Chapter Twenty

Emily pushed her arm through Will’s, and their eyes locked. The chilly November breeze fluttered the feathers in her hair and blew the leaves across the steps at her feet. They stood at the front of the courthouse while Annie, Laura, and Katherine stood huddled in a circle to the side. Emily looked into the dark blue of Will’s eyes, and her heart swelled with love.

“Nicholas is gone.”

He brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. “For the next five years or so anyway.”

“Will it be enough?”

He covered her hand with his and led her away from the doors and slowly down the steps. “It is enough for us to be married and to move away from here.”

She stopped. “Move away? But where? Father is buried here. I can’t leave him.”

“We have to if we are to be together. I have tried and failed to find work in Bath. Now that my past has come out because of the trial, it is doubtful anyone will employ me. I want to marry you more than I want anything in the world, but we cannot stay here without income.”

“Our future together is the most important thing, not how we pay the bills.”

“They are equally as important. We should have known Milne would want everything about me exposed. It was his last chance of kicking me where it hurts. He succeeded.”

“No, Will, he failed. You will find work, and we will be happy in Bath.”

Emily looked out at the bustling street. People rushed back and forth, calling and shouting and talking. People came to Bath to make their fortunes; it was almost second to London in its popularity and possibility.

He touched his finger to her chin. “I promised your father I would look after you for the rest of my life, and that’s exactly what I will do. I love you.”

Her stomach tightened. Fear and sadness shone in his eyes. They would do what they had to. She just wasn’t capable of saying goodbye to her father, not yet, not until they had exhausted every possibility of staying close to him.

“Miss Darson?”

“Yes?” Emily turned.

A man in his early fifties stood to her side, his face etched with concern. “How are you?”

“I am better than I have been for a long while.” She smiled. “I’m sorry, I do not know…”

He held out his hand. “Mr. Granger. Your father’s solicitor. Executor to his and Mr. Milne’s estate.”

Realization shot into her stomach, and she raised a hand to her mouth. “Oh. Oh, with everything…” She looked into Will’s eyes and her face blurred with tears. “It’s mine.”

He frowned. “What is?”

“The money. The tobacco company.” She snapped her head to Mr. Granger. “That is why you’re here, isn’t it?”

His mouth curved into a grin, and his eyes sparkled. He held out an envelope. “I had to wait until Mr. Milne was sentenced before I could give you this.”

Emily’s hand shook as she took the envelope; her gaze darted to Will’s and back to the envelope. She slid her finger under the seal. She looked down at the papers and urgently scanned the text. Her fingers curled around the papers until they crumpled. She looked into Mr. Granger’s eyes.

“Is this possible?”

He smiled. “Yes. It’s there in black and white…if you and Mr. Samson want it this way, of course.”

“But how?”

“The moment Mr. Milne was incarcerated, he became ineligible to carry on the business. Even when your father was on his deathbed, he saw the love between you.” He beamed at Will. “So, if Mr. Samson wants to accept the position, it’s his.”

Will stepped forward and stole his hand around Emily’s waist. “What is this?”

Emily’s love for Will swelled as she thrust the papers at him. “Read it. It’s ours. All of it.”

His smile slipped along with his hand from her waist. “But…”

He frowned as he read, and a shot of fear swept through Emily’s blood. Will was his own man. A man used to sole survival, to living and working on the streets. What if he saw this as charity? Or control…worse, failure to provide for her himself? What if he was determined to move from Bath? Her father? His legacy?

“This is our future.” He turned and gripped her waist. He drew her close. “We can be together, Emily. Together.”

She met his eyes, her body trembling with hope and anticipation. “You mean…”

“As long as we are together, we can make this happen. I will not let you or your father down. I promise. I’ll work harder and straighter than any man ever has before.”

Emily laughed. “That’s good to hear.”

He grinned. “Well, there’s nothing else for it. If I am to learn the business and become a tobacco merchant, we need to join forces.”

She laughed. “We are already joined.”

“Not properly.”

He released her and dropped to one knee, taking her hand in his. “Emily Darson, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Happiness soared through Emily, warming her heart and bringing her father’s face to her mind’s eye. She nodded, tears threatening to spill.

“Yes, Mr. Samson. Yes, yes, yes.”

Everyone burst into cheers when Will stood and lifted Emily off her feet, swinging her around until they kissed again, sealing the start of their new beginning…