Chapter 16

Emily wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She’d never felt worse in her life. It didn’t matter that her review had ended up at The Mayfair Chronicle by accident. She’d still written it. And then she’d left it on her desk where Georgina could easily find it.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

She stared out of the carriage window as she and her father headed toward the newspaper office. What she’d done to Callum was worse than what he’d done to her. It had a far more calamitous effect. Not just on him, but on Westcliffe, Ada, Corwin, and Harriet.

Pressing her lips together, she did her best to maintain her composure. How would her friends ever forgive her? How would Callum be able to marry her, knowing this was how she responded in anger?

“I’m such a hypocrite,” she muttered.

“Beg your pardon?” Papa asked.

She turned away from the window and faced him. “Remember how angry I was with Callum when I learned of what he had written? How am I any better when I did the exact same thing to him? I used words as a weapon, Papa. Except in my case it’s so much worse because I deliberately aimed to hurt him. All he wanted to do was publish a story. And apparently, if I had taken the time to finish the book, I would have realized I was wrong to get upset over it. He used our history as inspiration. That’s all. The only possible damage he could have caused was to my pride, whereas I’ve destroyed the chance he and two other families had of financial success.”

“You’re right to chastise yourself for what you did,” Papa said. “It was spiteful. I’d not have thought you capable of it had you not told me about it yourself. So I can understand if Stratton is angry and possibly your friends too when they find out what’s happened. You let emotion get the better of you, Emily, and in so doing you made a decision that threatens to have a terrible impact upon their lives.”

“As if I didn’t feel bad enough already,” Emily mumbled.

Papa leaned forward and reached for her hand. “Let’s hope there’s a way out of this mess. Either way, my advice to you is to let them all know how sorry you are. Apologize profusely. Tell them you made a terrible error in judgement and pray they will forgive you. Then finish reading the book and write the review it deserves.”

Emily nodded. It wasn’t much different from what she herself had been planning, but hearing her father say it strengthened her resolve.

The carriage pulled up in front of The Mayfair Chronicle. Papa alit and Emily followed him down onto the pavement. When they entered the front office, Callum was already there with the two other dukes. The three men greeted Emily and her father with grim expressions before returning their attention to the clerk with whom they’d been speaking. He was the same one Emily had spoken with earlier.

“It’s not so simple, Your Grace,” the clerk was saying, his voice holding the apologetic tone of someone who’d just received a sound reprimanding. “As I explained to your um—”

“Fiancée,” Callum provided, his words a wonderful reassurance to Emily. They were still getting married. He wasn’t so angry he’d break the engagement.

“Right. Um…” The clerk cleared his throat and sent Emily a wary glance. “As I explained to her this morning, publishing is a carefully scheduled process. One cannot remove columns or articles at the last second. The layout for tomorrow’s publication will already have been prepared.”

“But you do make exceptions,” Callum said, his voice filled with dukely authority. “For when something newsworthy happens.”

“Last night’s theft at Coldweather House would not have made this morning’s paper otherwise,” Emily said, stepping forward to stand beside Callum. “As I recall, that transpired after nine o’clock.”

“Well yes,” said the clerk. “News is naturally treated with the utmost of urgency.”

“Yet you refuse to remove a review written in error,” Callum told him. “Consider the impact such a decision will have on your publication.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Callum reached for Emily’s hand and gave it a squeeze before letting it go once more. “The Lady Librarian is a popular column, is it not?”

“I’m really not qualified to discuss that,” said the clerk.

“Then maybe you can fetch us someone who is.”

“Like the owner and editor-in-chief, Mr. Loughton,” Papa suggested

The clerk’s face reddened. “He’s an incredibly busy man, sir.”

“That’s, my lord, to you.” Papa raised his chin.

Callum leaned forward. “I’m sure Mr. Loughton can make time for three dukes and an earl. Wouldn’t you say?”

“I…um…ah…Of course.” The clerk took a step back. “I’ll let him know you’re here at once.”

He nearly tripped over his feet in his sudden haste to get the job done.

