Page 45 of The Unfortunate Debutante
A mischievous glint came to her eyes. “If you tattle on me, then you won’t know the location of the Anti-Corn Law rebels.”
“You doubt my ability to find it out on my own?” he questioned.
Emma shrugged smugly at him. “I’ll remain here all afternoon while you attempt to learn the location of the meeting.” She paused, before adding, “But if you don’t discover the location or time of the meeting, then meet me at the back of the gardens at eight tonight.”
He pushed his brows together. “You would go to the meeting without me?”
“I have no doubt that you will be meeting me in the garden tonight,” she replied, giving him a complacent smile. “Until tonight, Lord Wentworth.”
As she turned to leave, he grabbed her arm. “I do not like being called by my title.”
“Then what would you prefer me to call you?”
“Simeon,” he blurted out before he realized what he was about.
Her brow lifted slightly, but she responded, “Then you must call me Emma.”
A smile came to his lips. “I would like that very much, Emma.”
“As would I, Simeon.”
Simeon released her arm and watched as she hurried away. He took out his pocket watch and looked at the time. He only had four hours to discover what he had been trying to uncover for weeks.
He’d better get to work.
Dressed in a drab,borrowed gown, Emma hurried across the expansive garden of Caddington Manor. It had just started to grow dark as she stepped into the cover of the trees along the back wall.
She sighed in disappointment when she saw that Simeon wasn’t there. She’d been hoping that he wouldn’t have been able to discover the information on his own. Glancing at the rising moon, she decided that she would only wait for a few moments before heading to the meeting herself.
Tucked into the pocket of her gown was a pound note and some coins. That was the last of the pin money she’d been saving. Luke had been most generous with her allowance, but she would often give it away to people who needed it more than she.
The sound of crunching leaves caused her head to snap towards the direction of the noise. She slid her hand into the pocket of her gown and gripped her overcoat pistol. If the noise wasn’t caused by Simeon, then she was in a lot of trouble.
A shadow emerged from the trees, its footsteps crackling the fallen twigs.
Her breath caught as the shadow took another step closer, directly into a gap between the trees, revealing a man.
“Emma,” the man whispered as he came closer.
She breathed a relieved sigh when she heard Simeon’s voice. “You must have missed me,” she joked, removing her hand from her pocket.
“I did no such thing,” he declared in a haughty fashion. “I was unable to ascertain the location of the meeting.”
Emma shrugged one shoulder. “Or perhaps you missed my witty conversational skills?”
“You surely jest,” he grumbled.
She grinned. “And you, milord, are way too reserved.”
“I am not reserved,” he growled.
Walking over to the black iron fence, Emma quickly jumped over and watched for Simeon to follow suit. They hurried towards the pavement and the bustling street. Raising her hand, she tried to hail a hackney, but none would give her any heed.
Simeon came to stand next to her. “No respectable hackney will carry a single woman,” he informed her. “Allow me.” He lifted his hand, and a black hackney came to a stop in front of him.
“Where to, sir?” the fair-skinned driver said.
“To The Tubby Wench,” he replied.
