They were in the drawing room of their home in Mortimer Street, midmorning, neither having got much sleep. Patience had stayed up until the early hours crying, and Alice had sat beside her on the sofa, silently holding her hand.
In the hour after dawn, Patience had gone for a walk around the block to get some fresh air. When she returned, Alice was relieved to see that her sister had dried her tears and seemed a little more at peace.
You knew this moment was always coming; you just have to get through today. Give it time. She will forget Cuthbert Saint and find someone else suitable.
Alice schooled her features into the best placid expression she could muster. Her sister wasn’t a fool, and if she gave the merest hint of having been involved in the sudden departure of Cuthbert, Patience would surely know.
“Perhaps he has family obligations. Or even a new position to take up. Who knows? Men can be such fickle creatures,” she replied.
“It was all so sudden. One moment we were talking about visiting the theatre, the next he was gone,” said Patience.
“Well perhaps the best thing you can do right now is to get on with your life and await his next letter. If Mister Saint is true, then he will write.”
Shut up, Alice. What are you saying? Don’t encourage her to carry a torch. Oh, I wish Harry were here. He is so much better at this lying lark than I am.
She hadn’t seen him since the previous day at Grosvenor Street with Sir Stephen Moore, and her mind kept returning to the night prior at the Temple of Diana. To what Harry and she had shared.
Patience wasn’t the only North sister wondering where a man was, and whether he wanted a future with her. Harry Steele was constantly in her thoughts.
The prospect of spending the next few days at home while they both stewed over men didn’t fill her with any sense of joy. A fun diversion was what was needed. “How about we get our things and head out to Oxford Street this morning? I have some Christmas shopping to do, and I’m sure you could do with a spot of fresh air. Then, tonight, we should find ourselves a nice party to attend and try to catch up with friends.”
She was tired, and a small headache sat behind her right eye, but Alice was determined not to succumb to the situation. Anything was preferable to sitting at home and wondering.
“I suppose you are right,” replied Patience with a resigned sigh.
Alice rose from her place on the sofa, eager to seize the moment. If they both kept busy, the day would seem less long.
“If you can be ready to leave in the next half hour, I shall treat you at Gunter’s Tea Shop. How does that sound?” she said.
The tentative smile which appeared on Patience’s face was a great relief. She came to Alice’s side and slipped a hand about her waist, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you, sister dearest. I can always count on you to help me out of an unhappy mood. Yes, we will go and spend the morning in town, and a flavored ice from Gunter’s sounds perfect.”
Small steps forward.
An hour later, Alice was standing at the counter of a small button seller in the Pantheon Bazaar on Oxford Street, silently congratulating herself on having eschewed the crush of Harding and Howell’s for her and Patience’s shopping trip. The bazaar was an interesting mix of shops and zoological gardens. One could buy all manner of items at the various stores, then go and see a real live monkey.
The only downside to the place was the loungers—small groups of well-dressed young men who hung around just to be seen. Every time they passed by any of the gentlemen who bore the slightest resemblance to Cuthbert Saint, Patience would let out a small sob.
Alice put her change and purchases into her reticule and turned to her sister. “Are you ready to go and get something to eat?”
Patience softly smiled. “Not quite. I would like a few minutes by myself.”
A cold chill slid down Alice’s back. Was Patience going to go somewhere and have another little cry all alone? She had appeared to be getting through the day without falling apart, but as she was beginning to discover for herself, broken hearts were unpredictable.
“I am fine. I just have some presents I wish to purchase without you being with me. Even big sisters deserve surprises at Christmas,” said Patience.
Alice softly chortled. She especially loved unwrapping gifts on Christmas Eve. “Alright. In the meantime, I shall go and rest my feet at the tea shop at the entrance to Marlborough Street. You can meet me there when you are done.”
A cup of hot tea and a slice of buttered bun was top of Alice’s list. That and a note to Harry. For while she had been doing her utmost to help Patience forget about Cuthbert Saint, there was nothing Alice could do to get Harry Steele out of her mind.
As soon as they were home, she would send word to him and try to meet. There was no point in putting off the worst if he wasn’t interested in furthering their relationship.
But is it over between us? He looked hurt yesterday. Could it be that he might feel the same way I do?
Until Harry finally told her ‘no,’ there would always be a tiny flame of hope alight in her heart. A fire that only he could snuff out. Or set to a roaring blaze.
Chapter 17
Harry turned the note over and read it yet again.
Not a lot of sleep was had here last night on both our counts. Patience is coping as best as can be expected. The good news is that she wants to attend a ball tonight, so fingers crossed.
Final payment is due to you for the end of our contract. Please let me know if you wish the money sent. Or should I deliver it personally?
Alice.
He carefully folded Alice’s letter and put it into his jacket pocket, then went back to staring out the drawing-room window. His gaze settled on the rain which had been falling constantly for the past half hour. There was something soothing about its steady rhythm.
It was the end of a long and, for Harry, reflective day. He drew little comfort from knowing that he had not been the only one to have endured a restless night.
From a safe distance, he had witnessed Cuthbert Saint get on board the coach bound for Harwich, only coming out from his hiding place after it had pulled out of the yard at the rear of the Spread Eagle Coaching Company. He and Stephen had then headed next door to the RR Coaching Company and polished off half a bottle of whisky in quiet celebration after he’d sent word to his associates to call off their Cuthbert watch.
The job was done. Patience North had been saved from an imprudent marriage, but even as the alcohol slipped down his throat, a sense of despondency had taken hold.
I almost wish Cuthbert hadn’t taken the coins and left. Then I would have a good excuse to see Alice once more.
It was over between them before it had really begun. Her missive was polite, dare he say friendly, but all she really wanted to know was how he wished to receive his payment.
Did he want her to put some coins into a bag and send a footman over with it? Or perhaps a courier from the bank with a note. Both solutions would see money in his pocket and their connection at an end. Cold, clear, and impersonal.
His lack of sleep the previous night, had not just been due to the worry over what Alice had said, it was the fear that he had truly lost her. No other woman made him feel the way she did. Set his blood to near boiling point every time she was within arm’s reach.
The memory of that night at the Temple of Diana, when she had finally shown her true self to him played over and over in Harry’s mind. Her cry as she reached completion was a siren’s call to him. He lusted after Alice, ached to once more explore her sweet body with his hands and lips. But it was more than just a deep seated sexual need. It went to his very soul; touched him deep on a primal level.