“This is nonsense,” Westcliffe muttered.

Corwin nodded. “I’ll be ending my subscription before we leave.”

“I’m so sorry,” Emily told them. “I’m sure Callum has briefed you on what happened.”

“He did,” Westcliffe said without adding anything further.

Corwin said nothing. He didn’t even look at her, which almost made her feel worse than Westcliffe’s scowl.

“I’ll find a way out of this mess one way or the other,” she promised, even though she had no idea how or where to begin. Hopefully speaking with Mr. Loughton would be a good start.

The man arrived within the next minute. His expression, unlike the clerk’s, was warm and hospitable. Emily’s heart gave a hopeful beat.

“Welcome gentlemen.” Mr. Loughton extended his hand to everyone in turn and introductions were hastily made. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I believe I’ll let my daughter explain,” Papa told him.

Although Emily technically worked for Mr. Loughton, she’d never actually met him. All of her communication with the newspaper had taken place by letter. It was time for him to find out who she truly was.

“Mr. Loughton. My name is Emily Brooke, otherwise known as The Lady Librarian.”

Mr. Loughton’s eyes widened. He grinned. “How positively marvelous! My wife and I are both admirers of your writing. We read all your reviews and purchase our books accordingly.”

“Thank you.” Emily gave him a tight smile. “As I explained to your clerk, one of the reviews I wrote was delivered to you in error. It’s scheduled to appear in tomorrow’s paper, but if it does, it will discredit what I truly believe to be a wonderful novel.”

Mr. Loughton frowned. “If that’s your position, then why would you write a review to the contrary?”

“The reason is irrelevant in this instance. All that matters is that the review gets retracted with no damage done to the book’s potential.”

“I’ve got to tell you this is a bit last minute.” Mr. Loughton scratched his head. “I’m not sure there’s much to be done. The Lady Librarian’s column is in the middle of the paper. It’s placed in a spot where no changes are ever expected. Those pages get printed first, beginning at eight in the morning the day before publication. This allows us the extra time we need to work on the first few pages, where all the headlines appear, at the last minute.”

“So what you’re saying,” Emily asked, just to be clear, “is that the page with The Lady Librarian’s review has already been printed?”

“Probably.”

“Can we check?” she asked, her panic from earlier returning in full force.

Mr. Loughton nodded. “Come with me.”

They followed him into the back office area where a group of roughly twenty men were either busy at their desks or bustling about as though pressed for time.

Mr. Loughton approached a slim man with thinning blond hair. “Mr. Conrad. I need an update on tomorrow’s edition. Has the page featuring The Lady Librarian been printed yet?”

“It was completed about an hour ago,” Mr. Conrad informed his employer.

Mr. Loughton turned to Emily and the rest of the group, his expression apologetic. “I’m terribly sorry, but if it’s already printed, there’s nothing to be done.”

Emily’s heart sank like a big lump of lead. She didn’t need to look at Callum to know what a terrible blow this was. She could feel his despair as though it were her own. Something had to be done. One way or another she had to find a way to make this right.

A thought struck.

“What would it cost to purchase all of those pages?” she asked.

Mr. Loughton drew back. He frowned. “I beg your pardon?”

“Emily,” Papa murmured. “You’re surely looking at more than fifty pounds here.”

“I can’t afford that right now,” Callum told her, his voice grim.

“Neither can we,” said Westcliffe and Corwin.

Maybe not. But she could.

“I’m guessing the only reason you’re unable to pull the pages, is because it would be too expensive,” she told Mr. Loughton. “I understand that. Paper isn’t cheap. But what if I wished to purchase all of the pages with that review printed on them? How much would you charge me?”

Mr. Loughton’s eyebrows shot toward his hairline. “I don’t know. I’d have to make a calculation. But to be honest with you, my lady, I cannot afford to sell those pages. It’s not just a question of money, you see, but also of time. We’d never be able to get the paper out by tomorrow morning if we have to re-print a replacement page this late in the day. Doing so would require reworking the layout since the objective is to remove the review. We’d have to find something of a similar size to fill the vacant spot.”

