Page 15 of A Dream of Redemption
He watched his words sink in and Helen screwed her eyes shut. “I can’t, I can’t…” Tears welled and one lone tear slid down her flawless cheek. “I cannot believe this world is so cruel.” He said nothing. Her eyes flashed open, anger setting them ablaze. “But you can. You knew before we came here what was likely happening.”
“I’m paid to know. It’s why I did not want you involved.”
Her mouth opened and then closed. “Oh, that is why. I thought you didn’t want me to stand in for Marisa because you don’t like me.”
He almost laughed out loud. Not like her. She was perfection but he could never utter those words. She carried on.
“I imagined you thought me spoiled, pampered, and completely naïve. In other words, utterly useless.”
She was partly right. But mostly he didn’t want to strip away the love and joy she found in life. “Yet, look at how you’ve helped today. The children responded to you almost immediately, and I can see the awe and wonder in their eyes when they look at you. And here you are crying over a missing child when I’m pretty sure most of your class simply would not care.”
She swiped at the tears. “I want to do more. Iwilldo more.” She looked at him almost pleading. “We are going to find Claire. I don’t care that it’s only one child. One child could lead to two and so on.”
Inwardly he sighed. Since she’d mentioned Claire he’d been expecting her to say something like this. What would it do to her if they never found Claire, or they found her and she’d been abused, or she was ill, or worse?
She pressed him. “So what are you going to do?”
He had to handle this carefully. “What do you mean ‘do’? I’ve got rid of Mr. Glover and his harlot. The staff here will start ensuring the children learn skills so they can find honest employment.”
“I mean what about the children that have gone missing. Claire was only taken two days ago. Surely we can find her. We will find her.”
We? There would be no we. If anyone were going to go searching in Glover’s sewer, it would be him.
Lady Helen would not let it be. “I want to find her. How many men do we need?”
“While I understand your desire to help and I applaud you for it, where money is concerned men tend to be very dangerous. The world is a treacherous place. Look what happened to your sister.” Helen flinched. “I’m sure when Marisa permitted you to help she had not envisioned this scenario. She would not want me putting you in danger. Staying in this building for tonight is dangerous enough. Glover is pretty mad at losing a lucrative trade, and he might try to retaliate. You shouldn’t be here.”
Besides, his chances of saving young Claire were slim. She could have been taken anywhere.
“Are you saying you’ll do nothing?” She made to stand. “Fine. I will go to my brother and the other Libertine Scholars. They will help me if I ask.”
“We may well need them, that’s true. But unless we want Glover to disappear in a hurry, taking the missing children with him—or worse, getting rid of the evidence—we have to ensure he is not aware that anyone is investigating his past dealings. Let him think the orphanage is all we are concerned with, not what he was doing through the orphanage. I’m simply saying leave me to do some reconnaissance.”
She slowly sank back onto her seat. “That makes sense. Mr. Glover could flee with Claire if he thinks we are chasing him.” She sat silently, chewing her bottom lip, deep in thought. He could see the frustration in her furrowed forehead.
“Why don’t I ask the men to take you home. It’s almost midnight and there is no need for you to stay here. You can come back in two days once rested and see the progress in the establishment and check the children’s welfare.”
“No.” She was shaking her head. “I’m staying here until Claire is found.”
A cold dread seeped along his skin. It was only a matter of when, not if, Glover took his revenge. Clary already had men guarding the front and back of the orphanage. “That is not a good idea. This part of town is not safe, and Her Grace would skin me alive if anything happened to you.”
“I’m not leaving.” On that note she rose and the “lady” was very evident. In other words,Don’t argue with me. “Mrs. Thorn has worked very hard to make the matron’s old room suitable for me, and when Antonia left she sent the carriage back with Mary and some of my things. Mary will act as chaperone. Besides, no one will ever know I’m here. I’m unlikely to bump into anyone I know in this neighborhood.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
“Helen. My name is Helen.”
The worry about her safety got the better of him. “You can’t have it both ways, my lady. You can’t want familiarity when it suits, then lord over me when it doesn’t.”
He waited for her to get angry but instead she smiled. “You are quite right. I like that you spoke your mind.” She reached the door and before she exited the room she added, “If we are to be friends, I shall expect you to always speak your mind and tell me if I try to ‘lord over you.’ Good night, Clary,” and then she was gone, the door closed softly after her.
Friends? Wherever in this world could a man like him ever be friends with her? His mind immediately went where he didn’t want it to go. Lovers perhaps, lady and servant as they already were, but never friends. When one was of the lower class, let alone a man with his sordid background, being “friends” with a woman of quality would never end well—for him.
His Grace would cut his balls off.
And he’d lose everything. His fingers felt the soothing cold metal of his key.
He shook his head and rose to his feet. The clock showed it was midnight. He was bone tired but if he was to ascertain where Glover might be holding the children he had to go out tonight. He probably only had a few days at the most before the children were sent God knows where.
