Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The sun outside the bakery felt like an old friend coming to greet him as Ethan waited for Miss Harper. It had been a few days since he'd seen her last, and he hadn't been able to rid his mind of thoughts of her for even a minute.

That day, he had no note to deliver, no secret message. Instead, he just wanted to spend some time with her. Wednesdays had become his favorite day of the week since he'd started meeting her there.

"Mr. Langley," she said as she approached the bakery door.

She smiled at him for a brief moment before her face turned to a frown of worry.

"No notes or messages today," he assured her. "Although, I was hoping we could still share our usual walk."

"That would be wonderful."

They browsed the cakes for a while before heading on their usual path. Without the concern of an ongoing conspiracy, Ethan felt comfortable walking in public with her. He no longer worried about who was watching them and who might intend them harm.

They were safe. Just that morning Roderick Finch had been arrested in connection with Lord Elmstone's crimes.

"I hope you don't mind that I've come to seek you out like this," Ethan said. "There's something I want to talk to you about, and I felt that a letter simply couldn't be enough."

"Oh? Is everything all right?"

"Everything's just fine," he answered. "I've had a lot of time to think lately, and there's been much on my mind. It's not like me to feel so trapped in my own thoughts, but this was important."

"I know the feeling," she said. "Sometimes my own thoughts chase me, and it feels as if there is no chance of escape."

"These thoughts I didn't mind so much," he responded. "This time, they were nothing but pleasant. I merely had to decide how I would act upon them."

He knew the look on Miss Harper's face then. She was wondering why he was telling her all that. What did it have to do with her?

"It was you," he explained. "You were the center of my constant thoughts."

Miss Harper stopped dead in her tracks. Ethan had hoped that his choice of words would make more sense than they did. He instantly regretted them. How it sounded was not at all how it was meant.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked. "Have I done something wrong?"

"Quite the opposite," he answered. "You've done something very right. You see, you've caught my attention and all of it. I suppose that's something that my parents, and myself if I'm honest, could never see coming."

"Oh." It was an explanation, but the frown on her face told Ethan that she was still confused.

If only explaining his emotions came as easily to him as a complicated mathematical equation. There were no rules when it came to emotions. There was no system in place that could tell him what to do or where to look next.

"If you'd be willing, I would like to enter into a courtship with you, Miss Harper," Ethan finally found the courage to say.

"With me?" she asked.

"Most certainly. I've not known a day since we met that I haven't worried about your safety or wondered what you were up to," he said. "Every one of our walks that we've shared has been a moment of triumph for me. I would like to feel every day the way I feel when I am in your presence."

Miss Harper smiled widely. "This is a surprise," she said. "A very pleasant one."

Ethan's hands were clammy. He had hoped for that moment and now that he'd been presented with it, he wasn't sure what to do or say.

"Does that mean you accept?" he asked nervously.

"Of course!" she answered. "Nothing would make me happier, Mr. Langley."

A feeling crept over him, one he hadn't had since he was a child. He felt as if he'd just woken up on Christmas morning, and he knew that there was a celebration to be had that day.

It felt as if his birthday had arrived, as though a crowd of people might burst into song in honor of his existence. He wanted to lift her by the waist and swing her around with joy, but he was too nervous to do so.

"That's wonderful," he said, struggling to hide his joyful laughter. "I can't wait to enjoy every minute of it."

For the rest of their walk he told her of all the activities he had planned, and some that he would keep as a surprise.

It had taken a lot for him to reach that point. It had caused a large argument with his parents when he told them that he intended to court a lady's maid. He had explained to them who she truly was, but they were so caught up in appearances that they hardly listened.

Eventually, he explained to them that he had no intention of growing old in a miserable marriage like the one they had. It had stunned them both into silence.

"You have raised me to be smarter than that," he had said, eventually winning his argument.

His parents remained unconvinced of his plans with Miss Harper, but he knew as soon as they met her and had the privilege of being in conversation with her, they would see what he saw.

After all, his parents valued intelligence above all else, and Miss Harper had no shortness of that.

"I'll see you soon," he said with a smirk. "I very much look forward to it."

"Don't make me wait too long," she requested. "I feel I will struggle to sleep until such a time that I see you again."

