Kisses and Scandal (A Survivors Series Anthology ) - Shana Galen Page 0,99
thinking of, at any rate. She didn’t have any proof, but if she waited for proof it might be too late. She couldn’t put Thomas in danger—not to mention Alice and the baby and all the servants.
She waited until the butler left Thomas alone in the dining room, exiting through the servants’ door, and then she entered. Thomas stood immediately, smiling at her as though he had not a care in the world. That smile all but undid her. It certainly weakened her resolve. She wanted more of those smiles and more of the kisses he had given her the night before. The last thing she wanted to do was to leave him.
“Would you like some coffee?” he asked.
She shook her head. “It’s no good, Thomas.”
“I assure you it is good. I only serve the finest.”
“I don’t mean the coffee. I heard what you and Evans were discussing.”
He went very still. “I see. It needn’t worry you. I had planned to hire an additional footman at some point. I’ll do it now, and then we’ll all be much safer.”
She went to him, took his hands in hers. The warmth of his skin made her realize how cold her own was. “As long as I am here, you won’t be safe. They’ve found me, and it doesn’t matter what you do. You, Alice, little George—you won’t be safe until I’m gone.”
His hands tightened on hers. “Raeni, what are you talking about?”
“The men in the garden last night. They weren’t housebreakers. They were slavers my father sent to capture me and bring me back to Jamaica.”
“I’ve told you, that’s illegal in England.”
She let out a breath and pulled her hands from his. “Do you think my father cares? I’m nothing more than property to him. And he has sold me to another planter. His pride is at stake. He’ll have promised these men a small fortune. They won’t be deterred by an additional footman or even a dozen.”
“Then we’ll go to the country for a few weeks. Or to Wapping. Let me—”
“No.” Her voice was soft, so soft she wasn’t certain he had heard until he sank into his chair. “No. You have a new business on Bond Street. You have worked all your life for it, and I won’t stand in the way of your success.”
He rose and crossed to her, but she moved away before he could take her in his arms. If he touched her now, she would lose her resolve. “I know what you want to say, Thomas. I love you too. That’s why I have to go. I love you too much to put you in danger.”
“There must be another way. Raeni, give me time to find another way.”
“There is no other way. I have to go to another city and disappear. But I won’t leave you in your hour of need. The opening ceremony is in a few days. I’ll stay for that and no longer.”
THOMAS STOOD IN THE kitchen of the coffee room and stared at Alice’s hands, which were immersed in soapy water. Nearby, her little boy sat in a child’s chair and banged a spoon on the feeding tray.
“I tried to reason with her,” Alice said, lifting a plate and wiping it with a cloth. “But she’s determined to go. She says these men are ruthless, and she can’t bear the thought of you or me being hurt.”
“I agree there is some danger, but it’s nothing I’m not willing to face. If we can catch these men, we’ll turn them in and they’ll be punished.”
Alice set the plate on a drying rack. “I told her that, but she says it’s too dangerous.”
Thomas wanted to drop his head in his hands. He was losing her, and there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn’t force Raeni to stay. Even if he could, he would never have taken away anyone’s right to choose his or her own path. Nothing he said seemed to convince Raeni that he could keep her safe. She’d barely spoken to him the past few days, though they’d worked side by side on the opening ceremony. Everything was ready. The staff would be here early tomorrow to make sure all went smoothly. And then when it was over, Raeni would say good-bye.
“Sir?”
He looked at Alice who was washing a cup.
“I’ve been thinking that if Raeni is leaving, it’s time for me to move on too. You offered me a position in Wapping. It includes room and board?”