Page 84 of His Unforgettable Bride
young against hasty engagements.
“Good day to you, sir.” Henry bowed after finishing his business with the Everly constable before leaving the jail.
Afternoon snow flurried in every direction as he moved toward the rented carriage parked in the street, where Dobbin dutifully waited. Their steamer had arrived in Everly forty-five minutes prior.
With one pressing conversation complete, another more significant one followed—explaining to Juliet the details of his pending arranged marriage. He still kicked himself for not giving her all the facts immediately after his amnesia faded. His only excuse was having a brain heavy with memories, questions, and the driving need to check on Dobbin.
Now he had to make Juliet understand he had only ever loved one woman—her. And to convince her they belonged together. As the new King, could he not continue to smooth the way for Juliet in Bascandy, like in Everly?
He would do his very best.
Ruby’s recent incarceration was another matter to discuss. According to the constable in Victoria, she had committed many crimes, not counting the theft of her former employer’s jewels, including the Queen’s brooch. Henry alerted the lawman of Miss O’Reilly’s blackmail attempt, which would lengthen her imprisonment.
Henry quickened his pace, eager to see Juliet. As much as he longed for a bride of his choosing—someone full of life, kindness, and charity—did she want him? Certainly not before he broke his engagement to Faith.
“Henry!”
At the sound of Tabitha’s voice, he turned and drew his collar tighter around his neck to ward off the wind. She approached from the bank, a tall whitewashed structure in the backdrop. He tipped his hat. “Good afternoon. I was on my way to pay you a call.”
She smiled in that familiar way of hers. “Me or Juliet? Either way, we are delighted.”
“You are on to me. How is she, by the way?”
“Well, indeed.” Tabitha’s voice dropped. “Yesterday, she informed us of her hardships and misdirection after her grandfather’s death. Fortunately, she persevered.”
Juliet’s admission of being a pickpocket, a well-buried secret, was monumental. His chest swelled with pride on her behalf. “May I offer you a ride? I need help with a plan, and you are the perfect person to assist me.”
Her brow cocked. “How intriguing, and I’d appreciate a lift. Not a snowflake in the air when I left the house earlier.”
He offered his arm, and she linked with him before they moved toward the carriage, snow crunching beneath their boots. Few pedestrians or conveyances traversed the sidewalk and street, likely due to the disagreeable weather.
Dobbin, standing by the door, assisted Tabitha into the coach. She sat on one side, with him and Dobbin on the other springy red cushion. The combination of black walls, drapes, and dreary sky forced him to squint in the dimness.
Introductions followed as the carriage jerked forward, the road bumpy beneath the wheels. After exchanging pleasantries, Henry leaned back against his seat. “I had a long talk with Mr. Blake moments ago. Apparently, a man named Victor Thayer coordinated my kidnapping to receive a handsome ransom.”
“He is under arrest, is he not?” Dobbin asked, his fair brows knitted.
“Yes.” There was no reason to tell Tabitha or Dobbin the remainder of what Mr. Blake had said. Henry’s ruse had worked, fooling his kidnappers into thinking he had hidden on the second steamboat after his escape. The steamer left the dock for Victoria with the men still on board, searching high and low for Henry, who had jumped into the water.
Eventually, the pair returned to Everly, the last place they had seen him. Not until after the tearoom open house, with everyone whispering about a missing prince at the local saloon, did the kidnappers find Henry’s trail again.
“You know, Henry,” Tabitha said, “it is good you did not leave Everly with Miss O’Reilly during the open house. Otherwise, the kidnappers may have followed you to Victoria and captured you a second time.”
Or perhaps not. He doubted his entourage, mostly Dobbin, would permit him to wander away for a similar plot to unfold. “Do you honestly believe Juliet would have permitted me to leave town with her foe, even if that meant sitting on me to stop the departure?”
“Never in a million years.” Tabitha chuckled.
“I can barely wait to make Miss Dash’s acquaintance.” Dobbin grinned. He usually remained stoic when in public, but Everly had a way of changing people.
“You’ll adore her as we do,” Tabitha said.
When the carriage driver stopped before the sisters’ home, Dobbin quickly exited and waited at the door to assist Tabitha.
The northern wind whipped inside through the opening and sprinkled snowflakes onto Henry’s trousers, which he brushed aside. “Will you please give us a moment, Dobbin? I want to speak privately with Tabitha before we leave the carriage.”
“Of course.” After bowing, Dobbin silently closed the vehicle’s door.
Henry met Tabitha’s gaze directly. “May I financially compensate you for expenses incurred during my stay?”