“That’s not a problem,” Emily told him. “I’ll just write a new review. One that fits the exact space left by the one we’re removing.”

“You haven’t even read the entire book,” Callum said.

“I don’t need to.” Emily turned to him with determination. After all he’d done to help her, she would do this. “It’s written by you and your friends. Based on what I’ve read so far, I’m sure the entire story will be a delight. It’s certainly a gamble I’m willing to take.”

He looked skeptical. “Are you sure?”

“Without question. My initial review was written in anger, Callum. It never should have been read by anyone other than me.”

“I appreciate your saying so,” he said with a hint of being slightly reassured, “but it doesn’t change the fact that we cannot afford to do as you suggest.”

“And even if you could,” Westcliffe said, “Mr. Loughton did just inform us that there’s not enough time.”

Yes. The time would likely prove to be the greatest challenge of all. Emily’s mind whirled. She bit her lip and glanced at Corwin. “You’re acquainted with a publisher, are you not?”

He raised his chin and rocked back on his heels. “I am.”

“Any chance you might be able to convince him to print the page in question?”

“Possibly,” Corwin said, his expression pensive.

“How long would it take for you to find out for certain and meet us back here?” Emily asked.

“An hour or so, I should think. Give or take.”

Emily nodded. “Please do it.”

“Hold on,” Callum said. “There’s no sense in setting a huge undertaking in motion when we’re not even able to pull the pages.”

Emily turned to Mr. Loughton. “Can you please get me the price of those pages?”

Callum raised an eyebrow as though impressed by her persistence.

Well, she would not be giving up. This was too important.

Mr. Loughton and Mr. Conrad removed themselves to a desk where they proceeded to make some notes on a piece of paper. When they finished, Mr. Loughton approached her and said, “We’re looking at four thousand pages at roughly one farthing a piece, plus the cost of replacement paper which more or less doubles the cost. By my estimation, that comes to roughly sixty-seven pounds.”

He handed Emily the note on which he’d made his calculations. She glanced at it while doing her best not to look too shocked. It truly was a large sum.

Intent on staying optimistic, she sent Callum and his friends a reassuring smile before addressing her father. “Papa. A word in private, if you will?”

The earl followed her off to one side. “The pensive gleam in your eyes is making me nervous, Emily. What are you thinking?”

“I want to use my dowry.”

Papa’s face blanched. “Absolutely not.”

“Listen to me, Papa. This terrible blunder is my doing. I caused this and now I have to do what I can to atone. It’s only fair.”

“I don’t like it.” Papa crossed his arms. “Your dowry is intended to give you security, Emily.”

“Most of it still will. I’ll only be using a very small portion.”

Papa knit his brow. “I’d rather cover the cost myself and leave your dowry alone.”

“As generous as that is and as grateful as I am to you for the offer, it would not be the same.” Emily glanced in Callum’s direction. “Since I am the one to blame for what happened, I must be the one who pays the price.”

“You know, there’s no guarantee the book will make enough money to make up for this expense.” Papa’s voice was somber. “It might be cheaper to leave the review as is.”

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t help me make amends. I need to do this. Plus, having read part of the book, I actually do believe it will do quite well if enough people buy it. Ensuring its success will also help the next book they write.”

“They’re planning another?”

“I believe so. Yes.” She took a deep breath and expelled it. “Papa, you must help me with this. Please. It’s not just about the book. It’s also about ensuring that I have a positive start to my marriage. This is extremely important to me. It would mean a great deal if you’d lend your assistance.”

Papa sighed. “Very well, Emily. I will support you in this if it’s what you desire.”

Forgetting they were in a public setting, Emily wound her arms around her father and hugged him. “Thank you.”

Papa murmured something beneath his breath and Emily withdrew. She crossed to where Callum and his friends waited together with Mr. Loughton.

“Corwin, if you can please proceed as we discussed, I’ll pay to have the page pulled and replaced.”