Page 70 of The Unfortunate Debutante
Feeling a need to comfort him, she reached for his hand and held it tenderly. “You may not consider me a friend, but I consider you one. And friends share each other’s burdens.”
“My burdens are too great, Emma,” he whispered with pain in his voice. “I have carried them for far too long.”
“Then let me help you.”
His eyes grew misty. “My struggles and pain might bring you down.”
She brought her other hand up to cup his cheek. “Don’t worry about me. I’m stronger than I look.”
Simeon’s eyes implored hers, and she hoped that he would trust her with his secrets.
He closed his eyes and asked, “What has Martha told you about her past?”
“Are you referring to Rachel’s cousin’s wife, Martha?”
He nodded. “I am.”
“She hasn’t told me much about her past,” she replied. “Over this past year in Scotland, we have grown close, but she hasn’t spoken about life before she was married. She just discovered she was pregnant…” Her words stilled when realization washed over her.
“It was Martha,” she breathed, “wasn’t it?”
Hearingher name out loud caused his heart to lurch, and Simeon kept his eyes closed. “It was,” he confirmed.
To his surprise, Emma wrapped her arms around him and embraced him. Her actions spoke louder than her words would ever have, and he found himself touched.
She stepped back but remained close. “I had no idea, Simeon. I can hear in your voice how much you loved her.”
He gave her a weak smile. “Emmett won her heart, and I got a blasted title.”
“How did you earn a title?”
Tilting his head towards a bench, he said, “I received it after an assignment that went horribly wrong.”
“Will you tell me about it?”
His initial response was to refuse her, but he saw the hopeful expression on her face. It was time for him to share his story, to trust another.
He led her over to the bench and waited until she was seated before claiming the seat next to her. “My partner and I were assigned to root out the leader of The Cursed Lot gang in Gravesend, but my partner was deceived and was murdered.”
“How awful,” Emma gasped.
He gave her a weak smile. “That isn’t even the worst part.”
Clasping her hands in her lap, she replied, “Please continue, then.”
“After my partner’s death, I was assigned to work with Dr. Maddix, but I found him to be intolerable.”
“Emmett?” she asked. “He is quite possibly one of the nicest people I know.”
He sighed. “Eventually, he grew on me as well, especially since he wasn’t completely incompetent at his job.”
“As a doctor? Or was he an agent of the Crown as well?”
He ran his hand through his hair. “What has your family told you about agents?”
“I know that Adrien, Benedict, Jonathon, and Lord Charles Beckett are agents,” she said, lowering her voice. “I haven’t figured out what Eliza, Cosette, and Josette are exactly, but it’s fairly obvious they’re more than they let on.”
Deciding to change the subject, because frankly he didn’t know either, he continued with the story. “Emmett became my partner, and together we brought down The Cursed Lot and their entire smuggling operation.” After a moment, he reluctantly added, “Adrien, Benedict, and Jonathon may have played a role in the case, but their contribution was limited.”
