lies!” heexclaimed. “You have dishonored me by your total lack of regard for propriety.”
“Father—”
He put his hand up, stilling her words. “When Juliette told me about what you were doing, I didn’t believe her. But now I see it plainly with my own eyes.”
Simone should have known that Juliette was behind this, but that was the least of her concerns right now. She needed to find a way out of this mess that she found herself in. Her father’s temper was stoked, and she had to come up with a believable lie.
What if she just told him a half-truth, she thought. That could work. In a soft voice, she said, “I dress up so I can attend lectures at university.”
“University is for gentlemen. It is not for ladies playing dress up,” her father growled.
“Yes, I know, but I want to better myself, just as Mother always encouraged me to do,” Simone said, lowering her gaze.
Her father crossed his arms across his chest. “Your mother knew better than to ever dress up as a man. She may have been progressive, but she still operated within the realm of propriety.”
“I’m sorry, Father,” Simone said.
Some of her father’s anger dissipated at her words, but it wasn’t entirely gone. “I want you to go upstairs and change. Then bring me all the men’s clothing that you have so I can burn them.”
Simone’s eyes went wide. “You can’t be serious,” she said.
“I am, and it is time that I take a more active part in your life, at least until you find a husband to watch over you,” her father responded.
Now it was her anger that was stoked. Squaring her shoulders, she declared, “I do not need a husband to watch over me.”
“I think you do, more than you realize,” he said. “I can’ttend to you and accomplish all my other tasks. Which is why I am going to find you a husband.”
“I won’t marry a stranger,” Simone declared.
“Then you may pack your trunks and leave the townhouse,” her father responded.
