Page 16 of Papa's Desires
“Let me see,” Daisy said, pushing Cynny out of theway.
“Hush,” Rosie said, taking hold of Daisy’s shoulder. “This is about Cynny, notyou.”
The closet was crowded with the three of them in there. Only a few of the girls at Talcott House knew about the spy hole, better to keep the secret that way, though the fact that chatterbox Daisy had not spilled the beans about it continued to amaze Hyacinth. She might have preferred to be alone while finding out about Lord Grayson’s horrid plans for her, but she took comfort in being near her two friends. Right now, they were a little too near, but it could not be helped. Even for petite girls, three in a small closet was crowded. But, the drama unfolding in Miss Wickersham’s study was too delicious for them not to share. Besides, by the time she convinced the two of them to leave her alone to learn her fate, she would have missed the entire scene as it playedout.
It occurred to Cynny that after she was hauled off to jail, she would never see Rosie and Daisy again. This would be her last memory of them. Her throat tightened up and she pulled away from the peephole and gathered her two friends close in a long hug. “I am going to miss you both.” She almost wished she had never lived at Talcott House. Never got her hopes up that the future could be better. Never made friends. At least then she would not know what she missed out on inlife.
Oh, what would Cammie say when she found out about Hyacinth’s arrest? Would it be in thenewspaper?
“We will miss you too,” Rosie said as she pulled out of Cynny’s embrace. “But, you will write to us, just like Cammie does, will you not? And maybe Miss Wickersham will find papas for me and Daisy someday and we will be able to call on you like proper ladiesdo.”
Cynny had a heartbreaking vision of socializing with her dear friends after they were all married, having tea and discussing the things married ladies talked about, whatever thatwas.
But, for her, it was not meant tobe.
Raised voices drew her attention back to the present and she resumed her post, spying on activities down below. “Keep a watch out for Garland. We cannot let her find out about thispeephole.”
Cynny resumed her observation of the happenings in Miss Wickersham’s study. Her whole life depended on the outcome of the loud discussions taking place one floorbelow.
“Give me the weapon.” Miss Wickersham stood in front of the man with Lord Grayson, her hand out as though she was demanding contraband from one of her errant students. Cynny gaped, as best she could with one eye pressed to the floor. She had never known Miss Wickersham to back down from anyone, including the young, exuberant constable who had wanted to haul Cynny off to jail when she tried to pick Miss Wickersham’s pocket that fateful day four years ago. But a man with a gun? A seasoned man of thelaw?
The constable cut his eyes to Lord Grayson who gave a slight nod of consent. Even the lawman abided by Lord Grayson’s whims. He really was infuriating with his bossy ways. He was even worse thanGarland!
With Lord Grayson’s assent, the lawman laid the pistol in Miss Wickersham’s palm. She promptly locked it in her desk and pocketed the key before turning her attention back to LordGrayson.
Cynny raised her face away from the opening and thought for a moment. Without the gun, perhaps Cynny would be able to escape from Lord Grayson and his enforcer. Where would shego?
She could sell the stolen pocket watch... that would give her enough money to get on her feet, maybe travel to a faraway town and start over again. Maybe as agoverness.
A glimmer of hope flickered in herchest.
She would need to get out of the closet and change her clothes. Traveling in an elaborate wedding gown would draw too much attention. She took a breath and resolved to escape while she could. Resting her hands on the floor, she made to get up from her prone position, but Daisy grabbed her around the back of the neck. “Look,” she whispered, pushing Cynny’s face into thefloor.
Miss Wickersham lifted her calendar from the desk where she had just locked up a pistol. She picked up a quill and spoke to Lord Grayson, “I am available Thursday next at ten o’clock in the morning, I shall schedule an appointment for you at that time. As you can see,” she gave a pointed glance to Lord Kensington in his wedding finery, “we here at Talcott House have urgent matters to resolve to which your presence is neither invited norrequired.”
Miss Wickersham moved to escort both Lord Grayson and the lawman from the room, though without returning the pistol. Cynny held her breath. If anyone could escort two uncooperative men from the premises, it was Miss Wickersham. She did not put up with shenanigans, not from Cynny or Daisy and not from high born gentlemen. To her relief, Grayson actually took a step toward the door and Cynny slowly let out the breath she was holding. Maybe...justmaybe…
And then he stopped in histracks.
“No,” he said. “I am here for Miss Heathrow and I shall not leave without her.” His stern voice sent a shiver down Cynny’s spine, but surprisingly it was not fear. The warmth in her kitty spread and pulsed and Cynny’s breath caught in herthroat.
“I beg your pardon?” Lord Kensington, who was there intending to wed Hyacinth himself, asked as he stepped forward. “Have you gone mad? I am to marry the girl within the hour and I would thank you to leave the premises as Miss Wickersham has requested. Are you in the habit of causing disruption everywhere yougo?”
Rosie’s elbow jabbed Cynny in the ribs. “Lord Kensington is fighting for you,” she whispered. “Is it notromantic?”
Cynny looked up to see that Rosie had found a small crack in the floor and had her face mashed againstit.
It was romantic. Why did it not give Cynny the same tingly feeling as when Lord Graysonspoke?
“I believe perhaps I have gone mad,” Lord Grayson said, raking his hand through his hair. “What other explanation is there for this type of behavior? Regardless, I can think of no other and I must have the girl.” He was certainly determined and that meant Cynny would be spending what was supposed to be her wedding night injail.
“That is all well and good, my lord, but she is to be Lady Kensington. My bride, not yours. The arrangements have been made. Money has changed hands and the vicar is on his way here. I am sure Miss Wickersham has other young ladies who will be acceptable to you, but you shall not have mybride.”
Cynny held her breath and waited for the bottom to fall out of herworld.
This is where Lord Grayson would make it clear that he intended to haul her off to prison, not the chapel. She wondered how quickly Lord Kensington would vacate the property once he learned thetruth.
“What makes you think that you are the proper gentleman to marry her? Have you spoken with her? Have you ever even seen her? Have you heard the lilt of her laugh or gazed into her eyes, which are the shade of a morning sky in spring? Have you spent hours upon hours, imagining in great detail how you would be a good papa to her? She must be my bride, my little girl. I will have no other,” Lord Grayson challenged Lord Kensington and Rosiegasped.
