Page 30 of A Sonata for the Fiery Lady
“What is that, Miss Melisa?” Miss Thorsten asked quietly.
“I cannot tell you for it is a secret, but I need you to go down and make sure the way is clear. I need to get into my father’s study across the hallway and must not be disturbed,” Melisa said as she looked up at Miss Thorsten. The other young lady only nodded her head as they both moved towards the door.
Miss Thorsten opened it, peeking her head into the dark hallway. After a moment, she stepped out into the hallway and stood there a moment before motioning for Melisa to follow. Melisa stepped out into the hallway with her and together they stood listening for any sounds of footsteps. Eventually, Miss Thorsten pointed to the study as she started to walk down the hallway towards the stairs, keeping an eye out for anyone who might come up and interrupt Melisa.
As she crossed the hallway, Melisa put her ear to the study to make sure her father wasn’t inside. After a minute, Melisa slowly opened the door and ducked inside, closing it quickly behind her. Melisa had to light the candle in the room to see what she was doing, but she made quick work of going behind the large wooden desk and pulling back the chair so she could kneel underneath the desk and uncover the safe below.
It was no secret to Melisa that her father kept some of his fortune at home instead of in the bank. The only difficult part would be trying to locate the key to the safe. As Melisa flipped back the carpet to reveal the safe in the floor, she almost laughed when she saw the key sitting next to the lock.
“How could you be so foolish, Father?” Melisa whispered as she took the key and quickly unlocked the safe, revealing stacks of notes inside. Melisa took as many stacks as she could carry before she shut the safe again and placed the key back in its spot before covering it with the carpet again.
Once the study was as it should be, Melisa blew out the candle and placed it back in its holder by the door. Then, with the stacks of notes in her arms, she slowly pulled open the door and peeked into the hallway. She neither heard nor saw anyone as she crossed the hallway once more and ducked into her bedchamber, pulling the door closed. Quickly opening her trunk, Melisa started stashing the notes in varies garments and into the seam of the trunk so anyone who opened it wouldn’t see how much money she was actually carrying with her.
When she was finished, she strapped the trunk shut once more and then rang the servants’ cord by her bed. It didn’t take Miss Thorsten long to return to her room, a smile on her face.
“Were you successful, Miss Melisa?” she asked as she came around the edge of the bed to where Melisa was standing next to her trunk.
“Indeed, Miss Thorsten, I was. Now, for the next part. I need to get out of the house without anyone knowing. And I’m sure everyone is on high alert,” Melisa said with a long sigh.
“Yes, Mr Moses is down below. But I’ve convinced him to get a cup of tea from Cook to help settle his nerves. He seems quite upset over the Duke getting into the house without him knowing,” Miss Thorsten explained as she gestured for Melisa to follow her.
“First, Miss Thorsten, I need you to take this,” Melisa said as she took the notes she hadn’t packed and placed them into her lady-in-waiting’s hand. Miss Thorsten’s eyes grew large as she looked at the money in her hand.
“But this is a year’s worth of income,” Miss Thorsten said as Melisa forced her hand into her maid’s pocket.
“You take this home as soon as I’m gone from this house. You get as far away from my parents as you can, and you find yourself some other place of employment. But this should cover things till you can find another job,” Melisa said sternly. Tears came to Miss Thorsten’s eyes as she pocketed the money, quickly pulling Melisa into another hug.
“I’m so happy for you, but I’ll surely miss you, too,” Miss Thorsten said as she hugged Melisa tightly.
“I’ll miss you as well, my dear friend. I shall write to you as soon as I am settled,” Melisa promised as she broke their embrace and quickly collected her trunk in her hand.
“Alright. Let us make haste,” Miss Thorsten said as she went around the room and blew out all the candles. Then, together the ladies left the room, Miss Thorsten closing the bedchamber door behind them. They walked quietly down the hallway and paused at the top of the stairs. Miss Thorsten went down first, and once she reached the foyer, she peeked down the main hallway.
When Miss Thorsten motioned for Melisa to come down next, Melisa didn’t hesitate. She made her way carefully down the stairs, not wanting to trip over her gown since she was carrying the trunk. But she made it down without too much issue as her heart started to pound in her chest. She was finally escaping her home and would put everything she knew and had become used to behind her. She would no longer be a lady of status, but a disowned young lady who would have to make her own way in life from now on.
Miss Thorsten slowly pulled open the front door as she urged Melisa through. “I’ll come to see you off in the morning,” she whispered as Melisa stepped into the night. Melisa only nodded her head at Miss Thorsten as the maid pushed the front door closed once more.
Melisa turned her back to the townhouse then and quickly walked down the walkway to the main street. She didn’t stop or look over her shoulder as she walked down the deserted street, the lamplight low and barely causing any glow. It was rather dark, and though Melisa was a bit scared, she was filled with more excitement than the fear of being found in the dark.
As she neared a busier part of town, she was able to hail a hackney to take her the rest of the way to Oliver’s residence. Once she gave the driver the address she’d memorized, along with a few coins, the driver helped her up into the carriage where she then sat with her trunk beside her. The further the carriage left the part of town she’d known most of her life, the more Melisa started to relax. She’d managed to leave her home without alerting her parents and only hoped that by the time they rose the next morning that she’d be far out at sea with the man she actually loved.
Chapter 18
Oliver jumped when the sound of knocking came to the apartment door. He’d paced for what seemed like hours, becoming more edgy by the moment. And though he’d waited all night to hear that sound, it had still caught him off guard.
Oliver walked quickly to the door and undid the lock with haste before he pulled the door open. A smile grew wide on his face as he looked at Melisa as she carried a small trunk in her hands. Her smiled beamed up at Oliver as he quickly took her trunk and gestured for her to follow him inside. He set the trunk aside and closed the door as she walked into his apartment and quickly started looking around.
“Are you well, Melisa? Did you leave without issue?” Oliver asked as he turned back to her. But she didn’t answer him as she came to Oliver and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
“I left without being noticed thanks to Miss Thorsten, but this evening has been so horrible,” Melisa said into his chest as she rested her head there. Oliver wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he waited for her to tell him what had happened. When Oliver felt her trembling, he started to fear the worst.
“My parents had gone out to the opera with the Duke and I had stayed home with the excuse that I wasn’t feeling well. Then, about an hour after they had left, the Duke came to my home … and he came into my bedchamber before any of the servants noticed. I was able to pull the servant cord before he entered my room, but he was soon upon me,” Melisa explained as Oliver began to hear her sob. He squeezed her tight, wishing he could take away all her pain as his anger rose. He wished he had time to teach the Duke a lesson but didn’t want to leave Melisa.
“Did he force himself upon you?” Oliver asked softly as he began to run his fingers through her golden hair.
“He tried, but we were discovered. My father returned home just in time to see for himself what type of man Lord Smithers is. But, even then, I don’t think my parents were convinced. I shall never regret giving up my life to avoid such dangerous circumstances,” Melisa said as her sobs subsided. For a while, they simply held each other, Oliver gleeful that he held Melisa in his arms once more.
“I don’t know what the future holds for us, Melisa,” Oliver said as he leaned back and tilted Melisa’s chin up so he could gaze into her beautiful blue eyes. “But one thing for sure is that I’ll ensure that you’ll never regret leaving England with me. I know you would have gone either way, but since you chose me, I will always make you proud of that decision.”
