“And now I have remedied my error.”
She lifted a brow in warning, her gaze flitting desperately between Robert’s disappearing form and me. “Are you quite sure?”
“Quite.” Pressure built within my chest. I summoned the memory of how easily Halstead had dismissed Aunt Agnes, and I took in a breath, gathering my courage. I fixed the whole of my attention on her, wanting to be certain she heard my every word. “I am well aware of what you have threatened to do, but it doesn’t matter. I will find a way to protect Harry, no matter the cost.
“My birthday is still two weeks away, but I will not wait until I have my inheritance to free myself of your control. I will no longer cower as you mete out endless punishments to manipulate and force me into submission.” I gave her a pained smile. “I regret I had not the courage to do this sooner, but I will console myself with the knowledge that I came to my senses before I let you choose the course of my life.”
I panted, growing heady. For the first time in speaking to my aunt, instead of the usual fear, I felt a strange sense of power to speak those words at last and mean them.
“And if you dare lay a finger on Harry . . .”
The expression on Aunt Agnes’s face changed so swiftly it was almost as if a curtain had fallen. Gone was the look of desperation, and it was replaced by something sinister. She reached into her reticule. “Oh, there’s no need. You’ve had your say. I believe we are finished. But since you are determined to sever your ties with us, perhaps it is time I give you this.”
She withdrew a small note with a broken seal. The seal looked familiar, but I hadn’t time to consider where I’d seen it before she thrust the paper into my hands. It took my mind a moment to focus on the poorly written scrawl.
Dear Lady Everdale,
I regret to inform you of the worst possible news. Just this morning we discovered your nephew, Mr. Harrison Graham, missing from the dormitory. After conducting a thorough search of the buildings and grounds, a letter from him was discovered (enclosed) which informed us of his intention of signing on with a merchant ship captain. While we will do everything in our power to aid you in your efforts of recovery, we thought it best to lay the matter in your hands so you can proceed as you think best.
Yours, Etc.
Thomas A. Carson
Headmaster
Blinking away tears, I pulled back the letter to find the note Harry had left.
Juliet,
I hope you will not be angry when you discover me missing, but I couldn’t bear to stay here another day. I received word from Aunt Agnes that I wouldn’t be coming home for Christmas, and it was too much. I don’t fit in at Harrow, and I’ve never considered myself as much of a book learner. Mostly I cannot imagine spending the next years of my life being so miserable. Father was a sailor, and the sea has always called to me. I am destined for it, and I plan to become a cabinboy. Maybe one day I’ll get to be a captain like Father. I promise to take care of myself and hope you will not be too angry with me. I’ll love you always.
Harry
A drumbeat of dread pulsed through me. Harry, gone. And it was my own fault for not telling him of my plans to bring him home. I ground my teeth together, my vision blurring as I tried to think of what to do. A thick fog wrapped around my mind, and I cursed the feeling of helplessness that overtook me.
My hands clenched around the letter, crumpling the pages. “When did this come?”
The only sign she’d heard me was a cold smile curling her lips.
“When did this come?” My voice grew in volume with my desperation.
“Yesterday morning.”
I turned on Aunt Agnes. “And you have done nothing? Why did you not show me until now?” My voice rose to a shout, but I did not care to lower it, even as the guests began to emerge from the drawing room, heading toward the dining room.
She kept her voice low. “We can deal with this matter later.”
Her calm tone only served to spark my ire. “So Harry is merely a matter to be dealt with? Is that all we’ve been to you?”
Aunt Agnes cast a frantic look about. “Juliet, calm yourself. I warn you; do not make a scene.”
And suddenly Hugh was standing next to me, but I had not even the presence of mind to acknowledge him. All I could think of was Harry. Harry.
“Mother, what is going on? What is this about Harry?”
“Nothing to concern yourself with, Hugh. We will speak of it later. We will not make a scene in front of the duke’s family. I have no desire for them to hear of the embarrassment my sister’s children continue to heap on me.”
For a brief moment I considered appealing to Hugh for help. But I couldn’t ruin his and Ellen’s wedding day. Besides, Harry was my responsibility, and no one—not Hugh or Robert, and certainly not their mother, cared for him the way I did. I’d held my birthday out as a sort of beacon, a time when Harry would be delivered into my safekeeping. And legally, perhaps that was true. But it was that belief that had given Aunt Agnes power over me.
And I was sick with the thought that I had failed him.
My face set in stone, I fixed Aunt Agnes with a glare. “I know you have never cared for me. It seems I am a living reminder of everything you believe
