We dont have any men! Niles barked. I have no idea what youre talking about.
Why would we kidnap your family? Peter said reasonably. Or Sabrina?
The same reason most kidnappers do, Con answered. Money. Or perhaps you just wanted a key.
Both men gaped at him. The key? Niles asked.
Her key? Peter said at the same moment. The two men exchanged a glance.
I dont know what youre talking about, Niles blustered. Why would I want some key?
I dont know. Cons eyes narrowed. But I think you do.
Nonsense. We had nothing to do with any kidnapping, and Im not looking for a key. Now, Ill thank you to get out of my house.
Gladly, Con responded. But before I go, let me remind you what Alex told you last time. If you try to harm Sabrina or anyone in his family, hell come after you. And he wont be alone. You understand? Stay away from my family.
As soon as they stepped outside, Tom said, He knew what you were talking about. Id swear it. When you mentioned the key, there was a flash of something in his eyes.
Yes. Until then, I was beginning to wonder if he was telling the truth. But its clear we wont get any more information out of them. He knows we have no proof.
What are you going to do, then?
Im going to call on someone who knows the Dearborns and Sabrina very well.
DEAR, DONT YOU think you ought to change? Aunt Helena asked.
Surprised, Lilah looked up from her book. I thought you had decided not to make calls this afternoon. She had looked forward to an afternoon spent in quiet comfort, reading.
Thats no reason to lounge about looking like that. Why, I dont believe youre wearing a corset.
No, Lilah admitted. She had put on the loose sacque dress because it didnt require stays. She was a little bruised and sore from the constriction of the stiff corset during all the activity yesterday. But there is no one here to see.
I wouldnt be so sure of that, Aunt Helena said with a twinkle. Your uncle mentioned that Sir Jasper might come to call, remember? And yesterday Mr. Tilden was very disappointed to find you not at home. I shouldnt be surprised if that young man wasnt on our doorstep again.
Aunt HelenaI wish you would not encourage Mr. Tilden.
Whyever not? Hes a presentable young man. He has a tidy little fortune. Hes amiable and educatedI have heard the two of you discussing Shakespeare.
Only because he was shocked I had read the actual plays and not a bowdlerized version.
Her aunt frowned. Im still not sure it was wise for your academy to allow those plays around impressionable young girls. Not everyone has your strength of mind and moral certitude. Aunt Helena began to go through Lilahs wardrobe. What about this russet silk moire? Its so pretty with your hair. These puffed sleeves are elegant.
Lilah sighed at the thought of climbing back into all those clothesthe small bustle in back, the corset to achieve the proper wasp waist, the boned sleeve supports to fill out the puffed sleeves, not to mention the petticoats and, over it all, the bodice and skirt. It was rather like donning armor. Social armor. But it was a lovely dress, and of course she couldnt receive guests in this softly draped morning gown.
Yes, that will do nicely, she said and rang for her maid.
If you havent a preference for Mr. Tilden, theres always Sir Jasper, Aunt Helena said. I think hes close to offering. So did Lilah; that was the problem. He seems quite enamored of you.
Hes enamored of getting his hands on the estate my father left me.
Lilah! What a thing to say. Sir Jasper isnt a fortune hunter. Your father left him that land in Yorkshire to go with the title, and I understand he has a nice income besides. In any case, it would be suitable to have the family seat and the title joined again. I never understood exactly why your father left the house to you instead of passing it with the title.
Because I am his daughter. He wanted to leave me independent, Lilah said with some exasperation. Because it was his home and he loved it. He didnt want to leave it to a man who was little more than a stranger. And since it wasnt entailed, he was free to do with it as he wished.
Of course he wanted to provide for you, but still, its unusual. If you married Sir Jasper, the estate would be whole again.
Thats hardly worth marrying someone for. Sir Jasper is older than I am.
Only fifteen years. Its more comfortable to marry an older man. They are more stable. Theyre established in life.
But we are related.
Not to any significant degree, her aunt protested. Sir Jasper may be the last male of the Holcutt line, but hes only a third cousin once removed, so there would be no reason not to marry.
Theres reason enough in the fact that I dont love him.
Delilahsurely you dont mean that. Youve always been so levelheaded. Reasonable.
Isnt it reasonable to love the man you marry?
Yes, and I am sure you will come to love him in time. Love is the fruit from the seed of a good marriage. Only foolish girls marry because they fancy themselves in love with a man. Its infatuation, based on nothing more than the color of a mans eyes or the way he smiles or the lavish compliments he pays her.
I hope I am not so shallow, Aunt, nor so unable to judge my own feelings. To know what is merely attraction, merely desire that was Con Moreland and what is true feeling. That was, well, she wasnt sure, for she had never felt it for any man.
Of course youre not shallow. But you are young, and you have been influenced by the romance of Sabrinas wedding. But no one knows how that will end. You have seen only the excitement. Theres a great deal more to life than that. A marriage needs a strong foundationa suitable match of name and bloodline. A similarity of spirit. A husband who can provide and protect you, who is steady and high-minded. One of irreproachable reputation.
It sounded, Lilah thought, like a dull sort of marriage. But it was the kind her aunt herself had, so Lilah could hardly disparage it. She smiled and said teasingly, Aunt Helena, you are going to make me think you want to get me off your hands.
Helena smiled fondly. You know I would keep you with me forever if I thought only of myself. Your uncle would say the same. But I want whats best for you. I want you to have a good, happy life and a husband who can give you that.
I know. I love you for it. Aunt Helena, having no children, looked upon Lilah as her own daughter, and she was the closest thing Lilah had to a mother, her own having died when Lilah was young.
Perhaps her aunt was right. Maybe it was foolish to hope to find love, to give a man her heart and hold the same from him. She wasnt even sure that love was something she was capable of. Shed never felt even a twinge of it for any of the young men with whom she had danced and conversed.
Maybe she should be practical. Find a man who embodied the qualities she admired, who was, as Aunt Helena said, steady and like-minded. Surely that would be better than falling into the trap her father had, holding his sad obsessive love to his heart all his life. Her aunt and uncle were happy in their marriage. As one grew old, it might be nicer to have a man to sit with by the fire than one who had made your heart beat faster.