That day was the hardest of all to leave her behind and head back to his carriage. He didn't need to court her to know that he wanted to spend his life with her. He only needed to court her to convince her that she wanted the same with him.

Now it was up to him to make sure that happened.

***

"The duke has had a word with me," her father said as he leaned on his desk.

Across from his desk, in two separate armchairs, sat Isabella and Mr. Alton. They had been summoned shortly after the final ruling of Lord Elmstone's sentence.

"As you can imagine, I have had a lot to process over the last few weeks," he continued. "Not only did one of my closest friends turn out to be the greatest betrayal this city has ever seen, but I learned my daughter has been running around without my knowledge, getting into danger, and solving crimes."

Isabella lowered her head so that he would not see her smirking. When he said it like that she felt proud about it.

"I could not tell you what I was doing, Father. You would have stopped me," she said.

"And you, Mr. Alton, got her into it," her father continued.

"Father, if I may," Isabella interjected. "The entire investigation was my idea. Mr. Alton didn't want me to join him, but I insisted. You know how I can get."

"I do know," he said with an amused smirk. "And I believe you."

Isabella glanced at Mr. Alton. He did not seem nervous about the meeting that her father had called or the fact that they seemed to be in some kind of trouble with him.

"I'm sorry," Isabella said quietly. "Although, not entirely."

Her father leaned back in his chair. "It has not gone unnoticed by me just how happy you've been these last few weeks, Isabella. Of course, I thought it had more to do with the duke. Nevertheless, that does not change the fact that you've been happy."

She nodded. "My life has found some meaning," she explained.

"Due to the efforts of both of you, the duke has made me an offer," her father said.

Isabella swallowed hard. Was he going back on his word? Did the duke still intend to marry her? She forced those thoughts from her mind and braced herself for the rest of what her father was going to say.

"You saved his life," he said, looking in her direction. "As a sign of gratitude, he has offered me a line of credit with him. On top of that, he has promised a close relationship between our families will continue going forward."

It was exactly the kind of deal her father wanted. Isabella was happy to know that he'd received it, but she couldn't help but remain concerned that there was still more to the promise from the duke.

"This has turned into a fruitful event for all of us, it seems," her father said.

Once again, Isabella looked toward Mr. Alton, and he seemed entirely unbothered by what was happening in that room. In fact, he looked calmer than he'd been in some time.

Isabella, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on or where the conversation was going.

"Your daughter performed remarkably well in the investigation," Mr. Alton said. "You can be proud of her."

"That I am." Her father smiled in her direction. "I always knew Isabella was destined to do something great with her life."

"Thank you both," she said with a nervous smirk.

"I suppose that brings me to why you are both here in my study today," her father said. "Isabella, there has been a development."

It was like torture sitting there as her father dragged the situation out. The longer he took to get to the point, the more nervous she became. Was he going to tell her that he no longer agreed to their courtship?

"I'm here to tell you both that I am accepting Mr. Alton's request for your hand in marriage," her father said with a wide smile. "Only, I wanted to drag it out as long as possible because I'm having a little fun."

Isabella was stunned as her father and Mr. Alton burst into a fit of laughter.

"You knew?" she asked, looking toward Mr. Alton.

"I did," he confessed. "You know me. I like to keep you on your toes."

Isabella picked up the pillow from her seat and tossed it at Mr. Alton in a playful manner. "I thought we were done for! You two are cruel!"

She wasn't sure when her father and Mr. Alton became quite such close friends, but it had happened at some point. They laughed together as if they'd done it a thousand times already.

"You two will cause my early death, I tell you," Isabella teased.

Outside the room, her mother and Eliza waited with glasses of champagne to celebrate their engagement. As the night progressed, it seemed to Isabella that everything was falling into place.

"Where shall we go first as husband and wife?" Mr. Alton asked.

Her heart skipped a beat as the words came out of his mouth. The man before her, seemingly plucked from the pages of her adventure books, would be her husband. And she would be proud to be his wife.

"India," she answered. "I've always wanted to see the cultures there."

"Then it is settled," he said. "As fast as we can, we will set sail for India, and we might never return until we've seen every corner of the world."

Nothing sounded sweeter to her. She took one look around the home that she had been raised in and knew she would not often be back. She was eager to miss it all as she experienced new and wondrous things.